coal drops yard, designed by heatherwick studio, readies for opening

designed by heatherwick studio, ‘coal drops yard’ – a major new shopping district in king’s cross, london – is set to open on october 26th 2018. the project looks to reinvent two heritage rail buildings from the 1850s by creating 100,000 sqft of new public space, including retail and dining destinations. the locally-based architecture practice was commissioned to start the transformation in 2014 and, prior to the official opening, below is the first image of the interior.

image © hufton + crow

thomas heatherwick, founder of heatherwick studio, said: ‘my studio has been based in king’s cross for over 17 years, so it’s been an enormous privilege to reinvent such a locally significant site . these extraordinary buildings were first built in 1850 and have lived an unusually rich past, first serving as infrastructure, then warehousing and offices. to most people, they are famous for having hosted nightclubs for over a decade. we believed there was an opportunity to celebrate the heritage of the existing structures rather than destroy them. as the opening approaches, we’re all looking forward to seeing how coal drops yard can not only serve as an unusual place for shopping and eating but also become a destination in its own right; a special new space that the public can make their own.‘

image by mir

prior to becoming partially derelict, the pair of elongated victorian coal drops was built to receive coal from northern england, before being distributed around london. heatherwick studio’s design looks to extend the inner gabled roofs of the warehouses to link the two viaducts, create a flowing structure, and define the yard below. there is also an entirely new floating upper storey, a large covered outdoor space, and becomes a central focus for the entire site.

image by forbes massie