Coal Drops Yard

Located within the King’s Cross development, the linear two-storey structures were built in 1850 to receive coal and were later adapted for light industry, storage and nightclubs until they fell into disuse in the late 1990s. The structures were earmarked for retail in the masterplan for the 67-acre site, with the studio brought on board to create two bridges to link the two structures. However, using knowledge gained from designing Hong Kong’s Pacific Place shopping mall, the studio believed the site required a larger intervention to ensure the success of the new retail precinct, to create a place where people could gather and circulate with ease, responding to a changing retail market that is increasingly opting for the creation of an ‘experience’. The gap between the two warehouses was extremely wide – an active space usually requires 10-13 metres between frontages, and the Coal Drops are 26- and 39-metres apart at their extremities. The roofs of both structures were in need of significant repair, providing an opportunity to create a new heart to the site. The resultant design proposed to extend the inner gabled roofs of the warehouses, to link the two viaducts and define the yard, creating 20,000 square feet of additional space on a new upper storey, as well as creating fluid patterns of circulation. The north end of the Grade II-listed Eastern Coal Drop was burnt out in the 1970s so the roof massing was moved to the north where there was minimal existing fabric. The design intervention was carried out with minimal intrusion and without putting weight or load on to the existing buildings. To create an illusion of the two roofs being pulled away and joined together, 52 pairs of columns were threaded through the existing buildings on to new foundations to support the roof. Three steel trusses forming tied arches rest upon one another at the kissing point. From the elevated vantage point, visitors can survey views south to King’s Cross, or north to Cubitt Square. Beneath, the new roof creates a sheltered twenty-metre-high space for people to linger in as well as providing a venue large enough to host concerts or performances. Across Coal Drops Yard, units vary in size (ranging from 160 sq ft, 1300 sq ft, 2500 sq ft to over 20,000 sq ft), accommodating a wide range of established and emerging brands, alongside new restaurants, bars and cafes. Marrying precision engineering with crafted elements, the project combines steel trusses and structural glass together with Victorian materials such as cast iron and slates to create a site-specific texture. The design retains as much as possible on both structures, treating them holistically to celebrate the specific texture and history of the buildings. As the Coal Drops were designed for trains, not people, it was essential to rationalise the ceiling heights throughout and get the inside level to meet with the outside. The project also included a comprehensive yet sensitive restoration of the cobbled yard, which provides permeability with the surrounding busy neighbourhood. Design started in early 2014, with planning approval granted in December 2015. Construction started in early 2016 and completed late 2018.