Emma Giacon of Pan attended a meeting today about further developments at King's Cross. Here's her report:

"Peter Millican from the King's Place development and Richard Thompson from architects Dixon Jones popped in at lunchtime to give us all a bit more info on what's going on in the building site next door. After last week's events, first on most people's minds was 'Can we expect to be evacuating our offices again any time soon?'  The answer, happily, was no, with Peter apologising profusely for the inconvenience.  Apparently it was a very small fire, and didn't slow down the building work too much... lucky them!

Development on the site is coming on apace, and we were told that the building will begin to take shape properly around Christmas.  By all accounts it will be an impressive space:  two concert halls (the larger of which will seat 425 people), sculptures (that will be visible from York Way as well as throughout the building), and a floor devoted to visual arts (that will house a permanent collection of portraits) will all be open to the public.  A colonnade along the York Way side of the development will provide some glamour to a currently unappealing road, while an internal street will lead visitors from York Way right through the building to the canal.
I should mention that this will be a very ‘green’ building, producing only half the CO₂ per square metre that most offices produce.

The York Way side of the building will also benefit from a glass façade - which as well as looking very striking - will also provide a noise barrier for the building within.  Dixon Jones (who have worked on notable projects including The Royal Opera House, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery) have also included a rotunda building that will sit on the corner of the canal basin.  The ground floor of the rotunda will house a huge brasserie restaurant with inside and outside dining, and there will also be a private events section canalside.

We will certainly be gaining illustrious neighbours renting the offices on site.  As well as 1500 staff from The Guardian, the Sinfonietta Orchestra and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will be in residence, and New Music groups such as NMC, SPNM and BMIC will likely be based there.  We also hear that Central St Martin's Art College is moving to Kings Cross, so our bright new authors from Pan will be joined by bright young artists - very appropriate!

The thing to remember about all this is that as well as this particular development, the area in general will be completely overhauled by Argent (beginning late 2007 when the Channel Tunnel link is completed).  It really feels as though we are witnessing of something very exciting and refreshing, of which all locals, residents and business, will be able to take advantage."