Innovative projects around the world are transforming decommissioned oil infrastructure into vibrant, forward-looking civic and public spaces.
Helsinki, Finland (2012)
Silo 468 sits by the sea facing central Helsinki, in an area historically known as an oil harbor and terminal. This former silo has been converted into a light art piece and public space. Its steel shell is punctured with 2,012 holes, flooding the structure with daylight to create a majestic and contemporary space for play and recreation.
Seoul, Korea (2017)
Located to the west of Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Oil Tank Culture Park is a cultural complex that features six former oil reservoir tanks that opened to the public in 2017. The Seoul Metropolitan Government transformed the park into an ecological and cultural park to preserve its history and raise awareness of sustainability and urban regeneration.
Cairns, Australia (1995)
Set amongst Cairns City’s 38-hectare tropical rainforest, the Tanks Arts Centre was originally constructed as a diesel and crude oil tank store by the Royal Australian Navy in 1944. Today, this post-industrial art space consists of 5 converted tanks, and hosts a year round calendar of music, performance, visual arts, market days, workshops and more.
Canary Islands, Spain (2021)
This cultural space is housed in a former oil tank in the Canary Islands of Tenerife, where Spain’s first refinery was built. In 1995, the Councillor for Culture and Historical Heritage of Tenerife island’s government, Mrs. Dulce Xerach Pérez, promoted the idea of keeping one of its large containers. It mainly retained its original exterior and interior appearance, with minimal architectural intervention.
Amsterdam, Netherlands (2003)
Located in Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek gasworks complex, the old industrial building known as the Gashouder has become one of the Netherlands' premier techno halls in The Netherlands. The steel, pillarless dome was constructed in 1902 and became a central feature of Amsterdam’s cultural district when it opened in 2003.
Ballast Point Park Tank 101
Sydney, Australia (2009)
Tank 101 is both artwork and a renewable energy generator, located in the middle of Ballast Point Park at Birchgrove and completed in 2009. It has been created to symbolize the past working history of the site as an oil refinery by Caltex. The original Tank 101, built in the 1930s, was the largest industrial storage vessel at this site, used to store crude oil.
Shanghai, China (2019)
Tank Art Park occupies five abandoned aviation fuel tanks and other facilities that once belonged to Longhua Airport. The tanks and their surroundings have been integrated into a cultural hub that hosts a mix of exhibition, performance, and dining spaces. The site opened to the public in 2019 and spans an expansive 47,448 sq m, restoring access to the formerly inaccessible Huangpu riverfront.