The final stage of the £550 million redevelopment of London’s King’s Cross station has been completed, with the iconic station at the heart of a £2.2 billion regeneration of the surrounding district.
King’s Cross Square, the 75,000 sq ft area to the front of the station, and which is larger than Leicester Square, was officially opened last month by Boris Johnson, London’s Mayor, and Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary.
For the first time in 150 years, the new public space reveals the original façade of the Grade I station, which handles some 47 million people ever year.
The historic frontage of the station was completed with advanced systems from Wrightstyle, one of Europe’s leading steel and aluminium glazing companies.
For the façade, the company supplied to SIS Security.
Wrightstyle’s SG curtain walling systems form the station’s ground floor archways, and had to conform to strict criteria laid down by English Heritage – as well as having to deal with very high traffic volumes.
The company’s highly-skilled design capability had already been recognised in the station’s redevelopment, with Wrightstyle having completed large-span glazing on the station’s western frontage, providing a safe evacuation route from the main administrative areas.
Supplying to MERO-SCHMIDLIN, Wrightstyle also supplied a range of exterior doors for various parts of this renovated building which includes restaurants, a visitor centre and retail outlets.
King’s Cross station is part of a 67 acre regeneration of the King’s Cross area that is creating 3.4 million sq ft of office space, 2,000 homes, 500,000 sq ft of retail space, 300 hotel bedrooms, and 650 student units.
Wrightstyle is a specialist in the design and supply of glazing systems to mitigate against fire, and bomb and ballistic attack. Its systems have been installed in transport projects in the UK and worldwide, including Hong Kong and Dubai.
"This was a project that required a high level of design sensitivity, as well as being able to supply both fire-rated and non fire-rated doors and glazing systems. This prestigious project underlines Wrightstyle’s reputation for design excellence and for having a comprehensive product and systems range," said Lee Coates, Wrightstyle’s technical director.