The large scale office space topped with a 4,000 sqm rooftop garden is now home to the social media giant Meta.

01.04.2022

The most significant office development at King’s Cross to date, 11-21 Canal Reach is now open. Designed by Bennetts Associates, the scheme was delivered by BAM, working with Cundall and Ramboll. The three year project has resulted in a contemporary building with flexible floorplates now serving as the UK HQ of Meta.

While being the largest building at King’s Cross, it is also one of the lowest embodied carbon buildings on the estate per sq ft due to use of lower carbon materials and efficiently designed floorplates. 

The interior divides into two connected buildings, each with an atrium and separate bank of lifts. Topped at 10 and 12 storeys, there is a horizontal plateau at the eighth level marking an important transition from a uniform profile to an expansive 4,000m² rooftop garden. The landscaped roof gardens and terraces offer a biodiverse space to enhance wellbeing for employees and uninterrupted views over central London. The interior fit-out was achieved afterwards by the team at Gehry Partners, global concept architects from Meta and delivered by TP Bennett. 

11-21 Canal Reach is on target to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating which is fitting to its context as King’s Cross is currently home to 25% of all BREEAM Outstanding commercial buildings in the UK. The significance of wellbeing for the future tenants was centre to the design process from including biodiversity to the creation of 730 cycle spaces.

"Crowned by a rooftop park with exceptional skyline views, 11-21 Canal Reach delivers over 400,000 sq ft of office space with the flexibility required by Meta. Furthering our proud association with King’s Cross, this latest scheme has a strong presence in the townscape and again focusses on sustainability whereby we’ve driven down the levels of embodied carbon by 30% compared to standard industry practice. It is testament to an exceptional project team that we were able to deliver the biggest building to date on the masterplan despite the challenges of the pandemic.” - Julian Lipscombe, Director at Bennetts Associates

The interior fit-out is by Gehry Partners and delivered by TP Bennett (image © Meta)