Argent has selected Allies and Morrison, Porphyrios Associates, EDAW, Ove Arup & Partners and Townsend Landscape Architects.
Argent Group and Berkeley subsidiary St George beat off two other shortlisted firms – Amec Developments and Lend Lease – to redevelop the 20 ha site with site owners and joint developers London & Continental Railways and Exel.
The scheme will regenerate the run-down area around King’s Cross station and include office, retail and residential developments.
It is understood that Porphyrios and Allies and Morrison were chosen because of their experience with Argent on the Brindleyplace development in Birmingham.
Allies and Morrison partner Graham Morrison said: “This will start to fill a vacuum in that area.
It is wonderful to be involved in such a project.”Porphyrios senior associate Alireza Sagharchi said the masterplan would be a team effort. He said: “Given the scale of the project, it is going to be a tremendous joint effort. It cannot be anything else.”
Argent director Peter Freeman said additional architects would design individual buildings as the masterplan evolved.
LCR property arm managing director Stephen Jordan said it deliberately avoided detailed design considerations when choosing the winning scheme.
He said: “If you have a design competition, people spend a lot of time on it, and after the event, they cling on with white knuckles to it even if it is not appropriate.” It is understood that another reason why the Argent St George team won the contract was because of its record in residential development. Jordan said: “How the residential aspect is integrated into the development is very important.
This is a truly mixed-use development.”
St George managing director Tony Carey said the development team would consult the local authority and the new London mayor before putting together a detailed design. He said: “With so many people who have opinions on King’s Cross, it is right not to be prescriptive.”
Jordan said it would take a year to produce the masterplan and two-and-a-half before the scheme would be submitted for planning.
