Steel completes on King’s Cross office scheme

Structural steelwork erection has completed on One Keskidee Square, the latest and one of the final commercial schemes within the 67-acre King’s Cross development.

Working on behalf of main contractor BAM Construction, Elland Steel Structures has erected 2,100t of steel for project.

Achieving a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating, the 11-storey steel-framed building will offer 26,000m² of flexible office space, predominantly located on the nine upper levels. Below this, the building has an entrance lobby with retail at ground floor and a mezzanine level (between ground and first floor) that will accommodate back-of-house facilities and plant equipment.

The building’s footprint spans a pair of bored Thameslink rail tunnels, and so the structure’s piled foundations have had to be designed and installed around these subterranean obstructions. A series of 40m-deep piles were installed in between the tunnels and either side of them.

The structure’s steelwork is founded directly onto these piles, creating large open floorplates with internal spans of up to 15m-long, while diverting superstructure loads away from the tunnels.

Coordination with Network Rail and the installation of sensors within the tunnels has been key in allowing the project to progress without any disruption to rail services.

One Keskidee Square is due to complete in Summer 2023.