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BUILDING PROJECTS
'Modernisation involved consultations with English Heritage, and balancing 21st century operation needs with conservation and the retention of historic architectural features'
David Jackson, one of the senior architects concerned with heritage issues
Engineer for Western Range and new concourse: Arup
Architect for King’s Cross Square: Stanton Williams
Contractor for Eastern Range building: Laing O'Rourke/Costain JV
Contractor for Platform 0: Carillion
© James Pringle Original panelling has been restored behind the staircase and
the bar has varnished vintage wooden seating, as well as an atrium, with glazing largely as the architects found it, repaired with replica sections where necessary and repainted. Previously occupying all three floors, the atrium now starts from a new first floor, to make the pub completely self-contained. The Grade I listed Eastern Range, 240m long and only
12m wide, was designed originally as three storeys of offices suspended over the stations taxi access road. Modernisation involved consultations with English Heritage, and balancing 21st century operation needs with conservation and the retention of historic architectural features. In some cases, handmade replacement wooden windows and stone sills have recreated what went before. Meanwhile, full-height glazing in the vaulted openings in the walls gives extensive views of the Train Shed from the office corridors. Major interventions have included discreet integration of
new functions and services into the building’s fabric, and the creation of a southern reception area, where Victorian brick walls, iron beams and columns have been refurbished. These features are refreshed by crisp, modern elements such
as the new laminated-metal-mesh glass cladding of the lift core, granite slab flooring, a monolith reception desk and glass mezzanine-level bridges. The grand Victorian stairwell, with its original ornamental iron banister and glazed bricks, has
been highlighted by a new lighting scheme. Photovoltaic power converters and a grey-water recycling tank are hidden beneath the building. St Pancras station closed during its redevelopment, but
Kings Cross has remained operating. Early in the proceedings a new platform – numbered Zero – was built in what used to be a taxi rank underneath the Eastern Range. This allowed the construction teams to close two platforms at any given time, for strictly limited periods. Power in the railway’s overhead power lines had to be
switched off if any building work came within 3m of them. “Threading services through a historic building is always a
challenge,” says Jackson. “Mostly the storey height was enough to run quite a lot of them at high level in the corridors and then spur off, but in the Western Range we had to put in very large risers, almost room size to get all the services through. These included ventilating spaces like retail units. We had to come through quite a few of those and install a large plant deck on top of the roof above the booking hall. We made sure it’s not visible from below.” The station has done Britain proud for the Olympics and is
due to be even better by August 2013. The 1970s concourse at the southern end will be demolished and a new plaza facing onto Euston Road will be created as an attractive public realm – part of the regeneration of the King’s Cross area.
Contractor for platform refurbishment, footbridge, service yard, Western Range and new concourse: Vinci Construction UK
Contractor for roof refurbishment: Kier Rail
Contractor, Suburban Train Shed roof repainting: Osborne
Cost consultant: Network Rail’s in-house commercial team
Key subcontractors:
Western Concourse roof structure and cladding: Seele
Western Range building roofing: Mundy Roofing
Western Concourse granite flooring: Gormley
Mezzanine building shell: Swift Horsman
Station overlays: Lee Warren
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