Coal Drops Yard, London

• Architect: Heatherwick Studio 
• Client: King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership 
• Contractor: Bam Construction 
• Submitted by: Heatherwick Studio

The landmark redevelopment of King’s Cross continues apace with this pulsating tour-de-force of architectural spectacle, engineering ingenuity and urban regeneration. Two long, narrow, abandoned and near-parallel railway sheds are joined together when the rebuilt roofs on either side bulge improbably outwards and upwards towards each other. Underneath, a glass attic is suspended precariously above a new retail piazza, which is enclosed by boutique shops that fill the formerly empty brick arches of the railway sheds. Idiosyncratic and inspired, not only does Coal Drops Yard breathe new life into derelict buildings but its theatrical transformation defies the conventions of historic refurbishment and is an absolute game-changer in terms of what is possible within the conservation sector.

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