10 minute read
Meet people dreams and needs
With 40+ years of experience, Argent LLP is one of the most influential property developers in London and in the UK. Robert Evans, CEO of King’s Cross and Joint Managing Partner of Argent LLP, talks about his upcoming projects and approach: “Cities are about people”
Since 1981, Argent LLP has delivered some of the best developments in the UK working with the most internationally acclaimed architects and designers such as Thomas Heatherwick, Allies and Morrison, Alison Brooks Architects, Wilkinson Eyre, David Chipperfield, and Conran and Partners, to name a few. Robert Evans, CEO of King’s Cross and Joint Managing Partner of Argent LLP, explains his approach to deliver successful places: “Being a great city builder means supporting communities and strengthening civic institutions, promoting accessibility in the widest sense, including safety, diversity and inclusivity, and meeting the needs of all groups in society, including disabled people, the young and old”.
author: Francesca Gugliotta portrait photo: Argent LLP projects photo: Courtesy of Argent LLP, Philip Durrant Could you describe your approach to delivering successful projects? At Argent, we talk about ‘taking pride of place’. Put simply, Argent takes pride in: shaping inspirational and enduring places, delivering together on our promises, creating a valuable legacy for all. We have done that at King’s Cross, which started with the publication of ten ‘Principles for a Human City’ in 2001. Those principles were rooted in lessons learned in previous mixed-use developments including Brindleyplace in Birmingham. The fundamental point is that cities are about people, providing places for people to live, work, meet, learn, eat, drink and relax. Successful urban places generate value from these activities; and sustain their value by being resilient to continual change in economic, social and cultural behaviour. This resilience is partly physical, derived from a structure and sequence of streets, squares, parks and gardens that enables urban life to continue to prosper. The attractiveness and quality of these connections and spaces influence and define the spatial patterns of city life: the places where people most want to be.
As a property developer, you tend to start with the public realm. To us, it is central to creating the conditions to improve and enhance urban life and thereby unlock and sustain long-term value. But being a great city builder and creating successful, resilient places is much more than that. It means supporting communities and strengthening civic institutions. It means promoting accessibility in the widest sense, including safety, diversity and inclusivity; and meeting the needs of all groups in society, including disabled people, the young and old. It means incorporating a sense of generosity, where it matters most; and having the skills and appetite to deliver all the land uses and facilities the city needs: not just homes, workplaces, places to shop, eat and drink, but schools, health-care facilities, community, cultural and leisure spaces. It means addressing local needs for housing, jobs and training and improved access to public services. Finally, it means understanding and harnessing the value of our heritage and committing to longterm success. Being in it for the long haul; and always making decisions that protect or enhance, long-term value.
An example of your inclusive approach? In 2001 we said King’s Cross should offer an urban exemplar for a sustainable world city. It should be an outstanding place to live, work or just ‘be’. It should make a significant, positive contribution to the economy, equality and the environment. Twenty years later, the King’s Cross Estate boasts a world-class university, inspiring businesses, some 2,000 homes, an eclectic range of shops and restaurants, two schools, sport, leisure and community facilities. Bold new architecture complements powerful historic buildings and world-class public realm. Each day the Estate welcomes and attracts a mixture of students, workers, residents, shoppers, visitors and tourists.
Which are your most important projects? King’s Cross is a hugely important project, it has a distinctive sense of place and community. It is regularly held up as a benchmark for development and regeneration in London; and we often welcome visitors from other cities and across the world to share our approach to placemaking and social value, and our path to ‘net zero’ carbon. Within King’s Cross, the Gasholders has been our most challenging yet rewarding residential project. Comprising 3 interlocked Gasholders originally dating back to 1860-1880, the work carried out to relocate, refurbish, and reimagine the Gasholders as apartments has been a labour of love for the extensive team who have worked on it, architecturally designed by Wilkinson Eyre with interiors by Jonathan Tuckey Design. Gasholders is extremely special: it offers space and finishes like no other, all whilst enjoying unique views of Regent’s Canal and Coal Drops Yard. The building is pivotal to the King’s Cross Estate and it sums up how we have harnessed the value of heritage, to make a remarkable place. We only have a handful of apartments remaining, starting from £775,000 for a studio, £2,855,000 for a 3 bed and £7,250,000 for a Penthouse.
What are your upcoming projects? Later this year we will be launching our last residential building in King’s Cross. Currently it is known as “S4”. Comprising 120 apartments and located on Lewis Cubitt Park, this building will offer studios, one, two and three bed apartments, plus townhouses which will enjoy far reaching views over the Estate and city beyond. S4 has been designed by architects Allies and Morrison with interiors by Johnson Naylor. S4 will be a very democratic building, with all entrances located on the prestigious Lewis Cubitt Park. Residents of both tenures will share a large communal roof terrace, offering access to nature and extensive views. The ground floor will include extensive amenities including a business lounge and private dining. S4 marks the completion of Lewis Cubitt Park and represents a fitting culmination of the residential programme at King’s Cross.
Gasholders, King’s Cross, London The Suna Penthouse, Gasholders
How do you choose your partners? We have been lucky to work with some of the best UK and international architects and designers. For example, we have worked extensively with Allies and Morrison, who are one of the masterplanners at King’s Cross and the architects of both 1 Pancras Square and our final residential building, S4. We are currently on site with two buildings by Alison Brooks Architects, including Cadence in King’s Cross, which has had one of our most successful building launches ever. The amazing Gasholders are designed by Stirling Prize winners Wilkinson Eyre. We worked with Thomas Heatherwick on Coal Drops Yard and he is also working with Google on their office building in King’s Cross, which will be as long as the Shard is high! Bennetts Associates have worked with us on a number of commercial buildings in King’s Cross and we have also been lucky enough to collaborate with Porphyrios Associates (our other masterplanner), David Chipperfield, AHMM, Mossessian, Glenn Howells Architects, dRMM, David Morley Architects, Studio Downie, Niall McLaughlin, Maccreanor Lavington, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and others. On residential interiors, we have worked most often with Johnson Naylor and Conran and Partners, with Jonathan Tuckey Design having worked on the Gasholders. All three are supremely talented and have delivered refined, elegant interiors that depart from traditional notions of ‘luxury’ to focus on light, space, simplicity and generosity and the use of natural materials. We choose our architects and designers in many ways. Sometimes we approach people we admire and want to work with, other times we may hold a small competition.
Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, London
Cadence, King’s Cross, London
Brent Cross Town, London
Which areas of London are having the greatest development? The Argent Related development at Brent Cross Town is going to be very significant. Argent Related brings together the expertise and unequalled track record of Argent, one of the UK’s most respected urban placemakers – responsible for the redevelopment of the multi-award winning King’s Cross, Brindleyplace and the Piccadilly area of Manchester – and Related, one of the United States’ most prominent and successful real estate and investment firms. Related is responsible for the Hudson Yards development in New York, which is transforming a disused part of the city and is receiving accolades from around the globe. Argent Related is
a developer with big ambitions and the powerful vision it takes to create lasting, liveable places in which people can flourish. Brent Cross Town will be a new park town for London, with 6,700 homes and workplaces for 25,000. All set around 50 acres of green parks & playing fields. Brent Cross Town will be a flourishing neighbourhood of elegant new homes, with world-class sport facilities and a lively new town centre.Brent Cross Town will address the urgent challenge of the global climate crisis, achieving net zero carbon by 2030 at the latest. Argent Related is addressing this with low-carbon construction, renewable power, circular economy principles, carbon offsetting and empowering everyone to make low-carbon lifestyle choices of their own. How is the residential market in London? Since we first launched ArtHouse in 2011, King’s Cross has remained enduringly popular with domestic and international buyers and we expect this to continue. Each building has a mix of owner occupiers and others owning for rental or investment purposes. The residential market is currently impacted by COVID-19. While the pandemic has made buying and selling much harder, it has also encouraged many to make changes to their lifestyle, including their home. This has resulted in a backlog of interest to buy, sell, upsize, downsize, or remove themselves completely from the bustle of London. As restrictions have eased, we have seen an increase
in registrations and offers from buyers wishing to come back to the city. Buyers are now keen to ensure they have space to work from home in addition to having access to nature and outdoor space, something which everyone came to cherish during lockdown. Evermore attractive and on offer across all of our residences in King’s Cross is having everything on your doorstep and within your neighbourhood from food shopping, to the doctor’s surgery, to sports and leisure opportunities, people want a defined sense of community now more than ever. International buyers still remain interested in London, however travel restrictions are undoubtedly holding back the market to some degree.
In the post Covid era, do you think public spaces will change layout? COVID-19 is accelerating several trends in our sector and impacting every aspect of our lives; including the ways that cities, transport, and buildings function. It has caused people to look at centrality and density in a different light, at least for now; and triggered an ongoing re-evaluation of how we are going to work and the role/best use of transport corridors, the public realm, and indeed office space. These forces and the pace of change in economic, social, and cultural behaviour will test the resilience of designs while underlining the central importance of resilience for successful city making. Consequently, the last 15 months has reinforced and reaffirmed our beliefs, values, and sense of purpose as a business.
What are the main people’s needs? Cities are about people, providing places for people to live, work, meet, learn, eat, drink and relax. Successful urban places generate value from these activities; and sustain their value by being resilient to continual change in economic, social, and cultural behaviour. This resilience is partly physical, derived from a structure and sequence of streets, squares, parks and gardens that enables urban life to continue to prosper. The attractiveness and quality of these connections and spaces influence and define the spatial patterns of city life: the places where people most want to be. That is why, as a developer-owner, we tend to start with the public realm. To us, it is central to creating the conditions to improve and enhance urban life and thereby unlock and sustain long-term value.
What is your vision for London? London is the greatest city in the world. At the same time, it has its challenges. We have the opportunity to shape a more polycentric London, with a range of distinctive neighbourhoods and centres; a greener city, with better public transport, better facilities for walking and cycling, more emphasis on sport and play, a fairer city, with more equal access to housing and better public services. And one that leads the way in achieving net carbon zero.
