Tapestry, Kings Cross

Tapestry, 1 Canal Reach, Kings Cross, London N1C 4AZ

Tapestry Kings Cross Headline Facts:

2,400 GRC panels, covering 9,000 square meters.

Contractor : Kier Construction

Architect : Niall McLoughlin Architects

The Finer Details:

This is perhaps one of the most distinctive buildings in the Kings Cross development set along St. Pancras Lough.

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 from ancient Assyrian textiles, along with other patterns from ancient Egypt right up to the twentieth century.

In addition, the building features intricate tapestry like grooves, which draws inspiration from the past when lavish tapestries would be hung on buildings to separate the outside from the inside. Techrete have a long established relationship with the architect. This was developed when they worked on the Olympic Athletes Village together and created reproductions of the Elgin marbles. The process Techrete developed involved using CNC machines to create the moulds and the methodology developed on the Olympic Village project was employed in this project. This method allowed Techrete to create sharp formal patterns using concrete moulds and the resultant intricate pattern on the panels, gives them an almost sculptural quality.

The precast elements were created with a Techrete bespoke deep red mix of GRC. The balconies were manufactured off site and were erected as individual complete units.