The buildings occupy Plot R8 on the King’s Cross Masterplan and together provide 72 social-rent homes as well as 5,000m2 of workspace, small business, voluntary sector and retail spaces.

The Jellicoe, on the western edge of the plot, provides adaptable workspaces designed for flexibility, its gently curving façade designed according to passive environmental principles and embracing Jellicoe Gardens to the front.

Deltic House, to the east, contains 72 social-rent homes with a focus on larger family units. These consist of nine four-beds, 31 three-beds, 21 two-beds, and 11 one-beds, which are accessed via a double-height, timber-lined entrance lobby. The building has a narrow section of 15m, which admits increased natural daylight into the homes.

The building is oriented to capture views east over The City of London. Its façade is composed of scalloped precast balconies, which read as undulating ribbons, bringing a sense of movement to the streetscape. To its east, a new park – Gatti Park – with playspace and facilities for skate and basketball has recently opened.

Both residential and office elements have been designed for flexibility. The office floorplates incorporate soft spots for future vertical connections between floors, while the lift and riser strategy allows for the conversion of its upper floors to restaurant space. The residential block is designed to be easily stripped back to its concrete structure for future conversion.

An energy centre at King’s Cross provides low-carbon heating and hot water across the estate. The buildings have also achieved BREEAM Outstanding and EPC A ratings.

Architect’s view

The idea was to crumble this large remaining plot and bring intimacy and grain to four new streets. Our building formed one edge of a beautiful new garden square by Tom Stuart Smith and created a central shared terrace garden, also by Tom Stuart-Smith.

This is designing at a high-density urban scale but we were conscious of creating a more human experience and generosity at street level. We are particularly proud of the high-quality housing, with its generous balconies, double-height entrance hall and spectacular views from the upper floors.

Stuart Piercy, Founding Director, Piercy&Company


Project data

Location King’s Cross, London N1
Start on site March 2021
Completion March 2025
Gross internal floor area 32,576m2 (office: 24,673m2, residential: 7,903m2)
Gross (internal + external) floor area 35,428m2 (office: 26,733m2, residential: 8,695m2)
Form of contract Two-stage design and build
Construction cost Undisclosed
Architect Piercy&Company
Client King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership
Developer Related Argent
Structural engineer Arup
M&E consultant Sweco
QS Gardiner & Theobald
Transport and logistics consultant Arup
Sustainability consultant Sweco
Landscape consultant Tom Stuart-Smith
Acoustic consultant Sandy Brown
Façade consultant FMDC
Fire consultant The Fire Surgery
Accessibility consultant All Clear Designs
Security consultant Hoare Lea
Project manager Gardiner & Theobald
Principal designer Brian Bulfin Associates
CDM co-ordinator David Eagle (client side), Brian Bulfin (contractor advisor)
Approved building inspector Sweco
Main contractor McLaren Group
CAD software used Revit, Tekla, Trimble Connect


Environmental performance data

Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >2% Not supplied
Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >5% Not supplied
On-site energy generation 3% approximately (8,250 kWh/yr via PVs)
Annual mains water consumption Not supplied
Airtightness at 50Pa Not supplied
Heating and hot water load Not supplied
Operational energy 179.8 kWh/m2/yr (office space only, predicted)
Total energy load 150–190 kWh/m2/yr (EUI target range)
Overall area-weighted U-value Not supplied
Predicted design life 110 years (superstructure only)
Embodied carbon 846 kgCO2eq/m2
Whole-life carbon Not supplied
Annual CO2 emissions Not supplied (estimated carbon savings of over 40% relative to Part L 2013 Building Regulations)
Energy performance certificate rating A