NAZRIN SHAH BUILDING – STEELWORK
JULY 2015
Just over two years since our first tentative steps towards imagining what sort of space a new auditorium for Worcester College might possibly be like, we find ourselves enclosed within a spidery sketch, looking up to the trees through a skeletal enclosure of steel. We watched in excitement as our drawings were scribed across the site, first in neon spray paint and little red sticks, later excavated into deep ravines. We pick our way across the lines that had become so familiar on paper and are now concrete obstacles in a muddy field. The reality of this transition only became real as we stood looking across at the steel columns in this picture. They map out the positions of the stone fins that radiate around the curved facade of the new auditorium, with the sloping beams above us silhouetted against the bright July sky marking the future locations of the sculpted folds to the soffit.
COMPETITON WIN AT KING’S CROSS
FEBRUARY 2013
‘Niall McLaughlin triumphs in King’s Cross canopy competition.’ Building Design
Niall McLaughlin Architects was announced as the winner of the Cubitt Square competition at King’s Cross. The practice was chosen from among a strong shortlist, including Amanda Levete Architects, Asif Khan, Duggan Morris, Carmody Groarke, Ian Ritchie and Jamie Fobert.
The competition brief was to create a canopy structure for the southern end of the square, to provide a covered space for public events. In response the practice’s intention was to create an object that will read beautifully against the dark brick of the train sheds, whilst echoing their inner structure. The canopy will be made from very slender rods of stainless steel that will form a fragile framework. The ephemeral nature of the structure will allow views between the the existing listed buildings and significant structures, such as the Triplet Gas Holders.