King’s Cross Square is destined to become one of the great public places in London. Set against the magnificent backdrop of the Grade 1 listed façade of King’s Cross railway station, it will be used daily by thousands of commuters, visitors and residents – a unique addition to the Capital’s palette of memorable street scenes.
To create this new public plaza, an international two-stage design competition has been launched. This search for a world-class exemplar design is jointly sponsored by Network Rail and the London Borough of Camden – recognising not only the Square’s role as a major travel hub but also as a catalyst for wider urban regeneration.
King’s Cross Square will be one of London’s most high-profile public realm projects – as significant to its setting as Trafalgar Square and Marble Arch are to theirs. The 7000m2 plaza will primarily serve as an arrival threshold for King’s Cross railway station, which is currently undergoing a major programme of restoration and improvement. It will be used by hundreds of thousands of railway and London Underground travellers, and crossed by thousands of pedestrians on one of London’s busiest cross-city routes.
The Square will also be at the heart of a broader programme of urban regeneration. King’s Cross has historically been one of London’s poorest districts – the nearby slum of St Giles was the setting for the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist. Today, however, the whole area is being transformed by two massive urban regeneration schemes at Regent Quarter and King’s Cross Central. Along with the recent modernisation of the historically significant St Pancras station, they’re combining to inject new energy and activity into the area.
The successful design of King’s Cross Square is of critical importance in the quest to enhance the functionality and presence of the two architecturally iconic stations of King’s Cross and St Pancras, which together serve more than 100 million people each year. It must create a distinct sense of public space and leave a legacy of world-class design. However, it is also necessary to conceive the Square in wider strategic terms that may influence or contribute to future regenerative change in the area.
We seek expressions of interest from architectural or landscape practices, multi-disciplinary design teams and individual designers. A shortlist of up to six teams will then be paid a fee and invited to take part in the design competition and develop concept proposals.
Expression of interest application form
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