King’s Cross Gasholders
- Client
- Argent LLP
- Services
- Wayfinding
- Sector
- Residential
- Location
- London, UK
- Collaborators
- Architecture: Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Interior design: Jonathan Tuckey Design
Cast-bronze signage for three residential drums in King’s Cross
A wayfinding scheme for three residential drums set within historic gasholder frames in King’s Cross, drawn from the form and material of the industrial structures themselves.
Benoy designed the wayfinding for Gasholders, the residential conversion of three Grade II-listed cast-iron gasholder guide frames on the northern bank of Regent’s Canal. Originally constructed between 1860 and 1867 and enlarged in 1879-80, the frames now hold three drums of apartments by Wilkinson Eyre Architects with interiors by Jonathan Tuckey. Known locally as the Siamese Triplet for their joined common spine, the buildings are near-identical from the outside, making clear navigation between them, and across the levels within each, a defining requirement of the brief.
145 flats across 8 floors
Material that echoes the structure
The signage takes its cue from the frames themselves. Bronze housings and glass interiors recall the cast-iron columns and the telescopic lifts that once rose and fell with gas pressure inside the original holders. Typography is restrained, sitting comfortably alongside the minimal interior language of the apartments above. A bespoke icon set carries the same logic, drawing geometry from the historic structures rather than imposing a generic system.
Graphics integrated into the architecture
At ground level, large-scale graphics are cast directly into the concrete walls, reading as part of the building rather than applied to it. A simplified site plan and level directory orient residents between Gasholders 10, 11 and 12, and within the floors of each.
