King’s Cross Station

The transformation of the station involved three very different approaches to architecture: conservation, re-use, and new build, and represents a compelling piece of place-making for London. The train shed and range buildings have been adapted and re‐used, the station’s previously obscured Grade I listed façade has been precisely restored, and a new, highly expressive Western Concourse has been designed as a centerpiece and the ‘beating heart’ of the project. The new Concourse provides London with a great new ‘room’ – a dramatic addition to the capital’s public realm and, we hope, a source of civic pride for all those passing through this great station.

Photography by © Phil Adams

Our design re‐orientates the station to the west, creating significant operational improvements and will reveal the main south façade of Lewis Cubitt’s original 1852 station. Although the Western Concourse is probably the most visually striking change to the station, the practice has delivered a series of layered interventions and restorations including the restoration of the Eastern Range building and the revitalization of the Main Train Shed, Suburban Train Shed and Western Range buildings.

Photography by © Hufton+Crow

John McAslan + Partners began work on the project in 1998 and established the overall master‐plan for the development in 2005. As a result we have played a key role in the wider transformation of the King’s Cross area ‐ infrastructural, social and commercial changes that now connect the station with the massive King’s Cross development scheme north of the station as well as to St Pancras and Eurostar, Thameslink, London Underground, buses, taxis and the surrounding urban context.

Photography by © Hufton+Crow

The transformation of King’s Cross Station creates a remarkable dialogue between Cubitt’s original station and 21st-century architecture. Opened to the public on 19 March 2012, in time for the 2012 London Olympics, King’s Cross is now an iconic architectural gateway to the capital.

Photography by © Hufton+Crow

Project Info
Architects: John McAslan + Partners
Location: London, England
Year: 2012
Type: Terminal
Photographs: Hufton and Crow, Phil Adams, John Sturrock