Heatherwick Studio’s Coal Drops Yard in London’s Kings Cross will open on 26 October 2018. Heatherwick Studio has reinvented two heritage rail buildings into a much-anticipated commercial and retail development that is the new home for over 50 stores, restaurants and cafés.
‘My studio has been based in King’s Cross for over 17 years, so it’s been an enormous privilege to reinvent such a locally significant site. These extraordinary buildings were first built in 1850 and have lived an unusually rich past, first serving as infrastructure, then warehousing and offices. To most people, they are famous for having hosted nightclubs for over a decade. We believed there was an opportunity to celebrate the heritage of the existing structures rather than destroy them,’ says Thomas Heatherwick.
A rendering of Coal Drops Yard. Images courtesy ForbesMassie
Coal Drops Yard runs parallel to the existing refurbished building of the Central St Martins School, just off Granary Square and is the latest addition to the area's transformation. Kings Cross is one of the fastest-changing areas in central London. A part of town that used to be formed by neglected, industrial buildings, is now swiftly becoming a buzzing hub for modern offices and state-of-the-art residential blocks, courtesy of its developers, Argent, and a wealth of leading architects and designers, such as Tom Dixon.
A key piece in the Kings Cross development, the scheme for Coal Drops Yards secures the long-term future of the historic Coal Drops buildings in King's Cross, London, which were built in the 1850s to receive freight arriving from the north of England by train; it also provides the large-scale estate with a much needed commercial and retail element.
The existing structure’s previous use was in warehousing and light industry. Now, the revamped Coal Drops Yard will include public space and retail spanning some 9290 square metres, with varied uses from shopping, eating and drinking, and events space.
Heatherwick Studio and Argent's plans for Kings Cross's Coal Drops Yard. Image: Mir
Coal Drops Yard is an essential piece in the wider area's development. Pictured, a masterplan of Kings Cross
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