Interblock is a project which exploits unutilised airspace above existing King’s Cross station. The intention is that of counteracting London’s housing crisis whilst repositioning council homes within the wider political panorama. The area surrounding the station showed a…
Interblock is a project which exploits unutilised airspace above existing King’s Cross station. The intention is that of counteracting London’s housing crisis whilst repositioning council homes within the wider political panorama.
The area surrounding the station showed a significant number of elderly and children affected by income deprivation and currently living in inadequate homes. Housing the two demographics together hopes to promote intergenerational dialogue, reduce social isolation and alleviate low-income parents of child dependency. The design focus is placed the symbiotic relationship between different materials and forces. Through physical testing this lead to the development of an interlocking post-tensioned hybrid. Then review of housing styles developed in England provided key geometries. The chosen homes are aspirations for many people and using these forms aims to translate this connotation to social rent whilst improving typical housing quality.
On a local scale, the intervention hopes to actively contribute to the reduction of eviction rates and overcrowding in the area. But on a macro level, the proposal aims to exploit kings’ cross station as an artefact which enables the monumentalization of housing and questions its role in our society. Acting as a connector between past heritage and future housing, a bold statement in the rethinking of public housing on a national scale, shifting historical connotation of social rent towards a more positive one.
