URBAN CASE STUDY

REVAMPING KING CROSS STATION TO ITS FRAME

THE BLUEPRINT

Akanksha Balpande | PG180034 | MUD

Status : Ongoing
Total site area : 25.7 ha
Area under public domain : 11.5 ha
Architects : Allies and Morrison
Year of completion : 2020

OVERVIEW

The king’s cross terminus which includes St. Pancras, as well as Euston
station, is the principal transit hub for the city of London. It is also one of the
busiest stations in the city. The restoration of the station sparked major
development around it. Surrounded by predominant residential buildings the
station gained its importance with completion of the high-speed rail called
Channel tunnel rail link (CTRL). It not only connects other parts of the UK but
also to major European cities like Paris and Brussels.

INTRODUCTION

The site is located to the north of King’s Cross station and St Pancras is a
major urban regeneration project situated in central London. The 67 acres of
the site designed and developed by Allies and Morrisons is located on the
former rail and industrial facilities. In the 20th century, the area was
considered to be dingy and mediocre in character. This vacant land then
housed illegal activities which made this place unsafe. Before the
development of the master plan, the land was contaminated and had various
heritage buildings and warehouses. It then underwent a major
redevelopment in the 21st century, the potential central piece was decided
to redevelop after completion of high-speed rail which amplified the land
value of king cross masterplan. It now houses around 42 thousand people
out of which 30 thousand are the floating population. Placemaking and
business hub was the key idea for development. The public realm which
constitutes about 40% of the development was of prime consideration. The
implementation strategies were carried out in phases.
CONNECTIONS

Connectivity is the major aspect of the station has very good public and
private transport accessibility with various modes of transports. York way is
a major connection running in North-south direction forming an important
edge to the site. The Regent’s canal which runs between the development
divides the site into two but is the great east-west connector. The Goods way
road along the canals is the major vehicular and pedestrian link. The canal
cycle route is the dedicated cycling path along the east-west corridor offering
a different experience to uses. The integration of various modes of transport
has therefore amplified connectivity and ease of travel.

FIGURE-GROUND

The built and void ratio clearly defines the accessibility and public realm of
the space. The urban form of the King’s cross-development is more organized
and consistent as compared to its surrounding urban fabric. The project shall
result in about 60% of the total site area being built which suggests the high-
density development. On the northern side of the canal, the small block sizes
with internal circulation and consistent grid pattern give pedestrians and
cyclist a priority. Whereas in the southern area, the block shape is different
and the axes are radial towards station square. The average block size is 80 x
60 mts reflects high connectivity within the site. 27 acres of land is under
public domain which counts to remaining 40%. It offers residents and visitors
a place to live, work and play.

BUILDING USE

The urban character so formed is further defined by the streamlined building

use. Predominated by commercial use, the King’s Cross development aimed
in fabricating high-density mix-used development. The guidelines for
buildings are set for circulation, building height, massing, and mix.

The buildings are designed to build to line, which ensures active frontages
and maximizing ground level activities. Flexibility in terms of residential and
commercial use has been inculcated to accommodate market demand and
fluctuation. To encourage diversity in the income groups, housing ranging
from affordable to luxury housing have been developed. The King’s Cross
development lies between two viewing corridors of St Paul’s cathedral from
Kenwood house and Parliament hill. Hence the maximum height of the
building allowed for development is 30-31 mts. The height defines enclosure
of space whereas, setbacks are set to encourage daylight to build and public
spaces. Planned as human-scale development, buildings and blocks give
a sense of strong urban enclosure.
STRATEGIES

The success of the redevelopment project depended on the strategic

planning that was undertaken by the team. King’s cross-development
involved multi-phased development of architecture i.e. – Reuse, restoration
and new buildings which helped in retaining significant identity and character
of its surrounding. It also helped in increasing the property value and creating
a landmark. The architectural features of gas holders have been
strengthened and reused as residential thereby, high valuation for the
future. The old warehouse at Granary square which is now converted to
London art school gives a visual representation of history and is a focal point Inclusive design and planning approach
for public events. The restoration of coal drop to new retail center helped in Inward development
effectively boosting the local economy and tourism. A clear definition
between public and private domain has been denoted using the built form
instead of fences or compound walls.

The development focused on inclusive design and planned public spaces to

direct people into the core of the area. Hence, major public spaces were
planned at the heart of the site along the east-west corridor. The public realm
strategy identified two principal routes for connectivity. The first is king’s
boulevards which created north-south link over the regent canal connecting
two main square- station square and granary square. The second route is
along the canal in the east-west direction connecting historic buildings. These Balance of Contrast
two routes facilitated public accessibility across the site and helped in Old-new Large -small, Regular- irregular
redressing the access issues. The public land is owned and maintained by
private ownership which also acts as a public space.

The seamless connectivity of public spaces, pedestrian movement, and active

frontages allowed porosity within the site. It formed an active spin within the
development which created a series of footfall generating activities. Robust
public transport connections further improve public accessibility and
commute. Various public spaces catered to different user groups all around
the day. The station square and Pancras square to south mainly furnish as
split out for people coming out of station and employees respectively.
Flexibility in design
Whereas in the north, Granary square host large scale public events for
Fix with fexibility
students, visitors, and locals. The coal drop is a prime retail hub having
restaurants, cafes, galleries, and boutiques. The community-level parks
enclosed by buildings creates a safe environment for locals. The hierarchy of
private, semi-private and public green space has been adapted to cater to
the needs of the people.

The area development caters to the people within and around the city of
London. This has been made possible because of the great urban
environment and accessibility. The commercial sectors generated job
opportunities for locals which attracted people from the city into the area.
The development brought positive changes for locals improving their
lifestyle. Various other public amenities such as education, health and
recreation attracted locals and tourists alike.
KEY TAKEWAYS

With the inclusive design which caters to the needs of all fell short of creating the other linkages. The site lacks
direct north-south and east-west linkage that connects to the city. The barriers formed due to CTRL embankment
creates a major challenge for access from the northwest and hence disconnects the site from its surrounding. York
way which is an important connector and edge of the site has a great potential to become an activity spine between
the site and the surrounding urban fabric. But there is no direct North-South vehicular connectivity within the
development, hence York way has to deal with the pressure of traffic.

The king cross can grow beyond its site and can be an activity generator for nearby areas. The existing urban fabric
around the site which is predominated by residential are single tenure housing. Hence it has the potential to convert
themselves into mix typologies or altogether new residential property with the higher value which can also include
social housing. Active ground floor use that communicates with the king cross masterplan can help in increasing its
economy.

The vision of housing for all seems to be lost as the affordable housings are no more affordable. The long station
facades have the problem of permeability and scale which disconnects people with new development. The urban
fabric around lacks familiar scale and comprehensible urban grains.

With loopholes set aside the project also sets out to be a prime example for its kind. The PPP model implementation
was an effective model for infrastructure and property development which helped in the development of the
successful masterplan. The flexibility in design and phasing according to market requirement helped in the
successful implementation of the masterplan. The maximum and minimum criteria for each building use helped in
creating a balance between market demand and proposed used.

King cross is been transformed from once inaccessible and unused industrial land to vibrant mixed-use
development. With the development of this urban area, it transformed and improved the life around it. With
commercial development taking the lead helped in boosting the economy of the city while working closely and
accommodating the lives and needs of the local communities It has also emerged as one of the “it-spots” for the
tourists which have brought it into the limelight as one of the prime tourist destinations.

The only concern remains is the retention of the open spaces over the years. The rapid development has all the
chances to engulf the green spaces in the future, as the site comes under the viewing corridor and has attained a
maximum permissible height. The ownership of public spaces in the hands of private domain brings a new
dimension of green retention into question. The legitimacy of the flexible strategies shall be put to test in the
coming years, which one can hope shall stay put and alleviate the area as a prime example as planned.