New King’s Cross Station opens, by John McAslan + Partners.

Each time, there is less time and London continues finishing his grooming for the Olympic Games, this week inaugurated the new railway station King's Cross. Almost fourteen years after receiving the order and 160 years after its public opening, the new expansion, designed by John McAslan British study, the station has, as singular piece, the new semi-circular hall covered by a steel and glass, 150 meters long with 75 m. wide and 22 m high, this structure supported, on a central grid, emerges as a tree unfolds without intermediate supports and with 16 columns on the perimeter. The new lobby features 7,500 square meters of surface, the structure of steel and glass, whose calculation has been developed by Arup, in contrast to the icy initial image of the project, when contrasted with the walls of the old station, now rebuilt in north, destroyed by Nazi bombing of World War II. The expansion is completed with the restoration of the platform area, new entrances and footbridge.

Roof under construction.

The spectacular new western concourse at King’s Cross station opened its doors to the public monday.

A stunning new glass and steel roof structure has been blended with the Grade-1 listed station’s heritage to create a space for passengers that is three-times larger than the current concourse, with improved links to both the London Underground network and St Pancras International station.

The new concourse can be accessed direct from the Tube and for pedestrians from Euston Road, Pancras Road and via new arcades on the ground floor of the Great Northern Hotel.

Roof diagram.

The area will be transformed into a new public open space, larger than Leicester Square, by September 2013. The £550m scheme marks the completion of another key transport upgrade for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It takes the total investment in transport infrastructure in the King’s Cross area in the last ten years up to £2.5bn, Network Rail said. Over a thousand tonnes of steel, one million specially made heritage bricks, five million ceramic tiles and five million metres of cabling were used in the construction.

Project drawing.

Architect and masterplanner for King’s Cross station and public realm: John McAslan + Partners.
Client: Network Rail.
Engineer for roof and platform refurbishment/ footbridge to station: Tata Steel Projects. / Engineer for western range and new concourse: Arup. / Architect for King’s Cross Square: Stanton Williams. / Cost consultant: Network Rail’s in-house commercial team.
Contractor for eastern range building: Laing O’Rourke/ Costain JV. / Contractor for Platform 0: Carillion. / Contractor for platform refurbishment, footbridge, service yard, western range and new concourse: Vinci Construction UK. / Contractor for roof refurbishment: Kier Rail. / Contractor, suburban train shed roof repainting: Osborne. / Key subcontractors: Western concourse roof structure and cladding: Seele. / Western Range building roofing: Mundy roofing. / Western Concourse granite flooring: Gormley.

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