Essay

摘要

Any conversation about the architectural form of Camden Council's new 5 Pancras Square building must start with the King's Cross development's masterplan, which prescribes the outline, height and density for each development plot. With the emphasis on the public realm, which was given priority by Argent at King's Cross and in previous schemes such as Brindleyplace in Birmingham, the buildings inevitably-and rightly in our view-play the supporting role. For a hard-pressed local authority such as Camden, the notion of a highly sustainable but undemonstrative new building is appropriate. It was funded through property disposals and increased efficiency, with no cost to the public purse at a time of deep recession. It is not a town hall (those facilities remain on the Euston Road), but an administrative headquarters combined with public facilities that dramatically improve the service to the local community; and it was developed under the constant scrutiny of politicians and the press - it simply had to be delivered on time and budget. The corner location is also significant, as the building has less allegiance to its commercial neighbours than to the wider community of Camden itself, expressed in the contrast between its modest presence on Pancras Square and the outward-facing facades on PancrasWay and GoodsWay.