Construction work began on the Channel TunnelRail Link in 2001 and the associated expansion andrestoration of St. Pancras Station. This was a catalyst forthe landowners, London & Continental Railways andDHL (formerly Excel), to develop the land. With Argent astheir development partner they undertook a long processof consultation upon which they based their master planprepared by Architects Allies & Morrison and PorphyriosAssociates. Outline planning permission was granted in2006.

The significant investment in the regeneration ofKings Cross and the developments in the transport sectoris driving the rejuvenation of the area. The regeneration ofthe 67 acre site incorporates retail offerings, hotels,apartments, restaurants, public amenities, office buildingsand civic amenities. The area is densely populated and thevalue of land is very high. The perception of the area hasbeen changed thanks to new businesses, the new buildings

and the marrying of the old and new structures. Thesemixed uses support each other and the area is fastbecoming one of the best known quarters in Europe.

Techrete have been responsible for the supply andinstallation of architectural precast cladding on asubstantial number of the projects in this development.The versatility of the facades allowed them to fuse the newcontemporary buildings with the old restored buildings ina seamless and complementary manner. Working in thislocation was not without challenges. Restrictions wereplaced on them working in such close proximity to the raillines. Techrete have been involved in the design,manufacture and installation of the architectural precastpanels on buildings B2, B3, B4, B6, T1, T6, KX200 andthe paving on KX0. This brochure has been compiled todemonstrate how Architectural Precast Concrete Facadeswere used in Kings Cross and why they are the façade ofchoice for other large scale projects.

C O N T E N T S

Introduction

04B2 - ONE PANCRAS SQUARE King’s Cross, London06B3 - FIVE PANCRAS SQUAREKing’s Cross, London08B4 - TWO PANCRAS SQUAREKing’s Cross, London10

T1 - TAPESTRY 1 – 3 Canal Street, King’s Cross, London

12 B6 - THREE PANCRAS SQUAREKing’s Cross, London

14T6 - URBANESTCanal Reach, King’s Cross, London16

AN OVERVIEWTechrete’s Work at Kings Cross, London

K I N G S C R O S S

Photo: John Sturrock

FIVE PANCRAS SQUARE

KINGS CROSS, LONDON

An Overview of Techrete’s Work at Kings Cross, London

KX200

04

1,048 Techrete Panels including 398 cast ironcolumn claddingArea: 3,600m²Architect: David ChipperfieldMain Contractor: BAM

B2 Gridiron - One Pancras Square

2,787 Techrete PanelsArea: 8,801m²

Architect: Bennetts Associates, WeedonPartnership, LA Architects

Main Contractor: Kier Construction

B3 - Five Pancras Square

427 Techrete PanelsArea: 5,907m²Architect: Allies & MorrisonMain Contractor: BAM

B4 - Two Pancras Square

593 Techrete PanelsArea: 7,725m²

Architect: PorphyriosMain Contractor: BAM

B6 - Three Pancras Square

2,400 Techrete PanelsArea: 9,000m²Architect: Niall McLaughlin ArchitectsMain Contractor: Kier

T1 - Tapestry

T6 - Urbanest1,000 Techrete Panels

Area: 8,140m²Architect: Glenn Howells

Main Contractor: Mansells (Balfour Beatty)

B2

B4

B3

T1

T6

B6

07

B2 - One Pancras Square

GRIDIRON - ONE PANCRAS SQUARE

06

”Argent have always

valued their supply

chain and fostered a

collaborative

environment.

Techrete as a key

member of our supply

chain have delivered

a number of different

buildings for us at

King’s Cross, all with

varying architectural

styles.

Argent have found

Techrete very easy to

work with. Their

professionalism has

resulted in the

projects being a

success in terms of

safety, quality,

delivery and budget.

This success is

testament to how

collaborative working

produces world class

results.”

Tom Callaway

Senior Development

Manager, Argent.

Techrete were engaged in2012 to supply and erectthe external façade of this

55,000 sq m office building. Inaddition to supplying the precastcladding panels, balconies andGRC soffits, Techrete were alsoengaged to design, coordinate anderect the cast iron columns, due tothe proximity and interface withthe cladding. These weremanufactured by Hargreaves attheir facility in Halifax, WestYorkshire and were thentransported on specially adaptedtrailer frames and weresubsequently painted and erectedby Techrete.

The precast cladding and otherfeatures were to be erectedoutboard of the completed curtainwall cladding and this presentedhandling challenges and alsorequired a bespoke fixing system.Due to its proximity to the rail lines,Techrete had to contend with a

downgrading of all craneage by25%. The windows were pre-installed and external access for thisinstallation was via MEWPs. Abovelevel 6 mast climbers were used.The GRC soffits were up to 2.8mwide and specially adapted trailers,frames and lifting equipment wereused to assist site handling of thepanels in under-slung areas whichwere not accessible by the towercrane. Trial lifts were carried out atthe factory, prior to delivery to site.A tower crane was used for themajority of the installation with theexception of the balconies which,due to their weight, were hoisted bya mobile crane. To ensure theuniformity of finish Techreteundertook to construct the pavingand steps beneath the colonnade.

The reconstituted stone mix chosenwas to complement the adjacentbuilding B4 and a warm acidetched finish was used to achievethis.

B2

This unique building has won manyaccolades for its design including theRIBA London Regional Award

2015, The RIBA London SustainabilityAward 2015, and most recently, the PrimeMinister’s Better Public Building Award.Furthermore it has achieved the BREEAMlevel of ‘Outstanding’.

It was built as the new headquarters forCamden Council and is clad at the lowerlevels with Techrete precast concrete panels.There were a lot of constraints encounteredon site and the ground to 3rd floor claddinghad to be installed in advance of the superstructure. Due to the site logistics andproposed crane sizes and positons, normalinstallation hours could not beaccommodated on site as these would haveblocked deliveries and affected progress onsite. There was also site off -loadingrestrictions. To avoid these issues, Techrete

panels were installed between 7pm and 7amusing the site tower cranes. The line and levelworks were carried out during the day.Another challenge faced was the installationof the circular columns. This provedinteresting as they were underslung units andthere was reduced headroom available.

As with other projects in the Kings Crossarea, there were network rail restrictionswhich required the downgrading of allcraneage by 25%. This problem wasalleviated by using mobile cranes whereappropriate, although there was some backpropping required to the slab during thisoperation.

A reconstituted stone mix was chosen in anacid etched finish which gives the building aregal finish, allowing it to blend effortlesslywith the prestige of the neighbouringbuildings and surroundings.

FIVE PANCRAS SQUAREB3

09

B3 - Five Pancras Square

11

B4 - Two Pancras Square

TWO PANCRAS SQUAREB4

10

This 11storey, 130,000 sq ft officebuilding was designed by Allies &Morrison. The design of the

architectural precast cladding gives it aninteresting rhythm. As the building rises, theprecast mullion sections reduce in width butdeepen in depth. This was achieved byspecially designed adaptable moulds. Thecurtain walling / glazing was prefixed to theframe, above level 2, in advance of thecladding. A delicate installation operationensued and the fixing system had to beadjusted to the depth of the reveals. In order toincrease the speed of erection, reduce cost andimprove general efficiency, some of the panelswere 2 storey high “F” panels. This allowed fora rapid rate of enclosure to be achieved.

The immediate impression of this building isof mullions and spandrels but a keen eye cansee upon closer inspection that the mullionsactually decrease in width towards the top ofthe building and the windows at these levels

are set back further to create deeper revealsand create greater solar shading. The key tothe manufacture of this was mouldadaptability. To ensure minimal staining fromrainwater on the face of the building, thespandrels were designed to guide the watertowards a vertical drainage system in themullions, which keeps the water off the face ofthe building. The concrete mix contains someSpanish Dolomite aggregate which adds asparkle to the façade.

The uppermost level has an unusual feature ofa winter garden. This comprises of 3 storeyhigh colonnades with free standing cantileverstructures. This is a very uncommon featureand structural modelling was utilised in thedesign process. Due to the size of the panels,some challenges were encountered during theinstallation process. Prior to installation thesepanels (10m in length) had to be rotated withthe use of the tower crane and then hoistedinto position.

Techrete were awarded the contract forthe design, manufacture andinstallation of the pre-cast elements of

number 3 Pancras Square. The buildingcomprises of an architecturally complex pre-cast concrete facade which attaches to asteelwork frame over 10 floors. The buildingblends effortlessly with the other projects inthe Kings Cross area, complementing theother Techrete buildings surrounding it.Production began at our facility in January2015, with the first panels arriving on-site inJuly 2015. The project completed inDecember of that year.

Architect: PorphyriosEngineer: AKT IIMain Contractor: BAM

THREE PANCRAS SQUARE B6

13

B6 - Three Pancras Square

Photo: John Sturrock

T1 Tapestry - One Canal Street

14

TAPESTRY - ONE - THREE CANAL STREET

This is perhaps one of the most distinctive buildings inthe Kings Cross development set along St. PancrasLough. It is a mixed use structure combining,

residential, retail, bars, cafes and a multi-storey car park.

The influence for the design of this building comes fromancient Assyrian textiles, along with other patterns fromancient Egypt right up to the twentieth century. In addition,the building features intricate tapestry like grooves, whichdraws inspiration from the past when lavish tapestries wouldbe hung on buildings to separate the outside from the inside.

Techrete have a long established relationship with thearchitect. This was developed when they worked on theOlympic Athletes Village together and created reproductionsof the Elgin marbles. The process Techrete developedinvolved using CNC machines to create the moulds and themethodology developed on the Olympic Village project wasemployed in this project. This method allowed Techrete tocreate sharp formal patterns using concrete moulds and theresultant intricate pattern on the panels, gives them an almostsculptural quality. The precast elements were created with aTechrete bespoke deep red mix of GRC.

The balconies were manufactured off site and were erected asindividual complete units.

T1

This 26 storey student accommodation dominatesthe Kings Cross skyline. Techrete designed, builtand installed, 1,000 precast panels covering

8,000 sq m of the facade.

The lower levels, in a dark acid etched grey, arecomplemented by the Portland look-a-like, with twovarying depths of a grit blasted finish to the panels at theupper levels.

The installation of the precast took only 34 weeks. Theoverall construction time was reduced as the installationof the panels (using a telescopic crawler crane) allowed anearlier site start date, whilst the reinforced concrete framewas still under construction.

The downgrading of craneage due to the proximity of theChannel Tunnel Railway Line (CTRL) on the northernboundary of the site was an added constraint for theproject. A monorail was required for the installation ofthe panels on the north elevation immediately adjacentto the boundary fence of the CTRL. This was alsoundertaken whilst the frame was being constructedabove.

The tower crane had a stability tie which was tied to thestructure of the building at level 17. This occasioned apanel being temporarily omitted until the tower cranewas removed. The panel was then installed from withinthe building using chain hoists.

URBANESTT6

17

T6 - Urbanest

B2O N EPANCRASSQUARE

B3F I V EPANCRASSQUARE

B4TWOPANCRASSQUARE

T6URBANESTCANALREACH

T1TAPESTRYCANALSTREET

B6THREEPANCRASSQUARE

Techrete (UK) Ltd Techrete Ireland LtdTechrete (UK) Ltd

General Enquiries: estimating@techrete.com

www.techrete.com

Sales and Design Office

Feldspar CloseWarren Park WayEnderbyLeicester LE19 4SDEnglandTel: +44 (0)1 162 865 965Fax: +44 (0)1 162 750 778

Design & Production Office

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Production Office

Station RoadScawbyBrigg North LincsDN20 9DTEnglandTel: +44 (0)1 652 659 454Fax: +44 (0)1 652 659 458