Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross.

London’s newest area dedicated entirely to retail.

Architects at Heatherwick Studio created this latest contemporary space dedicated to shopping in London’s Kings Cross area. Once coal warehouses, the structures have now become a new attraction in the area hosting over 50 new stores, including fashion brands like Paul Smith, and COS in addition to small, independent restaurants. The “KitKat” form of the original buildings has been conserved, uniting them with a new roof-level bridge that brings the two volumes together in what appears to be a kiss. Covering the centre of the courtyard passageway, the two extensions appear as drops of coal. Creating something beyond the ordinary shopping mall was important for Thomas Heatherwick, founder of the studio. “Our interest is making an amazing place. The shopping is the excuse for a place”, he says of Coal Drops Yard, the latest in a series of King’s Cross’ Victorian elements to undergo renovation: gasholders made luxury apartments, The Granary becoming a new center for Central Saint Martins, and another old coal warehouse becoming the new headquarters for Tom Dixon. Planting design is by Dan Pearson.

For more info www.coalsdropsyard.co.uk