Heatherwick Studio

Coal Drops Yard

Coal Drops Yard

Coal Drops Yard

Heatherwick Studio

CREDITS
Arup

SIZE
100,000 Sqft - 300,000 Sqft

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
London, United Kingdom

CATEGORY
Commercial › Retail

The studio was commissioned by the King’s Cross Development Partnership to revitalise the site into a retail quarter.

Coal Drops Yard
Coal Drops Yard

We wanted to celebrate the unique texture and history of the industrial buildings while also creating a unified new public space and retail destination.

Our challenge was to transform the dilapidated buildings and long, linear site into a lively retail precinct where people could gather and circulate with ease.

Coal Drops Yard
Coal Drops Yard

Rather than simply making a boxy element between them that would have collided with the geometry of the existing roofs, the ‘kissing’ roofs rise up and stretch towards each other until they meeting together.

This bold intervention formed a new upper storey and gave the project a central focus.

An amalgam of old and new, the roof form and patina is specific to the site.

Coal Drops Yard
Coal Drops Yard

The new 35-metre-wide extension was designed to flow seamlessly from the original gables and create the illusion of two buildings lightly touching.

Alongside the primary design adaptation of the roof is the wider restoration of historical structures.

The studio sought to enhance and adapt existing buildings as much as possible. Adopting a light touch, where necessary, new additions drew on the palette of aged ironwork, soot-stained brick, slate, timber boards and the cobbled yard of stone setts.

Together with more recent signage and graffiti, these rich textures are retained, preserving the coal drops’ distinct character.

Coal Drops Yard
Coal Drops Yard

The name of the district, Coal Drops Yard, is a nod to the rich industrial history of the site.

Heatherwick Studio
T +44 20 78338800
Heatherwick Studio
55 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EE, United Kingdom