ABSTRACT
The King’s Cross masterplan sets out the relationship between the buildings and the spaces between them, the through routes and internal circulation, built form and heights and the disposition of land uses. Both the Argent and Camden council teams spent a great deal of time working with the architects on the masterplan, and the plan was shaped by that debate. At King’s Cross, Argent St George had control over the land and access to finance, two of the basic requirements to undertake development. An effective masterplan responds to the complexity of the site conditions. A good masterplan will allow individual buildings a degree of independence from their underpinning infrastructure. This flexibility allows a scheme to be built out in a variety of ways depending on market conditions. Argent St George, Camden council and the masterplanning team had already agreed that King’s Cross should be ‘just another piece of London’ and reflect the grain, scale and character of the city.
