the developer and tenants were excited by the plan.
‘When the retailers sent us their interior designs,
we didn’t have a single comment to make, they were
all perfect right from the start,’ recalls White. ‘The
fact that it was a Heatherwick building really inspired
everybody and pushed them to raise the bar and
follow the project’s inherent sense of place.’
The architects kept interventions to the existing
structures to a minimum, retaining as much of the
original brick-arched fabric as possible. The new level
sits lightly on the old parts: ‘The engineers have
interlaced the new roof structure with the old in such
a way that, if you wanted, you could take it all of and
revert to the old situation,’ says Heatherwick.
The sweeping roofs of the new construction brought
a sense of fun to the site even before completion.
‘We needed left-handed roofers to work on the one side
and right-handed ones for the other, as we needed to
work on both sides at the same time,’ says the project
leader, architect Tamsin Green. ‘There was a certain
friendly rivalry among the slaters about which team did
the best job.’ (Apparently, the right-handed team won.)
The complex includes four large units, which
occupy the long buildings’ ends, and several smaller
vaulted spaces in-between. On the Granary Square
side, small arched shops recall little souk streets, and
give way to a generous central piazza at the heart of the
development. The scheme houses a variety of carefully
selected retailers, including Paul Smith, Tom Dixon
and Margaret Howell – as well as restaurants and bars.
Samsung occupies the showstopping space under
the roof, promising a ‘creative and digital playground’.
As a retail destination, ‘Coal Drops Yard is not just
about the product’, says White. ‘It is about the human
experience, and Thomas understands this and has
done an outstanding job.’ The studio’s attention todetail went right down to ittings such as lift buttons.
Seven distinct sets of door handles were commissioned,
all especially designed to invite ‘incidental touch
accumulation’, says Heatherwick.
The designers also wanted to ensure that
Coal Drops Yard be an accessible space 24/7 and as
welcoming as the nearby Granary Square and Lewis
Cubitt Park, which are looded with visitors as soon
as the sun comes out. This suited the client perfectly.
As White points out, the ambition is for this unique
complex to become one of London’s most vibrant new
destinations, whatever the time of day. ∂
The Coal Drops Yard shopping quarter opens on 26 October,
coaldropsyard.com; heatherwick.comABOVE, CLAD IN WELSH SLATE,
THE TOP-FLOOR ADDITION SITS
AS LIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE ON
THE TWO 1850 STRUCTURES
BELOW, ONE OF THE STORAGE
SPACES INTO WHICH COAL
WAS ONCE DROPPED FROM
WAGONS ON RAILWAY TRACKS
ABOVE. THE BRICK AND
CAST-IRON ARCHES WILL SOON
REOPEN, OCCUPIED BY SHOPS,
CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS084 ∑
Architecture