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BUILDING PROJECTS
History and modernity go hand-in-hand as London’s Kings Cross station is reinvented for the 21st century. James Pringle is pleasantly surprised
E
ver been stuck in the throng awaiting trains at the crowded and dreary London Kings Cross station? You probably never guessed that the place was destined to
become a world-class transport hub. A £547 million redevelopment programme is in its final
stages and March saw the opening of the spectacular new Western Concourse. Lead architects and master planners, John McAslan +
Partners ( JMP) created a design integrating the Main and Suburban Train Sheds and creating a coherent ground plan for passenger movement around the station, which expects a soaring increase in the number of users. Improvements to the Suburban Train Shed have enhanced the operation of its three platforms – the busiest in the station during peak hours. The 7,500 sq m Western Concourse is Europe’s largest sin-
gle-span station structure, and it has curves and decorative flourishes never seen before in British stations. In the granite floor stands a steel ‘tree’ with a trunk that is a tapered central funnel, sprouting 16 steel column branches, radiating up into the canopy. The mezzanine deck of retail units brings to mind Art Deco with a futuristic twist. With options includ- ing a Prezzo restaurant, catering is not confined to fast food. From outside, the vaulted, semi-circular concourse looks
© Hufton + Crow
like a giant flying saucer emerging from the west side of the station. It rises some 20m and spans the southern 150m
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