Field Street is an 1800sqm mixed use development in the Kings Cross regeneration area of London. The existing building abuts the former Thameslink Railway station to the south, with the main elevation to Field Street from which the commercial premises are accessed. The existing single storey building was built as a print works but is now home to music rehearsal studios. Our proposal increases the studio space by eighty percent at first floor level and adds two floors of private residential above.

The new construction perches elegantly on top of the existing roofline. The external façade is clad in oxidised copper 'scales' that overlap and soften the dominant geometry of the building. The window reveals around the floor to ceiling glazing add depth to the copper surface, whilst opaque slot windows play with the relief and transparency on the new studio floor. The flat roof is planted with a sedum blanket, while powder-coated steel balconies offer external space to the apartments.

The construction of the building presented a number of challenges owing to being near the railway line and the need for acoustic separation between the first floor music rehearsal studios and the private apartments above. The resulting building manages to unify this challenging site and creates a new urban block that is striking but simple.