|
|
 |
| |
Artist Peter Randall-Page with his rock sculpture |
Fanfare for an artistic powerhouse
Festival celebrates opening of complex housing concert halls, galleries, bars and offices
THE doors of London’s newest arts and music venue open next week – and the Tribune was given a sneak preview behind the scenes of Kings Place yesterday (Thursday).
The building, in York Way, King’s Cross, houses concert halls, art galleries, offices, bars and restaurants. A five-day music festival celebrates its opening.
As decorators put finishing touches to the bars and restaurants, architect Sir Jeremy Dixon showed visitors the 420-seat concert hall. He said: “There is an amazing sense of place here, and it is in an exciting area, an area with history and an area that is rapidly changing.”
He added: “I feel the place is now really coming to life. Suddenly it is a different building. People milling about, using the stairs, the escalators, the building has become real.”
An entrance hall in York Way opens into a soaring six-storey atrium. Below ground, the building has the largest underground basement area in London.
The Guardian and Observer newspapers are taking over three-and-a-half floors. Other occupants include Network Rail and trendy shoe manufacturer Wolverine, whose brands include Hush Puppies and Caterpillar.
Two orchestras will be in permanent residence, the London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Art galleries are situated so concert-goers can enjoy the works on their way into concerts.
Sir Jeremy said: “To get to the main concert hall you come past the art spaces, which can only add to the experience of people coming to visit.”
The canal which snakes past the building had provided practical help for the design team, he revealed. “We used the canal to bring in materials and take away debris,” Sir Jeremy said. “It helped keep heavy lorries off the streets and it continues to play a role in the building’s feel.”
Permanent moorings for houseboats sit opposite, and Kings Place has provided a berth for the Tarporley, the community barge. The development plans to buy its own long boat where events can be staged.
Kings Place is the first step in the transformation of the area, with developer Argent about to begin work on the King’s Cross railway lands project.
“Over the next decade some 30,000 office workers are expected to move in, while on the Argent site alone there will be around 1,900 new homes,” a Kings Place spokesman said. |
 |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
