Straps attached to award-winning King’s Cross scheme’s facade as precaution, developer says
Niall McLaughlin’s 130-home Tapestry building in King’s Cross is undergoing safety inspections after a section of cladding fell off, the scheme’s developer has told Building Design.
Multiple straps can be seen tying down the cladding panels on the facade of the RIBA London Award-winning building, which was built by Kier for Argent in 2016.
The occupied 15-storey block includes both high-end market housing and social housing along with a restaurant, cafe and an energy centre for the wider King’s Cross development.
The straps are focused on the vertical ‘fins’ of the facade between the building’s windows, the developer added.
In a statement, Argent said: “Kier are working alongside us on the investigations. Strapping has been placed on cladding ‘fins’ on the building.”
Anthea Harries, Argent asset management director at King’s Cross, added: “At the Tapestry Building in King’s Cross, a single piece of façade cladding was recently dislodged.
“We are undertaking inspections and have implemented strapping on relevant areas of the façade to act as an additional precautionary safety measure.”
The developer said inspections are at an early stage but it is not yet known what repair works will need to take place, when they could start and which contractor will carry out the work.
Cladding specialist Techrete was the facade engineer on the scheme, working alongside structural engineer Ramboll, QS Gardiner & Theobald and glazing firm Glass Solutions. Landscape Architect Dan Pearson designed the scheme’s roof garden.
The building was praised in RIBA’s 2017 regional awards for its “exquisite, sculpted facade”, which consists of patterned terracotta-coloured panels made of lightweight, glass reinforced concrete (GRC) panels.
Faulty GRC has led to major repair works which are currently being carried out by Morgan Sindall at another Niall McLaughlin-designed scheme, the West Wing Building at St Cross College in Oxford.
Structural failures in the student accommodation block’s window surrounds are finally being fixed six years after they were discovered during construction in 2016 when the main contractor went into administration.
The college had decided to complete the scheme as it was in need of space for incoming students, and replace the flawed window elements “when time and resources allowed”, Niall McLaughlin Architects said.
The building has been closed for the 2022/2023 academic year while the GRC window elements are replaced with aluminium. Work is expected to finish this September.
Niall McLaughlin Architects said it was an “unfortunate instance of a design and build contractor going into administration”.
“The GRC specialist appointed by the college has confirmed that the original design intent information produced by Niall McLaughlin Architects was fit for purpose.
“The contractor and specialist sub-contractor were responsible for the detailed design, manufacture and installation of the window reveals,” the Stirling Prize-winning practice said.
It added the process had been “difficult” for the college and the firm was continuing to offer support and collaboration to ensure the eventual completion of the project.
Last year Niall McLaughlin won the Stirling Prize for its New Library at Magdelene College in Cambridge. The college’s brief required that the building, which will be open to students 24 hours a day, should be designed to last for at least 400 years.
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