King's Place, York Way

The King's Place project is the creation of an exceptional client who wanted to combine commercial viability with a generous contribution to London's cultural life. A 425-seat concert hall in the new building, located north of King's Cross station, close to Battlebridge Basin, will be used by two orchestras and by the Royal Academy of Music. There will also be an art gallery and new public spaces around the basin. Above the cultural facilities will be the headquarter offices of the Guardian and Observer newspapers, which are moving from Farringdon.

Community gains notwithstanding, there were objections at the planning stage and the scheme was approved after an organised campaign of local opposition. Architecturally, the scheme delivers an impressive local landmark with the distinctive feature of curved glass along the York Way elevation and smaller-scale, stone-clad elevations in keeping with the architecture of the canalside. Parabola Land is giving London a new destination for live music and one that injects a major regenerative element into this part of King's Cross.