Architect: DSDHA
Client: London Borough of Lambeth

Contractor: White Rock

A monumental gateway to the site of Edwardian pleasure gardens at Vauxhall Cross, London.

The two 20m columns are cast in pigmented reinforced concrete. A major consideration in their design was how to manage the risk of thermal cracking in the thick concrete sections. This was acheived by incorporating a hollow core and by selecting aggregates and cement substitutes to reduce the high temperatures caused by hydration. The steel shutters were insulated and the concrete temperature gradient monitored using cast-in thermocouples.