{"id":766057,"date":"2024-12-02T08:03:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T08:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=766057"},"modified":"2024-12-02T12:43:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T12:43:41","slug":"allies-and-morrison-completes-picturesque-housing-at-kings-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/allies-and-morrison-completes-picturesque-housing-at-kings-cross","title":{"rendered":"Allies and Morrison completes \u2018picturesque\u2019 housing at King\u2019s Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"

The L-shaped building sits in the northern part of the King\u2019s Cross masterplan site, overlooking Lewis Cubitt Park. A mixed-tenure apartment block, it provides 120 market-rented and 56 socially rented flats across 14 storeys as well as three retail units and tenant amenities on its ground floor.<\/p>\n

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As one of the last residential buildings to complete as part of the masterplan, Capella marks two decades of Allies and Morrison\u2019s involvement in the development, which it jointly masterplanned with Porphyrios Associates and which was on the shortlist<\/a> for this year\u2019s Stirling Prize.<\/p>\n

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The practice describes the building\u2019s external form and its fa\u00e7ades as \u2018intentionally picturesque\u2019, in contrast to its rational plan. Its fa\u00e7ades respond to the context of Lewis Cubitt Park with a distinctive mix of materials: cream brick, white balconies and light-green sinusoidal concrete panels.<\/p>\n

The elevational arrangement reflects the apartment types inside, which range from single studios to four-bedroomed family apartments and include duplexes and split-level units.<\/p>\n

The 12th floor is topped with five two-storey apartments with private rooftop gardens which articulate the skyline. All tenants have access to a 260m2<\/sup> planted roof garden.<\/p>\n

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Inside, the lifts and stairs from the two lobbies lead to simple double-loaded apartment layouts accessed off wide corridors, daylit where possible. The 33 different apartment types all have access to balconies or terraces.<\/p>\n

The overall architecture of the development is tenure-blind, while interior design company Johnson Naylor was responsible for the interiors of the market apartments and ground-floor tenant amenity space.<\/p>\n

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Architects\u2019 views<\/h3>\n

The 176 apartments that comprise Capella provide the concluding piece completing the enclosure of Lewis Cubitt Park. Conceived as a terrace of \u2018towers\u2019, the varied fa\u00e7ade exactly represents the multiple apartment types and layouts inside. While the building’s rational plan serves the needs of the apartments, the elevations find a form and rhythm that adjusts and responds to the spaces they face. A line of five towers fronts the park and two individual towers address Keskidee and Chilton Squares.<\/p>\n

From a distance, the simple palette of materials \u2013 in various shades of white and green \u2013 provides a diffused backdrop to the park but, closer up, a vocabulary of sinusoidally surfaced concrete panels contrasted with more delicate metalwork provides a richer reading. The fa\u00e7ade is both a front to the building and an edge to the space where its articulated silhouette avoids formality within the wider composition.<\/p>\n

Though Capella is really two buildings \u2013 one with flats for market sale and one for affordable apartments \u2013 the entrances are identical and indistinguishable, and the rooftop garden is shared by both. There are a total of 33 well-appointed apartment types. Individually, it is hoped that each one provides a rewarding and interesting place to live, while collectively, Capella provides a worthy addition to the masterplan and a contribution to the spaces it faces.
\nGraham Morrison, founding partner, Allies and Morrison<\/em><\/p>\n

We relished the opportunity to work with King\u2019s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP) and the consultant team to design and deliver high-quality mixed-tenure homes for this prominent site, one of the last at King\u2019s Cross. The design combines a well-composed and efficient plan with carefully detailed and animated elevations that focus on providing light and views to all 176 apartments for a diverse set of residents to enjoy for many years to come.
\nAngie Jim Osman, partner, Allies and Morrison<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Interior designer\u2019s view<\/h3>\n

The foundation of a successful home is the creation of the interior volumes \u2013 plan, form, proportion and flow. True collaboration with the design and construction team is critical to achieving excellence and maintaining the integrity of the design. Collaborating with Allies and Morrison holistically from the original masterplan massing has allowed the integration of our thinking on the internal space to link seamlessly with the vision for the building\u2019s exterior. The project marks the culmination of Johnson Naylor\u2019s extensive involvement in King\u2019s Cross since 2013, having previously worked on four other buildings: ArtHouse, Tapestry, Plimsoll and Fenman House.
\nFiona Naylor, founding partner, Johnson Naylor<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Client\u2019s view<\/h3>\n

Capella is the final residential building to complete at King\u2019s Cross, bringing us another step closer to the overall completion of the estate. It has been wonderful to watch this beautifully designed building go from a wire-framed block within a masterplan to a living, breathing building that people can now call home. It is also the final piece in the jigsaw for Parkside, the area around Lewis Cubitt Park, which really elevates and enlivens the northern part of the estate.
\nAnthony Peter, development director, Related Argent, developer and asset manager of King\u2019s Cross<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Project data<\/h3>\n

Start on site<\/strong> September 2021
\nCompletion<\/strong>\u00a0June 2024
\nGross internal floor area<\/strong> 19,919m2<\/sup>
\nGross (internal + external) floor area<\/strong> 21,840m2<\/sup>
\nForm of contract or procurement route<\/strong> JCT Design & Build 2016 (amended) + Two-Stage Design and Build
\nConstruction cost<\/strong> Undisclosed
\nArchitect<\/strong> Allies and Morrison (RIBA Stages 1-4a)
\nExecutive architect<\/strong> Chapman Taylor (RIBA Stages 4b-6)
\nClient<\/strong> King\u2019s Cross Central Limited Partnership
\nStructural engineer<\/strong> Ramboll
\nM&E consultant<\/strong> Hoare Lea
\nQuantity surveyor<\/strong>\u00a0Gardiner & Theobald
\nInterior designer (market flats and amenity)<\/strong> Johnson Naylor
\nInterior designer (affordable)<\/strong> Allies and Morrison
\nFire<\/strong> Hoare Lea
\nLandscape consultant<\/strong> Todd Longstaffe-Gowan
\nLighting<\/strong> Speirs and Major (external); Hoare Lea (internal)
\nAcoustic consultant<\/strong> Hoare Lea
\nAccess consultant<\/strong> All Clear
\nSustainability<\/strong> Hoare Lea
\nFa\u00e7ade engineer<\/strong> FMDC
\nProject manager<\/strong> BuroFour
\nPrincipal designer<\/strong> iM2 (pre-contract); Laing O\u2019Rourke (post-contract)
\nApproved building inspector<\/strong> London Borough of Camden Building Control
\nMain contractor<\/strong> Laing O\u2019Rourke
\nCAD software used<\/strong> Revit<\/p>\n

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Environmental performance\/sustainability data<\/h3>\n

Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >2%<\/strong> Not available
\nPercentage of floor area with daylight factor >5%<\/strong> Not available
\nOn-site energy generation<\/strong> Nil
\nAnnual mains water consumption<\/strong> 83.8 l\/pp\/day (estimated residential)
\nAirtightness at 50pa<\/strong> 2.03-6.11 (average 3.49) (residential only); 3 (retail only) m3<\/sup>\/h.m2
\n<\/sup>Heating and hot water load<\/strong> Not available
\nOverall area-weighted U-value<\/strong> 0.39 W\/m2<\/sup>K (retail only)
\nDesign life<\/strong> 60 years
\nEmbodied \/ whole-life carbon<\/strong> 774\u00a0 kgCO2<\/sub>eq\/m2 <\/sup>(stage 3 ECA)
\nAnnual CO2<\/sub> emissions<\/strong> 30.5 kgCO2<\/sub>eq\/m2<\/sup> (retail only)
\n<\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The L-shaped building sits in the northern part of the King\u2019s Cross masterplan site, overlooking Lewis Cubitt Park. A mixed-tenure apartment block, it provides 120 market-rented and 56 socially rented flats across 14 storeys as well as three retail units and tenant amenities on its ground floor. \u00a0 As one of the last residential buildings …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32845,"featured_media":766095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[706],"tags":[1252,1155,6221],"yoast_head":"\nAllies and Morrison completes \u2018picturesque\u2019 housing at King\u2019s Cross<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Capella, a 14-storey, 176-unit mixed-tenure apartment building is one of the final residential blocks to complete within the King\u2019s Cross masterplan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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