Rolling Stock Yard

Rolling Stock Yard is a new development in King’s Cross, London designed as a contemporary response to its industrial setting, providing 57,500 sq ft of workspace for creative small to medium sized businesses. The design concept draws on the area’s history, characterised by the machinations of transport, freight and industry, and now an emerging creative quarter. Converging railway lines and shipping containers are referenced in the nine-storey building, expressed as a series of stacked elements with a black profiled steel structure emulating parallel railway tracks running horizontally across the facades. Full-height glazing is softened by a layer of vertical solid oak sleepers and sinusoidal perforated metal screens to offer privacy and shade during daylight hours, and emit a diffused glow at night. At pavement level the building animates the street with bespoke illuminated entrance signage behind a corrugated metal screen, and a double-height office entrance. Internally, an industrial palette of exposed concrete, blackened steel and perforated aluminium is balanced by a pair of timber-lined recesses for the reception and café. Unifying the space is a grey poured resin floor with inlaid track patterns which define routes from the entrance to the reception, lifts and café. The Rolling Stock Café within the main entrance serves building users and guests, and extends onto the mezzanine level above. The two levels are connected by a folding metal stair, behind which a large-scale commissioned painting by celebrated London artist Barry Reigate provides a playful backdrop. The work is presented as an architectural element within the space, drawing on the local built environment and encouraging people to move around the space to discover different aspects of the painting. Office spaces benefit from natural light on at least three sides, and openable windows allow for natural cross ventilation. Exposed concrete ceilings continue the industrial aesthetic along with suspended lighting tracks. Circulation is marked with a backlit perforated metal screen, leading to the lift lobby and WCs. Designed as superloos, the back wall of each cubicle is lined with natural ply engraved with a pattern depicting freight containers. A 140sqm private roof terrace with planters and feature floor lighting is created on the upper level, offering views across the skyline. 300sqm of roof space is planted with wildflowers and grasses, with 120 solar panels on top of the planted bed and a further 80 on the south façade, providing the building with a sustainable energy source. Responding to the needs of growing companies, the building is presented as an adaptable collection of workspaces with units ranging from 150 to 680sqm. Rolling Stock Yard tenants have access to generous cycle storage, showers, lockers and a reception café and breakout space. Branding and wayfinding were conceived as an evolution of the architecture and interiors concept by the practice’s in-house branding agency. Referencing the railways and freight industry of King’s Cross, a palette of rust orange, blue and white was established, with a graphic identity based on parallel and converging lines.