King's Cross Station Unveils Record Breaking 'String Vest' Roof

King’s Cross, one of London’s most famous railway stations, is today set to unveil it’s record breaking lattice-work roof, dubbed the ‘string vest’.

The vast, super-strong roof and upgraded western concourse at Kings Cross - which has been 8 years in the making – has cost £500m and is part of a further £2.2billion restoration project which aims to restore the King’s Cross area, creating 8million square foot of office space, shops and residential property .

The record breaking roof has become Europe’s largest single-span station structure, and has transformed the 160 year old, Grade I listed building. At 150m long, the ‘string vest’ is made from 1,200 tonnes of steel and glass lattice-work which is supported by a 20m ‘funnel’ and 16 additional columns, thus covering 8,424 square metres. The roof also contains photovoltaic panels which are predicted to generate 10%-20% of the stations power.

Designed by architects Hiro Aso and John McAslan, the western concourse will be officially unveiled this evening (Wednesday 14th March 2012) with special guests including the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Transport Secretary, Justine Greening and Network Rail’s Chief Executive, David Higgins.

Network Rail told The Daily Mail newspaper, “regular users of the current station will be very pleased with the new concourse when it opens, but I'd encourage everyone to pick up one of the station maps we're giving out this week and take a moment to consider their best route through their new station. Passengers will need to understand how the layout of the new station works, as the existing 1970s building on Euston Road that currently serves both arriving and departing passengers will cater only for arrivals until its demolition begins after the London Paralympic Games. The area will be transformed into a new public open space by September 2013.”

Passengers and tourists will also find that the new-look concourse will include a discreetly placed Platform 9¾, the famous boarding point for Harry Potter’s Hogwart’s Express, which is in keeping with the 21st century theme of the design.

Commuters passing through Kings Cross should now find the through-flow of passenger traffic far more convenient. Search Office Space also suggests that you take the time to gaze up at this ‘string vest’ roof and sample the awe-inspiring craftsmanship and design.

To find out more about Kings Cross office space, talk to Search Office Space today on 0800 524 4649.