Architecture firm Jestico + Whiles recently received the green light to turn a currently fallow plot of land on Caledonian Road in London into a gorgeous new residential project. Developed by Telford Homes, the derelict site near King's Cross station will receive a much-needed facelift with the addition of a verdant new apartment complex. The project will also include a landscape design by Standerwick Land Design with 2,408 new trees and shrubs, and the creation of a nature trail to be used by local schools.
The architects designed the complex for a challenging railway site which occupies 4.7 acres at the north-eastern tip of the King’s Cross master plan. The site was purchased in 1996 to allow for the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in St Pancras, which runs in a tunnel underneath the northern part of the site.
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The proposal comprises seven new residential buildings, ranging from three to six stories, in a linear configuration which runs parallel to the railway, and also includes a series of standalone pavilions. The buildings are composed of interlocking forms clad in brick and glazed ceramic with metal patterned fretwork detailing, which invokes the wrought-iron railings found in the conservation area. Climbing plants, green walls and green roofs are also featured throughout the scheme serving to integrate the landscape and the buildings.
