A tick for King’s Cross

John McAslan’s refurbishment of Lewis Cubitt’s original twin train sheds might not meet the aesthetic heights of William Barlow’s restored 1868 arched roof at St Pancras next door, but the architect is going to be ringing some well needed changes to this traditionally run down part of town.

Words Jan-Carlos Kucharek

Visiting the new semi-circular concourse, nestled between the train shed’s western flank wall and and the curving back of the run-down structure of the Great Northern Hotel it is clear how it is going to have a fundamental effect. The main change is the new western concourse that the firm is designing that will finally rid us of the vile green one storey appendage that spills out south of the train sheds, thoughtlessly constructed in the 70s to increase station area. A whole new public space will be created in front of the station, and Cubitt’s twin sheds will finally be re-revealed in their full glory.

From this square, there will be a slightly squeezed south entrance into the new concourse. But the new space, beneath a 150m diameter semi-circle of steel lattice roof creates quite a drama when you enter it. A clear span wasn’t possible, so the roof is sucked down a vortex of structure that hits ground right in front of Cubitt’s Grade I listed ticket office facade. It’s not perfect, but you can see that they’ve used some ingenuity to downplay the compromise. And it’s a shame the information screens are going to obscure even more of this listed façade – couldn’t they have just hung them off the new structure? Forming a small semi-circle. Like the hall itself?

Some clever moves at first floor take passengers past a few pieces of intriguing pod-like retail and onto a platform bridge, to hit platforms halfway down so people can disperse either side to trains. Exiting passengers just move directly south to spill out into the new plaza.

It might not be a gobsmacking engineering feat of Brunel’s proportions, but its a bold, bright new breathing space for the capital’s long-suffering passengers. Finally the unmitigated grimness of arrival in London has been mitigated by some savvy people movement. When it opens in 2013 it will finally give an architectural hug even to King’s Cross’ waif and stray arrivals.