Buildings have personalities, 10 Lewis Cubitt Square, well it’s the one that quietly knows it’s the smartest in the room but doesn’t need to brag about it. Nestled in the ever-evolving King’s Cross, this 196,000-square-foot creation by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris doesn’t just exist—it integrates, complements, and even throws in a little bit of theatre (literally).
Designed as a backdrop to Lewis Cubitt Square, the building is a mixed-use complex, housing commercial and retail spaces, plus space for a 600-seat theatre tucked away in a double-storey basement, currently used as a very popular immersive room (I saw The Moonwalkers there, it was excellent).
But the real drama isn’t on stage—it’s in the details. The façade enjoys a splendid tessellated internal grid. A double-layered system featuring a unitised inner shell that keeps the elements out and a precast concrete exoskeleton that gives the place depth, shadow, and a sense of undeniable gravitas. It’s the kind of exterior that makes people stop and look, and that happens a lot.
The structure is one of two new Meta offices, Keir took on the construction, ensuring every piece fit together like a giant, sustainable jigsaw puzzle.
Speaking of sustainability—and that’s what we should all be talking about—this building isn’t just green, it’s BREEAM Excellent green. It has parking for 238 bicycles. A sustainable-drainage system (SuDS) is also integrated. Rainwater is harvested and stored within the basement, to reduce the development’s water use as well as its rainwater run-off. It’s a CCS Ultra Site, meaning sustainability and social value weren’t just checked boxes but core principles.
The project team embraced digital tools like Holobuilder, Matterport, and Multivista to track progress, maintain quality, and, in a way, create a time capsule of the building’s creation. Future generations of facilities managers will thank them for it. Built as drawn, for once.
But a building isn’t just bricks (or in this case, a whole lot of smart engineering). It’s also about people. The team engaged deeply with the local community—building a skip garden and an outdoor classroom, donating money, food, and books to nearby schools and charities, and creating apprenticeships and work placements. Because what’s the point of a great building if it doesn’t acknowledge the people around it?
10 Lewis Cubitt Square is more than an office block. It’s a statement—a confident, thoughtful, and sustainable nod to the future. And it does all of this while sitting back, letting the square take center stage, and just being quietly excellent. A mature architecture from mature architects, I say that’s quite a personality.
