Kings Cross Sports Hall

Education

An all-timber building designed for multiple lives — from skills training to community sport.

Project Details

King's Cross, London

Location
Camden Council

Client
NIA: 1484sqm

Area
£10.3M

Value
2020

Completion

Carbon Data

Upfront Carbon (A1-A5)

<400 kgCO₂e/m²
Sequestered Carbon (A1-A3)

-314 kgCO₂e/m²

The King’s Cross Sports Hall is a lightweight, adaptable structure designed as part of the district’s commitment to circular construction. Built entirely from timber, it was initially used as a Construction Skills Centre before becoming a permanent community sports facility.

The serrated roof and patinated zinc cladding reference the area’s industrial heritage, while exposed cross-laminated timber and glulam interiors provide warmth and acoustic comfort. Internally, a central ‘social spine’ links teaching, training and activity spaces, encouraging visibility and connection between uses.

Designed to near-zero carbon targets, the building’s embodied carbon was benchmarked using a LETI declaration, achieving 195 kgCO₂e/m² after sequestration — meeting the RIBA 2030 target for educational buildings ten years early. It also connects to the King’s Cross District Energy Network, providing low-carbon heating and cooling.

With its reversible joints and modular assembly, the Sports Hall demonstrates how circular principles can shape architecture that is both temporary and permanent — sustainable not only in performance, but in purpose.