King’s Cross Case Study
King’s Cross is the largest mixed use development in single ownership to be developed in central London for over 150 years. The 67 acre site has a rich history and a unique setting – and it is adjacent to the best connected transport hub in London. What is emerging here is a vibrant new city quarter of offices, homes, community facilities, schools, a world-renowned university as well as a host of shops, restaurants, bars and cultural venues. When complete, there will be 50 new and refurbished buildings set in an exciting and inspiring network of new streets, squares, parks and public space. More than 20 historic buildings and structures are being creatively restored and given new uses – this is a big part of what makes King’s Cross special and unique. King’s Cross is a new part of London with a brand new post code – N1C.
What were the initial objectives for the project?
After several false starts by other consortia, our goal (as part of KCCLP, the development partnership) was to create an authentic place that would mesh with the local area and contribute to London’s commercial and cultural landscape. Our work started in 2001 when Argent was selected as the development partner; a masterplan was developed after several years of discussion, testing designs and consultation; and outline planning permission was granted in 2006. The first building to be completed was the Granary Complex, now home to Central Saint Martins. But even before then a massive amount of work was done on the site’s infrastructure – including decontaminating the Pancras Square area – formerly home to 23 gasometers. And we are proud of the results so far!
How did you develop the creative vision for the development?
We wanted King’s Cross to be about the mix- students and office workers, shoppers and residents, children and retirees, old and new architecture, built and open spaces. About the layers and layers of life that London evolves naturally over time, if sensibly managed but with ‘breathing space’. We were always conscious of the area’s history, which spans from before the Victorians through to the clublife of the 90s, and to which our development is the most recent addition. We developed a vision by thinking first about the streets and squares and the public spaces – the urban framework – which will be here long after the buildings have been replaced. Then we worked with local communities and long-time advisors and experts to discuss what kind of place KX should be: what should it feel like? What do you want it to say? What should we aim for? The important thing for us was to set up a flexible yet robust creative framework for the development that could adapt as times changed, the market altered, and new ideas and names came into the mix. It was as much about the principles of the vision as the vision itself.
Why is Central Saint Martins important to KX?
CSM was our first tenant, back in 2010. The arrival of the internationally respected, outstanding art college put the new King’s Cross on the map for the first time. In 2012, 5,000 creative minds arrived in the heart of the development, bringing life to the area as well as some amazing outfits! Then followed London Fashion Week….we had plenty of space and some quirky heritage buildings (such as Coal Drops Yard) and so attracted Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood to show, and in later years we’ve hosted Paul Smith, Jonathan Saunders, Mary Katrantzou, Erdem, Emilia Wickstead and Amanda Wakeley. CSM is important because it gives the development a heart which is not corporate or commercial. It also keeps it young – each year a fresh intake comes to study there.
You’ve managed to attract so many amazing businesses to the area from CSM, to Google, the Guardian - how did you curate this? The trick is to create a working environment where the talent wants to be and the businesses follow naturally. In addition, we have not been greedy. Rather than focusing on sectors we have asked ourselves what type and size of business would a building suit. Some of the companies now based at King’s Cross came to us through existing tenants; all of them are now part of the growing King’s Cross community.
Who designed the iconic Granary Square area?
The buildings on Granary Square – the Granary Building and the newer Pavilion – are both designed by Stanton Williams. The Square itself, one of the first elements of the site to be designed, is by Townshend Landscape Architects, working with The Fountain Workshop on the much-loved fountains: 1,080 programmable jets and lights. Once the sun sets on the square, visitors can download Granary Squirt – a smartphone app – and play games with the coloured fountain lights.
How do you curate the events that happen at Granary Square?
We consider our events programme to be an integral part of both bringing people to King’s Cross and marketing the area. Events help us create a reason for people to visit, a place for all, to show people how changed it is here now. The events programme – which used to be mainly for locals and families – has evolved to become a calendar of intelligent, interesting and fun things that attract people from all over London. As well as the big showcases like designjunction, markets, workshops, pop-ups, festivals and music enliven the area all year round.
What exciting developments are still to come?
In 2018 the doors will open at Coal Drops Yard (CDY), a new shopping destination for London. CDY will be an unexpected mix of individual, independent shops together with signature retail brands from home and abroad, all nestled into the Victorian arches of the original ‘coal drops’ buildings. The unusual setting is what makes this project so exciting and something very special for London shoppers. Everyman will be opening a three-screen cinema just behind Central Saint Martins later next year. In the meantime, Everyman on the Corner – a pop-up 28-seater cinema in The Plimsoll Building – is warming us up nicely with a curated selection of the latest films. There’s also a ton more bars and restaurants to come!
List some of the people who’ve helped make KX Art what it is…
The role of art was identified in the King’s Cross Central Public Realm Strategy in 2004. We set up a board of experienced individuals to guide and govern how we use the significant amount of money we set aside over the nine-year programme; one of their recommendations was to appoint curators on a three-yearly basis, to commission and deliver the work. Michael Pinsky and Stéphanie Delcroix were appointed as the first curators. Their programme RELAY was inspired by the transforming area and included projects such as IFO, by French artist Jacques Rival, Of Soil and Water: King’s Cross Pond Club by Ooze and Marjetica Potrč, Black Maria by Richard Wentworth and GRUPPE, and the vast artwork Across the Buildings by Felice Varini. Tamsin Dillon and Rebecca Heald were selected in 2016 for the second three-year instalment. Their first commission of their programme -The King’s Cross Project - is No.700 Reflectors, a striking new artwork by Bangladeshi-British artist Rana Begum.
Global Generation Skip Garden
Environmental charity Global Generation brought community-building to King’s Cross in the form of its Skip Garden, originally made up of moveable self-sustaining vegetable gardens, planted in construction skips which were designed to move around the development as construction progressed. The garden is now in its third home onsite and, thanks to a collaboration with The Bartlett School of Architecture, is almost unrecognisable from its original incarnation. The collaboration outcome was seven new structures, including a wetland twilight gardening and dining space, a giant glasshouse, an earth bag cool store, a chicken coop, and a hydroponic hedge.
Shrimpy’s at The Filling Station
Everyone remembers the arrival of Shrimpy’s in 2012! The temporary sister restaurant to East London’s Bistrotheque overlooked Regent’s Canal, housed in what was once a petrol station. The space now displays the Gasholders London apartment project, and will eventually be made into homes.
Project Tags
Companies
University of The Arts London (UAL)
- Design