# LONDON | Kings Cross Central | U/C



## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

King’s Cross Central 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. What was an underused industrial wasteland is being transformed into a new part of the city with homes, shops, offices, galleries, bars, restaurants, schools, and even a university. It’s a whole new piece of London with a brand new postcode, N1C.

https://www.kingscross.co.uk/about-the-development










https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/oct/12/regeneration-kings-cross-can-other-developers-repeat-trick

*King’s Cross in numbers*
67 acres
50 new buildings
1,900 new homes
20 new streets
10 new public parks and squares
26 acres of open space
30,000 people by 2016























Paul Eluard


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## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

King’s Cross is one of the largest urban regeneration project in Europe and is transforming a former industrial area into a unique place to live, work, study and play. When complete, the 740,000 square metre estate will house 7,000 residents, 30,000 workers and 5,000 students.

King’s Cross is already a popular leisure destination with 26 acres of public space, cultural attractions and events, and four kilometres of retail frontage. Around 10 million people are expected to pass through King’s Cross in 2017 – more than London’s entire population of 8.8 million.

The prime location, facilities and community focus are attracting quality retailers, office tenants and residents who want to be part of this exciting estate, in London’s newest post code N1C.

*A new standard in sustainable development*
The King’s Cross development is built on sustainable principles, which are woven through its design, construction and operations.

In partnership with developer and part-owner, Argent King’s Cross Limited Partnership, AustralianSuper is helping to create a Human City in the heart of London. At its heart, it’s fostering more sustainable ways of living by combining minimal environmental impact with cultural and social diversity and community connections.
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Sustainability initiatives include:*
*Affordable housing*
Nearly 2,000 new homes are being built at King’s Cross, a significant proportion of which are affordable. Across the development there is a mix of social rented apartments, supported housing apartments and shared ownership homes.

*Employment*
KX Recruit, an on-site recruitment agency, and the Construction Skills Centre are connecting local people with jobs and opportunities created by the development. Through its apprenticeship programs and training courses in construction, more than 550 students have achieved vocational qualifications since 2008 and 97 apprentices were placed on site each month in 2016.

*Education*
King’s Cross Academy is a new primary school co-located with the Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children. The Academy teaches sign language with both schools sharing spaces for children to communicate and learn together. There are also collaboration and learning opportunities with King’s Cross tenants Google, the Guardian and the Waitrose cookery school.

*Wellbeing and community*
The development is creating high quality safe space for social interactions, fitness facilities and satisfying working environments. Forty percent of the estate is made up of open public spaces. There is a thriving cultural and arts scene, with more 325,000 people attending the events program in 2016.

*Environmental management*
The office buildings have been designed to achieve environmental performance at least 40% greater than required in building regulations – seven buildings have achieved BREEAM Outstanding and Excellent ratings for building energy performance.

The development aims to provide more affordable access to low carbon energy and waste minimisation. The on-site energy centre provides close to 100% of the estate’s heating and hot water needs and 80% of electricity needs are offset. Solar panels are expected to generate over 180,000 kwh of renewable electricity, powering the equivalent of 94 homes a year. Eighty-one per cent of public waste is recycled with 0% directed to landfill in the last two years. In 2016, 100,000 cubic metres of rain water and grey water had been collected and recycled, equal to around 42 Olympic swimming pools.

*Skip Garden*
The Skip Garden is a series of mobile gardens in skips created by the community and volunteers to grow food that is sold and used in local restaurants. The Skip Garden Kitchen and Café provides opportunities and skills for young people and the local community such as carpentry, urban food growing, cooking and eating as well as communication, enterprise and leadership.

*Coal Drops Yard*
In Victorian London, King’s Cross was London’s coal store. The Coal Drops were built in the 1850s and comprise a series of grand brick viaduct buildings where trains would deliver coal. Coal’s Drop Yard is being reinvented into an experiential shopping destination with up to 65 shops opening in Autumn 2018.

https://www.australiansuper.com/tools-and-advice/learn/kings-cross-redevelopment


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## helloween 1 (Oct 23, 2013)

Nice to see that King`s Cross is changing. I used to live not far from there, in Holloway road many years ago but back then the area was depressing.


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## Axelferis (Jan 18, 2008)

Is this new area is built above railways tracks?


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## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

*Googles new home in the London*










The first, wholly owned and designed Google building outside the US Google has received planning permission from Camden Council for its proposed King’s Cross project.

Construction on the purpose-built 11-storey building, comprising of more than 1 million square feet, of which Google will occupy 650,000 sq ft, will commence in 2018. The building, designed by Heatherwick Studio and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) will feature a natural theme, with all materials sourced through Google’s healthy materials programme.

This new building, combined with the current building at 6 Pancras Square and an additional third building, will create a Google office building with the potential to house 7,000 Google employees. The new building is being developed from the ground up and will contribute to the Knowledge Quarter and King’s Cross’s growing knowledge-based economy.










Google submits plans for 'landscraper' London headquarters


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## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

*Facebooks new home in London*










Facebook is set to double its UK office capacity by investing in two new buildings in King's Cross, significantly bulking up the Silicon Valley tech giant's presence in London.

The social network company said the new buildings would boost its capacity to up to 6,000 staff and workers in the UK, although it would not confirm how many new jobs will follow as a result. The new offices have yet to be built but Facebook said the space would be ready by 2021.

The move marks one of the most significant commercial deals in London this decade: circa 15% of the total commercial space at King’s Cross (4m sq ft) will be let in a single deal. The agreement further builds on King’s Cross’ reputation as a destination for creatively-led businesses.

Facebook, which currently has UK offices in Rathbone Place and Brock Street, London, will occupy three buildings at King’s Cross, including P2 on Lewis Cubitt Square and 11 and 21 Canal Reach.


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## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

*Samsung to Open 20,000 sq. ft. Creative and Digital Playground at King’s Cross*










LONDON, England – June 15, 2018 – Today, Samsung Electronics and Argent announced an agreement to lease a 20,000 sq. ft. showcase space at Coal Drops Yard, the new Heatherwick Studio-designed shopping and lifestyle district in King’s Cross. 

Located between two reimagined Victorian coal drops, in a top floor dual-aspect space crowned by Heatherwick Studio’s landmark ‘kissing’ rooftops, Samsung KX LDN sits at the very centre of Coal Drops Yard. 

Positioned as an important consumer touch point, Samsung KX LDN will bring the latest technologies to life with curated experiences. The place will also showcase how multiple Samsung devices and services come together to deliver a complete and harmonized experience; making consumers lives easier, more convenient, and more efficient. The showcase space represents a number of unique features designed specifically for this space, envisaged as the ultimate creative and digital playground within which Samsung will present its latest and greatest technology and become the centre of excellence for customer care.

Originally London’s primary coal store, Coal Drops Yard was established in 1850 to handle the eight million tonnes of coal delivered to the capital each year. The original structures have been reinvented by the acclaimed Heatherwick Studio, which has interwoven a striking contemporary design with the surviving grand brick viaducts, cobbled streets and rich ironwork of the Victorian coal drops situated on the site. At Samsung KX LDN, Coal Drops Yard’s original exposed brick work will be maintained, combined with the vibrancy of Samsung’s technology.

The new store joins an expanding line-up of leading retailers that include Paul Smith, Tom Dixon, Cubitts, Manifesto, Cheaney, Form+ Thread and Universal Works – as well as restaurants Barrafina, Casa Pastor and wine bar The Drop – that will open at Coal Drops Yard, which will house 100,000 sq. ft. of shops and restaurants.

https://news.samsung.com/uk/samsung-to-open-20000-sq-ft-creative-and-digital-playground-at-coal-drops-yard-in-londons-kings-cross


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## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

*A whole new shopping experience in the heart of King’s Cross*










On 26 October 2018, the doors will open at Coal Drops Yard – a new shopping street with shops, cafes, bars and restaurants at the heart of King’s Cross.

With its canalside setting, Victorian architecture and beautiful new public squares as a backdrop, Coal Drops Yard brings something entirely different to London’s shopping scene.










Victorian engineering, reimagined
Built in the 1850s, the Coal Drops were for receiving and sorting coal as it arrived from the north of England by train. Remarkably, the grand brick viaducts, cobbled streets and rich ironwork have survived, and are today being brought back to life in a design by Heatherwick Studio.

Victorian engineering is interwoven with the contemporary in a design that captures all the drama of the historic architecture and setting.

https://www.kingscross.co.uk/coal-drops-yard


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## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

*A two-acre haven right in the heart of King’s Cross*










Camley Street Natural Park is an urban nature reserve – a two acre haven in the middle of one of the most densely populated parts of London. Situated on the banks of Regent’s Canal, the park is a place for both people and wildlife.

Run by the London Wildlife Trust, the park was created from an old Coal Yard in 1984. The reserve provides a home for birds, butterflies, bats and a wide variety of plant life. Habitats include wetlands, woodland and meadow. It’s great for a day out with the kids, or just a bit of peace and quiet from the bustle of London.

With a new pedestrian bridge planned across Regent’s Canal, the park will become more easily accessible from Coal Drops Yard and the area north of the canal.



















https://www.kingscross.co.uk/camley-street-natural-park


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## TooFar (Apr 6, 2004)

Axelferis said:


> Is this new area is built above railways tracks?


Partially, the National Rail lines terminating at Kings Cross have been covered.


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## Riley1066 (Mar 7, 2013)

I'm surprised that they don't change the gender of things called "Kings/Queens" in England to fit the gender of the current ruling monarch ...


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## heymikey1981 (May 25, 2016)

Riley1066 said:


> I'm surprised that they don't change the gender of things called "Kings/Queens" in England to fit the gender of the current ruling monarch ...


The area was named after a statue for King George IV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Cross_(building)


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## heymikey1981 (May 25, 2016)

You can learn more about other large-scale regeneration projects in London here.


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## cameronpaul (Jan 15, 2010)

TooFar said:


> *A whole new shopping experience in the heart of King’s Cross*
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> 
> 
> ...


The Kings Cross redevelopment has transformed a formally run down area to a place that people now want to go to visit and work. However, like many developments in the U.K. there is a decided lack of trees in many of the public spaces surrounding the office buildings and restaurants - why?


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