CSM Time 4 KX

King’s Cross Special issue

Advertisement 3 

Back to the + Our new home (4)

Kings Place
Future
Next summer 2011 we move to our new home
+ King’s Cross Gallery (6)
in King’s Cross, London. In this special
edition of our termly newspaper CSM Time, we
invite students, staff and friends of
+ One year and counting (8)
the College to look ahead with us as the final
countdown begins. + King’s cross Projects (11)
At King’s Cross, Central Saint Martins will
carry the best of our history and values into a
new era of arts education. The design of our
+ King’s cross News (12)
+ Performance at King’s cross (14)

Festival 2010
new campus allows us to re-imagine how we
teach the art, design and performance
students of the future.

On 1 August 2011, following completion of

our fit-out schedule, the new building will
+ Private Collection (16)
be handed over to us and our move presses
ahead in the run-up to autumn term 2011.
For our students these are exciting moments
+ Meet the Neighbours (18)
on an exciting journey. For our staff – well,
keep calm and remember we won’t be doing
this again for at least another 100 years or so!
+ Open For Business (20)
In this special issue of CSM Time we take you
on a voyage in time and space. Resident
+ King’s cross student projects (22)
features editor Drusilla Beyfus opens a
window on the design and build of our new + Widening participation at KX (24)
September 9–12
home (see p4). As well as introducing you
to our future neighbours (see p18), we
showcase student projects set in and around
our King’s Cross site (see p22). We also
+ King’s cross FAQs (26)
+ Coming soon (27)
100 concerts in 4 days
answer your FAQs about our historic move
(see p26).

Throughout the coming year we’ll keep you

abreast of news, events and developments

Music, Spoken Word & Visual Art CSM Time

relating to King’s Cross both in the pages of
CSM Time and online at our KX blog.

Here’s to our future!

Medieval hip hop, sculptures by David Bailey, artwork from the Antarctic, 4 KX
special issue
and the Junk Band with their instruments made of rubbish, are just some
of the surprises in store.
Celebrating the second anniversary of the Kings Place opening, this
weekend-long event showcases the wealth of cultural and social
opportunity that the space offers year-round. The Third Kings Place
Festival features: Behind the Scenes at the Guardian; comedy from Tom
Basden; Jenny Éclair; Rob Deering; the best in new poetry from Poet in
Find out more about King’s Cross,
the City, and the chance to sample emerging talent from Manchester
and Bristol, from Arctic Circle … and much, much more!
visit the KX blogs: www.csm.
arts.ac.uk/snapshot/category/
kings-cross and www.csm.arts.
ac.uk/kingscross
CSM Time is produced by Marketing and
Communications editor@csm.arts.ac.uk
in association with Rhombus Writers,
and designed by Paulus M Dreibholz
(alumnus and associate lecturer) and
Emma Williams. With thanks to Drusilla

all Tickets only £4.50 online + loads of free events

Beyfus, Seamus Mirodan and Rena Valeh.

© 2010 Central Saint Martins College

of Art and Design unless otherwise

www.kingsplace.co.uk
indicated. We have made all efforts to
credit images correctly. Please contact
us if we have omitted to credit or
miscredited an image – amendments
will be made in subsequent issues.
Our new home
4  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
Drusilla Beyfus takes a guided tour and reports
on progress on the ground
Artist impression of Granary Square, King’s Cross. Courtesy of Anderson-Terzic
My recent visit to the Central Saint Martins
campus at King’s Cross was a great
opportunity to see how the vision glimpsed
in scale models and plans was shaping up on
the ground. My guide was one of the master
planners, architect Paul Williams of Stanton
Williams, the practice that in 2001, won the
international competition to design the
campus. I had interviewed him previously at
their HQ in Islington. Williams characterised
the architecture of the campus. ‘It’s not
endeavouring to be an office building, nor is
it a city building. It needs to have an edge
and a rawness.’
The approach has been to meld a rich
industrial heritage with 21st century
concepts in architecture and design. Three
main structural components tell the story:
the Grade 2 listed Granary building in
brick, cast iron and timber built in 1852 by
Lewis Cubitt (younger brother of Thomas
Cubitt); the 19th century Eastern Transit
Shed, also built by Cubitt, and a brand new
construction in exposed concrete, steel and
glass. Two-thirds of the total construction
is rebuilt, one-third is original. The overall
cost of the fabric of the build and the fit-out
is in the region of £120 million.
Old meets new. The East Transit Shed meets the East studio
Some interesting facts emerged about
the background to the scheme. If the
development at Holborn had gone ahead
following the winning solution at the
international competition in 2001, the
developed building would have been a
vertical structure some 10/11 storeys high,
in other words a mini skyscraper. He
explained the listed industrial structures
define the parameters for the height of the
new development, and these were of a
scope to allow the architects to put up the
present building, whose main body is
only four storeys high. In Williams’ view,
a vertical building for an art college
would be far less practical and functional
for the college to have inhabited.
Original feature from The Granary building
I was keen to hear from him how the campus
would work in practice. He said, ‘We have
had to ask ourselves, is this a student
experience or a staff experience? In an art
college, surely it has to be the students.’
Communication between people had been
a mantra. Studios, workshops and IT
departments were located to encourage
fusion between the disciplines – fashion was
adjacent to graphics for example. They had
built in many social spaces ‘… where people
can chill out and connect,’ he said, including
a canteen, cafes, and a foyer bar. Public
access to the southern end of the Granary
building complex was the policy of the
College as well as that of Argent, the King’s
Cross property developer which is engaged
in regenerating the whole area.
Granary and Eastern office building – front view of our campus
Glazing on cantilevered elevation of the performance studios
We looked at some of the facilities: an
adaptable lecture theatre for 400 people;
seminar spaces; flexible performance,
rehearsal and exhibition areas; a main
theatre that accommodates over 300
people; a 100-seat studio theatre; a library;
a museum and gallery. He singled out the
glazing on the cantilevered elevation of
the new performance studios that would
be ‘… absolutely gorgeous, stunning.’
Being translucent, it reflects the shadowy
forms of the dancers and actors that can be
glimpsed from outside.
A top-lit main street divides the heart of
the construction, running from north
to south. Covered in ETFE , a material known
for its light transmission properties,
the flexible design means the Street could
function as a meeting place and an
exhibition area. Over-arched by five-metre
wide bridges that connect the various levels
with the art studios and other amenities,
the whole layout has an open feel, the
antithesis of a system of corridors, closed
doors and shut-off small spaces.
Yet a sense of history has been retained.
‘The way we have refurbished the old
buildings is to keep as many of the pulley
systems, harnesses, and winches as we could.
When you walk through the building, you
will be able to understand how it was used
in 1851,’ he said.
5 
I wondered how the projected numbers of
students and staff would be fitted in? He
replied ‘there will be far less wasted space’,
no more duplication of studios and services.
The system would depend on ‘bookable’
rooms, an efficient method adopted by large-
scale clients they had worked for where
space was at a premium. And they are
retaining Byam Shaw’s Archway campus.
‘We have tried to keep the space as fluid
as possible and to allow staff to understand
how their working methods and teaching
practices could be changed by the
possibilities offered by this new space.’
‘The building is effectively a warehouse …
with floors and high ceilings, that allows
the College to develop over time,’ he said.
He recalled that Jane Rapley, Head of
College, had hoped that the building would
‘morph’ into forms that could be adapted to
tomorrow’s needs. She had said early on in
the planning, ‘… this is an experiment that
allows us to reinvent ourselves in the way we
work’. He added, ‘… that reinvention means
there has to be an understanding among
the staff from day one to accept change and
to wait to see what has to be done in order to
allow the morphing to take place.’
Few doubts hover over the likely impact
of the College on the neighbourhood.
Williams says that it stands to inject a
vibrant cultural force. Similarly, Richard
Meier, Argent’s Project Director, told me,
‘Argent believes it (CSM ) is an anchor in the
overall rejuvenation of King’s Cross.
Not only because it is slap bang in the middle
of the most important and historic fabric
of the site, but more importantly, Central
Saint Martins will help to revitalise an
area that previously had been neglected and
gone quiet.’
Last word from Paul Williams. ‘There was
nowhere else of this ambitious scale left in
central London that could be developed in
this way.’
Stop press. Stanton Williams has won the
international competition to design King’s Cross
Square at King’s Cross. At 7,000 square metres,
it’s one of largest of its kind in London.
King’s Cross
6  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s 7 

Gallery
John Sturrock, official photographer at King’s Cross,
has been documenting our site as it develops. Here’s John’s
snapshot of life on planet KX. To view more of his images
visit: www.kingscrosscentral.com/gallery
One year and
8  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s 9 

‘It’s important

King’s Cross
we have a structure
in place to underpin

counting
the fluid way
people think
and work here’
With just one year to go, CSM Time spoke to the KX Project Office
team about nooks, crannies, movable walls and wow factors

The team’s favourite images of our new home

Flexible Thinking something more solid that might stay in addition to this highly mechanised space we Shared Space a light touch Negotiating skills
position for weeks. So the walls are an will have an online Interface to the building
Today our focus is on gaining a thorough example of how we need a flexible approach. and its resources which will provide great Currently, most courses have their own The creative nature of what colleagues do I support Matt and Malcolm in managing
understanding of our fixtures and fittings, services for students and staff alike. space so they can decide on their own here means things can sometimes be ‘last the design process and in planning and
which machines we’re moving from the We already have many disciplines under timetable without worrying about what minute’. Although we have to put processes delivering our move, as well as co-ordinating
workshops, how many power points and one roof, but the reality of cross-fertilisation It’s about booking facilities and resources others are up to. But with more shared space in place in order to deliver the project, we several related projects including the ICT
data points we need, where to mount our at King’s Cross isn’t just about the studio online; about the security aspects of the right at King’s Cross, we’ll have to collaborate also have to have a light touch – and to keep strategy and KX graphic identity project.
digital screens, and the kind of audio-visual – it’s about what happens on the stairs and students accessing the right things; about more effectively. our nerve.
installations we want for our teaching bridges, and in the canteen and bar. And it cashless payment, and a host of other issues Negotiating skills are essential. On one side
spaces. Then there’s the whole issue of what will happen much more readily at our new to do with living in the virtual space within At the moment, everyone designs their own Doing things at the last minute is how we’re working closely with the university to
we can and can’t afford! home because we’re creating bigger social our building, the university and the wider timetable in their own way using Word, creative people operate. It keeps your control the budget and make sure the
spaces. The reduction in course owned studio world. It’s a different conceptual model. And Excel or Google. Sharing space means a options open until you have to close them building opens on time. On the other we’ve
My job is to make sure everyone’s voice space will be offset by increased access we want to introduce staff and students alike uniform approach to timetabling. Therefore, down. For us, it means managing the project got colleagues who really want to make their
is heard. As to how we make a difference, to the new project and studio spaces and the to the fantastic opportunities it opens up. we’re introducing dedicated timetabling in a systematic but not dogmatic way. new spaces the best they can possibly be.
it comes down to understanding what our advantages of working more closely with software – Celcat Timetabler – and training Being able to be opportunistic is an Managing those expectations and finding
courses are trying to achieve. The College other students. This is where the excitement Malcolm Johnston, Head of Academic Environment everyone to use it. important part of how the college works. compromises can be quite a challenge!
made an early decision to retain or expand of the building will come from.
workshop facilities because it’s important we It’s a shift, but it will remind colleagues we Would you start from here? Would you For me, the project is a great opportunity
offer students what they can’t get elsewhere. I know some colleagues are worried about have to do things differently in the spaces build a new landmark campus and to work in a highly creative environment.
That decision required challenging solutions. moving into a brand new building with we’re creating. The new software can reorganise the College and change work Taking people to the point where they feel
concrete floors and walls, essentially an generate an individual timetable for each practices against the backdrop of the worst comfortable at King’s Cross and are able
The open plan design offers the greatest industrial space without those nooks and student. Students can find out what they’re downturn in memory? Right! So flexibility to work with systems that support their
flexibility, yet a fundamental concern among crannies just waiting to be filled with an doing, where they’ll be, at what time and is our watchword. Although the challenge success will be the real achievement.
staff is the issue of acoustics and how to installation. I’m sure that within three with which tutor – all online. looms larger under these circumstances,
separate one group from another. In design- weeks of moving in our new site will look the excitement is greater. Hopefully, the I wish we were able to get more colleagues
based areas, where we need to pull groups thoroughly lived in and everyone will feel This addresses concerns our students have achievements will seem greater too. on site more quickly because I think it
of students together several times each day, at home! voiced. While meeting the imperatives of the would go a long way towards allaying some
we needed a form of movable wall or new space, it’s about improving the student What are my hopes for King’s Cross? I want of the doubts and misconceptions about
partition that could be reconfigured quickly For me, the project is an exciting experience, and our colleagues welcome that. to come back in ten years and see that staff the new building. I think there’s going to
and easily. That requirement has led us opportunity to influence technologies that and students have settled down in a building be a big ‘wow’ on day one when we move in.
to a conceptual design for a standard unit will shape the future of the College. Jenny Chittenden, College Infrastructure that works for them.
that can be stacked and moved. For art, Our King’s Cross home isn’t just a physical Co-ordinator Ed Corbett, King’s Cross Project Administrator
on the other hand, the movable wall means entity with power and ventilation. In Matthew Barrett, King’s Cross Project Co-ordinator

10  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
Historic Move
I’m working on the huge database of
equipment, existing and new, for the
new building at King’s Cross. Thousands
of items have been revisited and recorded,
from tables and chairs to massive pieces
of technical kit.
Right now, we’re looking at calculating
costs for what new items need to be bought,
although much can be cleaned up or
refurbished and then installed at the new
site. Then there’s the stuff that is just so
ancient I don’t know if you could possibly
move it!
The database will see us into the new
building and help with the transfer of
equipment once we’re there. So it’s an
ongoing and hopefully very beneficial tool.
I’m not sure people have quite grasped
the scale of this project yet. The size and
scale of both the building and the project is
is breathtaking and I’m very proud to be
involved in this historic move.
Emily Evison, Asset Administrator
DID YOU KNOW?
The Street space within our new building
is about two-thirds the height, width and
length of the Turbine Hall at Tate
Modern.
The building was once home to over 150
horses stabled under the transit shed. At
its height, the site employed more than
1,500 workhorses.
The Granary Square fountains have 1120
water jets that use recycled rainwater
and are powered by solar energy.
Energy consumption and carbon
emissions have been addressed during
both design and construction phases to
meet modern standards of energy
efficiency including: lighting systems with
movement detectors and dimming
technologies; FSC certified timber where
possible; energy efficient ventilation
systems which use the natural buoyancy
of the warm air; rainwater harvesting for
toilets, irrigation and the Granary Square
fountains; Photovoltaic solar panels; low
water consumption toilets; taps with
automatic leak detection and ample bike
storage for staff and students.
KX KEY DATES 2011
February: Basebuild completed
March: Fit-out begins
April: School of Performance created
May: ‘Soft launch’ to key partners
and alumni
July: Fit-out completed
August: Move-in begins
September: New academic year
November: KX official launch festival
King’s Cross
11 
The winning
Projects mix
A six-strong student team drawn from four
CSM courses has won our King’s Cross
building graphic identity competition.
The winning team, Group 4+14, is made up
of Jack Cardno (BAASO ), Lourina Botha and
Lena Kramer (MACPNE ), Ivo Federspiel and
Ricardo Toledo (MACD ), and Jess Morgan
(BAGD ). Ed Cornish, from Group 10, has been
invited to join the winning team because the
judging panel was impressed by his strong
graphic concepts and excellent typography.
For the second and final stage of the
competition, shortlisted teams made a half-
hour presentation to judges, including a
15-minute Q &A session with the advisory
panel.
Judges congratulated entrants on the calibre
‘Wayfinding isn’t just about finding the of their proposals and thanked them for
fastest route to where you want to go,’ say their hard work and enthusiasm. Architects,
the winners, ‘but also about embarking on Pringle Brandon, will now begin to develop
a journey of discovery. the winning proposal for implementation
within our fit-out schedule.
‘The incredible diversity of disciplines and
talents coming together at our new site is Judges: Simon Bone (Associate Interior Designer, Pringle
exciting and challenging. It’s important to
Brandon), Morag Myerscough (Designer, Studio Myerscough),
Jane Rapley (Head of College, CSM), Lee Widdows (Director of
create a space that motivates people to mix Marketing & Communication, CSM), Paul Williams (Director,
while maintaining their own identity.’ Stanton Williams Architects), Millie Findlay and Lizzie Rose
(Students’ Union VPs, CSM)
Functional signage within the winning Advisory panel: Tricia Austin (Course Director, MA Creative
proposal includes hanging symbols, Practice for Narrative Environments), Phil Baines (Professor
of Typography), Lynda Brockbank (Designer, Crescent Lodge),
landmark objects, directional signs and
departmental signs. Technical details include
Phil Crew (Head of Projects, UAL), Malcolm Johnston (Head
of Academic Environment, CSM), Alex Lumley (Associate
seating in the form of giant extruded Dean, School of Art), Geoff Makstutis (Course Director,
BA Architecture: Spaces and Objects), Benjamin Reichen
lettering, assemblages of reclaimed furniture,
an ice cream van with data screens, and
(Designer, Åbäke), Rebecca Ross (Senior Lecturer, School of
Graphic and Industrial Design), Dani Salvadori, (Director
movable screens with peepholes for meeting Enterprise and Innovation, CSM), Dee Searle (Interim Director
of Communication and Development), Patrick Swindell
areas.
(Designer)
For more KX student projects see p22
King’s Cross
12  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
news
TOP OF THE WORLD
22 April 2010. In bright, spring sunshine,
main contractor BAM Construct UK held an
official topping out ceremony on the roof
of our new building.
The event, attended by UAL Rector Nigel
Carrington, staff, friends of the College, key
partners, contractors and sub-contractors,
marked the completion of the building’s
concrete frame.
ANOTHER BRICK
IN THE WALL
A CSM alumna’s fine art project will build
archaeological bridges across time and space.
CSM fine art graduate Laura Wilson, has
achieved the aim of her project. An original
clay brick from a 17th century Benedictine
abbey in Belgium has been incorporated into
the fabric of our landmark building at King’s
Cross.
The Belgian brick is part of a ‘brick
exchange’, a project devised by Laura as an
enquiry into the status of buildings and
their materials over time. Construction,
demolition and re-use of building elements
can create a cyclical pattern across centuries, Now, with the inclusion of the abbey’s clay
she says.
On the site of the dismantled abbey, Laura
worked with a Belgian archaeological
museum and local craftsmen, using original traditions and rituals associated with major
bricks to create a site-specific sculptural
work on the old abbey foundations. The
sculpture uses historical mortars and
bricklaying techniques, and incorporates
an original 19th century brick taken from
CSM ’s Charing Cross Road building.
New CSM topped out by Nigel Carrington
The 17th Century Benedictine Monastery Brick embedded at CSM
brick in our new home, the story comes full
circle.
Laura’s idea engages directly with the
new buildings, from their beginnings in
foundation-laying, to the celebration of their
‘topping out’ with the last brick or block.
With the inclusion of the abbey’s
clay brick in our new home, the story
comes full circle
CSM ’s King’s Cross development invigorates
a site of notable architectural heritage,
recycling its industrial connections while
upholding its aesthetic and historical value.
Against this background, Laura’s project
celebrates the ongoing role and function
of the humble brick, creating an iconic
footnote to a grand architectural endeavour.
13 
ON TRACK WITH JARVIS
Six Central Saint Martins students joined
alumnus Jarvis Cocker for a cultural
happening at St Pancras station, home to
Eurostar rail services, in April. The former
Pulp frontman is ambassador at large for
the Eurostar initiative ‘Culture Connect’.
Equipped with easels and canvases, the
students were invited to create an image
of Eurostar destinations – London, Paris or
Brussels. As the cameras rolled, Jarvis talked
up the value of Europe’s distinctive art
heritage and chatted to our students.
The story featured on BBC , ITV and Channel 4
News, and popped up on the blogs.
Taking part were graphics student Rebecca
Hendjin, who discussed a commission to
illustrate Eurostar’s Metropolitan magazine,
fine art students Elle Barreau, Michael Cheah
and Yinjie Sun, and foundation students
Mia Faithfull and Jil Madenga.
Alumnus Jarvis Cocker chats with graphics and fine art students
KX ART REGENERATION
As the developers of King’s Cross Central, the
67 acre mixed-use development of which
CSM/UAL will be part, Argent are committed
to supporting high quality creativity, arts
and culture. The aim is to create a destination
for the arts by supporting artists and
organisations working across a range of
mediums. Argent have already started by
hosting ArtAngel; Sadler's Wells; London
Sinfonietta; Richard Sharples; Minnie Weisz
and others in buildings and spaces at King’s
Cross Central, as well as commissioning
works and developing an artist-in-residence
programme. Under the direction of their arts
advisory panel, Argent are just about to
commission a curator for a three year period
to build on work to date, and create a bigger,
more ambitious programme.
Artist Ellie Reid
Performance at
14  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
King’s Cross
Seamus Mirodan looks forward to a new era
Architects visual for 350 seat theatre
Our move to a single campus at King’s Cross
will coincide with the creation of a new
School of Performance.
The change will bring our long-established
Performance Design and Practice courses,
Drama Centre London, the London Studio
Centre, the BA /MA in Criticism, Curation
and Communication, and the MA in
Character Animation together for the first
time.
The advent of a School of Performance offers
an unprecedented, formal recognition that
performance, as a discipline distinct from art
and design, is a legitimate constituent part of
the provision of both College and University.
It also brings important benefits.
Says Course Director, BA (Honours)
Performance Design and Practice, Michael
Spencer: ‘Siting all College disciplines under
one roof is enormously beneficial to the
discipline of performance, which in the
past two decades has expanded its remit to
encompass contexts way beyond the
traditional theatre base. Close proximity
to fine artists, fashion designers, graphic
designers and others will place students and
staff in a unique position to explore new
directions and parameters for theatre and
performance.’
With everyone now working out of the
King’s Cross site, courses will be able to use
spaces appropriate to their particular needs,
wherever these are situated in the building.
The School of Performance will also mean
that tutors from different courses will
see each other more often. There will be a
common leadership which will encourage
new developments, in particular at
postgraduate and research levels.
15 
Flytower in the main theatre
The new structure offers exciting oppor­
tunities for cross-disciplinary development Close proximity to fine artists,
fashion designers, graphic
as a result of the free flow of ideas and
initiatives among members of staff and
students. They will now be part of a single
designers and others will place
academic unit, led by a new Dean of
Performance.
students and staff in a
The new School of Performance will also
have responsibility for the management
of the two new theatres at King’s Cross.
unique position to explore new
‘It’s a real opportunity to understand the
interactive benefits of collaboration
directions and parameters
and to find a greater integrity in the work,’
says Course Director, MA Screen: Acting,
Directing, Writing (DCL), Alan Dunnett.
for theatre and performance
Private
16  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s 17 

collection
In an intimate aside to our historic move, College Infrastructure
Co-ordinator Jenny Chittenden turns her lens on assets and
apparatus, and finds beauty in unlikely places
Wood workshop Back Hill white space

Wood workshop Jewelry workshop

Blocking out stump Relief press Wood workshop Screen-printing bench

HIDDEN CHARMS Much of this equipment has served generations of CSM

The brief to myself for this project is to photograph and
catalogue every movable asset in every existing CSM
workshop, from lathes to looms and tables to trolleys.
The project has a practical basis. I’m recording many details,
including size and manufacturer, so the removal men can
be certain they’re moving the correct item. A photograph
will be worth a thousand words.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself, poking around in the hidden
corners of the College, and discovering pieces of equipment
that are beautiful works of art in their own right.
My favourite item has to be the blocking-out stump in
jewellery, which is a large cross-section of tree trunk.
students. Every paint splash has its own story, and as
To share your private collection about
photographing pattern and detail is a personal passion, our current buildings or
I’ve captured some of these splashes on my travels. to post work on our CSM blog, please
contact Colin Buttimer
The photographs will form part of the online King’s Cross
Asset and Space database. You can view a further selection c.buttimer@csm.arts.ac.uk.
via the photos link on our King’s Cross blog.
As a collection in a wider sense, the pictures offer a snapshot
of the College as it is now, poised between one world and
another.
Jenny Chittenden is a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society.
www.csm.arts.ac.uk/kingscross/project-overview/photo-gallery
Paint mixing pot Knit workshop
Meet The
18  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
neighbours
Today’s King’s Cross is firmly on the cultural and creative map.
Here’s an introduction of some of our neighbours and
what we’re doing with them
WELLCOME TRUST
A global charity without political or commercial
affiliation, the Wellcome Trust works to engage the
public with science, and to apply research to improving
human health. In our latest collaboration with the
Wellcome, students from MACPNE and MAID at Central
Saint Martins developed concepts for interactive exercise
booths to coincide with the 2012 Olympics. (see p22).
BRITISH LIBRARY
The much-loved ‘home of the world’s knowledge’ was
host to the ‘Magnificent Map of King’s Cross’ project,
to which student illustrators at Central Saint Martins
contributed (see p23). The venerable institution
also features in our ‘Rough Guide to KX ’ as an ideal
breakfast choice after a Tuesday night on the vodka-
tonics. (see p23).
CREATE KX/REVEAL
The local visual arts extravaganza links communities,
artists, performers and venues within our new
neighbourhood through an eclectic mix of creative
initiatives designed to ‘reveal’ King’s Cross. College
collaborations include the ‘Magnificent Maps’ project
(see p23) and ‘Is This All There Is?’, a group exhibition
by CSM fine artists exploring themes of transience and
mutability.
19 
NEW HORIZON YOUTH CENTRE
Somers Town in King’s Cross is home to New Horizon
Youth Centre, a day centre working with over 3,000
local young people every year. Through our widening
participation programme, Central Saint Martins supports
the Centre’s aim of helping to turn young lives around.
(see p24).
THE GUARDIAN
In 2008 the Guardian and its Sunday sibling The Observer
relocated to Kings Place from Farringdon Road, where
they had lived since 1976. Some say the papers’ presence
in Clerkenwell helped to make it the creative hotspot it
is today, and it looks as if the same process is underway
at King’s Cross. Central Saint Martins is already in
discussion with the Guardian, and we hopefully look
forward to exciting things happening after our move.
We'll keep you posted.
CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS College
of Art and Design – new home
KINGS PLACE
Housed in an award-winning building in King’s Cross,
Kings Place is a hub for live music, dialogue, art and
food. Since opening to the public in October 2008,
a diverse and critically acclaimed open-minded
programme has established Kings Place as one of
London’s leading cultural landmarks. Check out this
HOUSE OF ILLUSTRATION
year’s Kings Place Festival – 100 performances in four
days, from 9 – 12 September 2010. Central Saint Martins In 2012 the UK ’s first centre dedicated to the art of
teams up with Kings Place to create a programme illustration will open for business next door to our new
of events within the 'Words on Monday' season. Speakers King’s Cross home. Central Saint Martins is already
to date include contemporary art curator, critic and exploring ways of working with the House of Illustration
author Hans Ulrich Obrist, the writer and artist Tom to inspire local young people by carrying our illustration
McCarthy, and the Director of the Hayward Gallery practice into neighbourhood classrooms (see p27 for
Ralph Rugoff (see p2). details of an exciting illustration competition).
OPEN FOR
20  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
BUSINESS
What will our move to King’s Cross in 2011 mean for the businesses
we work with? CSM Time spoke to Director of Enterprise and
Innovation, Dani Salvadori
As we count down to King’s Cross, how
integral is innovation to CSM?
Very! CSM Innovation is all about making
things happen which are of economic benefit
to the College, its students, graduates, and
staff. The department takes in Artscom, so
it includes all our short courses. It includes
sponsored student projects, which 45 per
cent of our postgraduates and 25 per cent
of undergraduates undertake in any year.
We also provide up to 40 paid internships
within CSM Innovation in any given
year. We help our graduates to run more
effective businesses. And we work
with other universities to make a range of
projects happen. So we’re absolutely
not doing our own thing. We’re doing
things with everyone else.
Students visualise potential for branding in The Street
What will it mean for clients to have all
our disciplines under one roof?
It will mean that the College can do more
easily what clients already want. Clients
often come to us wanting to work with
people from more than one discipline. But
outside certain strong pairings between
courses, it can be quite difficult. I hope that
by being under one roof we’ll get more of
a sense, in academic terms, that this is a
collective endeavour. It’s a demand coming
from students, too. So I’m keen to see us
shift our culture so that our course
structures can be more flexible.
What conversations have you had about
innovation at King’s Cross across the
college?
I always find the most effective conversations
we have are the ones with money attached!
Jumping up and down saying we want this
or that has no effect. But if we can bring
projects to students or courses or researchers,
that’s a positive story. As a department we
generate £7.5 million per annum, of which
about £2.4 million is profit or surplus. That’s
a lot of income that allows the College to do
things that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.
What about the financial road ahead?
We’ve come through the downturn OK, but
there’s still the chance that things will get
tighter again. Of course we want to extend
our reach and our targets. But we have to be
realistic. After all, our Artscom programme
will change in the new space, and that may
have an impact on our revenues. So we’re
working to adapt the Artscom model
carefully in order to do more things off-site
using online platforms and content.
Students visualise potential for branding in The Street
What will our new building offer the
businesses we work with?
At the moment we’re a College that can’t
even fit one cohort from one of our big
courses into any one room. When we get to
King’s Cross we’ll have a whole street that
can accommodate the entire College. That
will make a profound difference – not just
to how people think about each other, but
to how people think about us. As well as the
Street we’ve got the Terrace – it’s the perfect
place for live gigs, for example. I think we
can make ourselves one of the great public-
private spaces in London. The Street will
have a stature equivalent to the Turbine Hall
at Tate Modern or the Great Court at the
British Museum. And when businesses see
that, they’ll want to engage with our
students all the more.
21 
Why should brands want to do business What gets you most excited about
with us? our move?
Because they can see we have 4,500 I don’t think people have really clocked what
exceptional students defined by their talent a massive change this is going to be for our
and cool. These are trendsetters and early city, let alone our College. The quality of St
adopters – precisely the constituency that Pancras station is so high and the quality of
forward-looking brands want to connect the new King’s Cross is so high and the
with. We’re preparing the raw data that will calibre of our building is so high – I think
interest and excite these brands so we can we’re going to see a huge fillip for this part
say ‘work with us and explore the of the capital, and I love that idea.
possibilities, and let’s see what will happen’.
What are we doing to capitalise on the
2012 Olympics?
We’re getting as involved as we can. We’ve
already signed up to some exciting projects,
working closely with site developer Argent.
Outside Stratford, the King’s Cross
development has the best access to the
Olympic Park. It’s from here that the Javelin
trains will run. So our new building will be
four minutes walk from the shuttle service
during the Olympics. Given that the park at
Stratford lacks the space to welcome all the
brands that want to be associated with the
Games, we’re ideally placed to help
businesses in areas like public engagement.
King’s Cross
22  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s 23 

Student Projects
Over the past year, CSM students have been immersed in projects
around KX. Here’s a brief update on what they’ve been doing
Visualisation of corridor at new building at King’s Cross

SURFACES OF THE FUTURE

The visual and cultural identity of our King’s Cross
development was the inspiration for a BA (Honours) Textile
Design project for second-year students. Weave, Print and
Knit pathway students created group and individual fabric
Patricia Austin, Course Director MCPfNE has her hand/eye co-ordination tested
collections and innovative surfaces, with a brief to bring
© Wellcome images ‘a new dimension’ to our King’s Cross home.

The project embraced current and future contexts for textile

design, and offered the chance to explore new, alternative,
virtual and SMART concepts. Working with non-standard
materials and processes, students responded to specific site
locations, from corridors to catering areas, to deliver a range
of outcomes.

Encouraging experiment, the brief invited participants to

consider creating their own yarns or fabrics and to explore
bonding, stiffening, heat transfer and plasticising processes.
Materials sourced from recycling centres and elsewhere
included cabling, electronic components, tarpaulin, artificial
grass, flooring laminates and fibre optics.
Student Anastasia Masadi © Wellcome images

WELLCOME TO YOUR BODY

The Wellcome Trust, our future King’s Cross neighbour, has
invited CSM students from MA Creative Practice for Narrative
Environments and MA Industrial Design to create concepts For other King’s Cross student
designed to capitalise on public interest in health and science projects, including The Rough
during the 2012 Olympic Games. Guide to the best cafés, pubs and
For the project, CSM student concepts centred on creating restaurants, please visit www.csm.
sensory pods or structures to be sited in UK public spaces in arts.ac.uk/docs/csmtime5_1.PD.pdf
The street begins outside, Clio Capeille Visualisation of corridor at new building at King’s Cross
2012. They would feature interactive physical tests exploring

THE WORD ON THE STREET MAPPING OUR INTENTION

‘brain, bone, brawn, blood and breath’ in areas such as
reaction time, heart rate, hand-eye coordination, and lung
capacity.
The Street – the concourse at the heart of our King’s Cross Student illustrators at Central Saint Martins have made
Working solo or in groups, students were asked to focus on building – was the focus of a Stage 2 BA (Honours) a colourful contribution to the ‘Magnificent Map of King’s
the user experience of science, and to challenge or expand the Architecture: Spaces and Objects student project. The brief Cross’, showing throughout June at the British Library.
brief in terms of structure type and location. Awaiting the was to explore how objects inform and define the use of
winning idea was a £400 cash prize. Shortlisted entries public space. The 16-segment local map was commissioned to mark the
received £200. library’s ‘Magnificent Maps’ exhibition and to celebrate
Ecology meets comfort in woven willow seating. A modular system to provide seating and Approximately 180 metres long and four storeys tall, the ‘Reveal’, the festival of visual arts in King’s Cross.
tables throughout the street. Ricardo Cirriani
Dr Amy Sanders, Special Projects Manager at the Wellcome Street is an internal space with urban proportions and
Trust, said, ‘Working with CSM has been a really useful part possibilities. It’s here that students will meet, share ideas, eat, CSM students designed two segments of the King’s Cross map
of our Olympic planning. Students brought a fresh perspective drink, and find out what’s happening within the College. – Euston and the site of our new building – exploring themes
to how people might engage with the science of the human of ‘arrival’ (students reaching London from all over the world)
body.’ Populating this space with objects poses challenges. Small and ‘convergence’ (forming a creative community at our new
objects find themselves dwarfed by its scale. As people will home).
The aims of the Wellcome Trust, a global charity, include use the Street to move from place to place, there can be no
public engagement and education, and the application of obstructions. In a wider sense, this is the space that will Andrew Hall, subject leader for illustration (BA (Honours)
research to improving human health. define the visitor experience most memorably. Graphic Design), said ‘The project maps our intention to bring
colour and life to this part of the capital and to invigorate it
In total, 66 students worked with site architect Paul Williams with our creative spirit.’
and course tutors to develop individual approaches to the use
of the Street. Solutions ranged from small interventions to
large-scale architectural objects that transform the space. In
From enclosure to display system, this geometric structure provides multiple uses
line with the brief, proposals had to balance individual and
through different orientations. Sybil Christ College needs. The magnificent maps of the King’s Cross project © British Library
widening
24  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
partIcipation
Our WP team at CSM ensures that all young people access
opportunities at Central Saint Martins, and builds a more inclusive
college in the process. For the past year, our work in and around
King’s Cross has strengthened relationships within the area and
created links with our new community
NHYC staff and student workshop
NEW HORIZONS
Staff from Central Saint Martins, together
with Jackie McManus, Head of Widening
Participation Programmes for UAL , are
working with New Horizon Youth Centre
(NHYC) to develop partnership programmes
for young people at the Centre.
In the coming year CSM staff will be
working on ‘Career Wear’, a fashion project,
helping young peope with clothes to wear
for interviews, and training NHYC staff
to make film equipment accessible to young
people. There are also plans for drawing,
photography and dance sessions at the
Centre.
Based in Somers Town, King’s Cross, New
Horizon Youth Centre works with 3,000
homeless and vulnerable young people every
year. Many have poor self-esteem, a history
of rejection, harm or abuse, and profoundly
negative experiences of agencies.
The Centre offers advice about
accommodation, education and training
programmes, job search and placement,
drugs advice and assessment, as well as
practical help with food, laundry, showers
and second-hand clothes.
25 
The newly built barn space at NHYC The Insights project
In April, NHYC staff picked up the Due to open next door to the new Central THE ART FACTOR
prestigious GlaxoSmithKline Impact Award Saint Martins building in 2012, the House of
2010. Judges commended the Centre for its Illustration has already embarked on its first CSM ’s Insights collaboration with Camden
work with marginalised members of society education project, placing professional Arts Centre and youth organisations in
and praised its ability to bring about lasting illustrators in primary schools in Camden. Camden, Islington and Brent will present its
change in their lives. first exhibition of works in progress by
House of Illustration Project Director Flora young participants in June.
Sheelagh O’Connor, NHYC director, says, Craig says, ‘We are delighted to be exploring
‘We are very excited about the opportunities creative collaborations with Central Saint Insights offers young people aged 14–19, with
The Insights project The Insights project
that working in partnership with CSM could Martins, a college with a stunning track a passion for the visual arts, an opportunity
offer our young people. Art and Design is a record of training students to the highest
real hook that interests and stimulates many standards of illustration across a wide range
to work with artists Michelle Williams
Gamaker and Jessie Brennan at Camden Arts
COMMUNICATING SHARING OUR
of the young people we work with who see it of disciplines.’ Centre, and with tutors and student INSPIRATION EXPERIENCE
as an opportunity to express their creative ambassadors from Central Saint Martins.
potential. We are delighted that CSM has See p27 for an exciting illustration competition. The project focuses on helping young people Islington’s Arts Officer, Islington Housing South Camden Community School is among
such a willingness to work in constructive to make career choices within the arts. Group, Islington Young People’s Services and the schools and FE colleges in and around
partnerships for the benefit of all the Creative Islington will partner Central Saint London benefiting from CSM’s Widening
community in King’s Cross.’ Each term throughout 2009/10, Central Saint Martins to exhibit at the Youth Opportunities Participation programme.
Martins and Camden Arts Centre hosted a Fair in London in July.
series of events for young participants, with The SCCS tie-in broadens the horizons of
discussions and practical workshops in areas The College will host short experimental young people from different cultures and
ILLUSTRATION MATTERS such as photography, graphics, and workshops allowing participants to get the social backgrounds through a programme of
architecture and curation. feel and flavour of a particular creative field. presentations and master classes by CSM
Central Saint Martins will join the House of tutors and students. Building a portfolio and
Illustration (the UK ’s first centre dedicated Insights will resume in September 2010 and Says Berni Yates, CSM ’s WP Co-ordinator, applying for a foundation course are among
to the art of illustration in all its forms) continue until autumn 2012. Funded by ‘Young people interested in careers like topics covered.
to host workshops within secondary schools CSM’s Widening Participation department fashion or media are often in the dark
in Camden and Islington from 2011. and the London councils, its current partners when it comes to the sheer range of courses Says Berni Yates, ‘We know these young
include Granville Plus, Hampstead School, – from performance design to fashion people find it really useful talking to
Selected illustrators will team up with and City and Islington College. communication – that might inspire them. students from similar cultural and social
student ambassadors from a variety of backgrounds about their experience at CSM ,
courses at CSM . The workshops will ‘CSM ’s workshops at the Youth Opportunities and how it can open doors. It’s about the
demonstrate the scope, reach and potential House of Illustration’s project with primary school
Fair represent an opportunity for young very idea they could even think about
of illustration within the College, and the people to start thinking early about career applying when they believed it was only for
wider creative sector. possibilities in the creative industries.’ others.’
King’s Cross FAQs
26  c s m t i m e  f o r K i n g ’ s C r o s s
How will we support students?
The Student Centre on the ground floor
will be the single point of contact for all our
student-facing services: study support;
counselling; disability support; registration;
finance, and SU . Services will be delivered
in this space and elsewhere.
What will our opening hours be?
We’ll have to shut for about four hours each
night for cleaning and maintenance and in
any case, it’s hard to justify the energy use
implications of 24/7 opening. It’s likely that
the College will be open until 10pm, with
the library and SU bar staying open later.
Our bookable spaces are never looked
after. Why will it be any different at
King’s Cross?
Our culture has to change! We’ll have a
concierge team to get rooms ready for
the next session, and to ensure broken
equipment is reported and replaced. But
if you use a room you’ll have to leave it
as you’d expect to find it – and that means
no coffee cups all over the place and no
student work left behind in a corner.
I’ve heard we’ll all have to do crits in the intelligent lights that go off when a room
Street area of the building. Yes or no?
We already do a lot of things in our
corridors, and some tutors are excited about
holding crits in the Street and on the bridges What will the Street be used for?
if appropriate. The Street is a large space. We The canteen will spill out onto the Street. We
want to earmark zones that can be used (and might use it for certain degree shows,
booked) for a variety of activities. There are exhibitions, or screenings. We also want to
studios and bookable rooms or zones that
offer more privacy.
Do the windows open?
No. The building is so broad that opening
windows wouldn’t work – the air wouldn’t
travel far enough to make a difference. Fresh
air enters the building through grilles near
the floor and as it warms up, it’s expelled at
ceiling height. A computerised building
management system will control airflow and
temperature.
I’ve heard there aren’t any proper walls.
True or not?
Not true. Because the ventilation system
relies on air circulating at floor and ceiling
height, the more walled-off ‘cells’ you create,
the more fans you need. This uses more
energy and is less sustainable. But there are
lots of ‘proper’ 4  metre-high walls. In bigger
studio areas, we’re using movable walls so
that spaces can be reconfigured easily.
Are our offices going to be aircraft
hangars filled with rows of desks?
Most clusters have opted for shared offices
with ‘quiet’ rooms nearby for private or
confidential working. There are some
individual offices too, usually for a staff
member to use for seeing students.
Bookcases and filing cabinets will break
up the open plan spaces, but we don’t
want to discourage the collaboration and
joint working that being together allows us.
Will all the rooms at King’s Cross be
locked?
As part of our security upgrade, staff and
student ID cards can be programmed to
allow access to some rooms but not all. For
obvious health & safety reasons, access to
workshops has to be controlled. When it
comes to other rooms – seminar rooms, for
example – the aim is to maximise access
when they’re not timetabled.
How sustainable is our new building?
Very. In addition to re-using an existing
structure, the new building meets the
highest sustainable construction standards.
We’ll be recycling rainwater, using
isn’t being used, and improving recycling
facilities.
site temporary structures here – shipping
container or tepee, anyone? – to create
private spaces for projects or promotions.
So we don’t have any outside space?
Not that we permanently own. We have
access to Granary Square (the Trafalgar
Square-size public space right outside our
front door) for 20 days a year, and the West
Handyside Canopy (the covered space that
runs along the eastern side of the building)
for 30 days. We also have a large roof terrace
that’s about three times the size of The
Gallery. Planning restrictions don’t allow us
to erect any permanent structures on the
Terrace, but you can bet we’re working on
how best to use it.
How much are we spending on King’s
Cross?
About £200 million, including £172 million
on buying the land and building (leasehold
for 999 years), £28 million for fit-out,
furniture and equipment. The project is
being funded from a HEFCE grant, the
sale of our existing buildings, and a 35 year
bank loan.
When can I get on site?
Main contractor BAM Construct UK has to
accompany every group around the site for
health & safety reasons, and we don’t want
to slow down their work. Overbury, our fit-
out contractor, has just 22 weeks to get the
building ready for July 2011 so realistically,
we probably won’t be able to get people
on site until late August or September. We
aim to run induction and orientation tours
for staff at that time. We will be producing
some virtual tours for our King’s Cross
blog throughout the coming year, so staff
and students can see our new home virtually.
Stop press: we're hoping to open up the site on
a Saturday in early autumn for staff to visit. More
details to follow.
Will I be able to take any leave during the
summer of 2011?
Yes, but it’s going to be a busy summer, and
some key staff will be needed to help
commission equipment and get everything
ready. We’ll be looking at ways to enable
some staff members to take their holidays
earlier or later in 2011.
Why have we lost space relative to what
we have?
The loss of useable space isn’t as significant
as we first thought – down to about 15%. We
made an early decision to maintain or extend
the facilities students can’t access easily
out of the College and provide more shared
project student/space that can be used by
everyone. The bottom line is that our space
utilisation figure of 19.5% is poor, even for
the art and design sector. We have to make
better use of our space, otherwise we’re in
danger of spending too large a proportion
of our income on infrastructure and not
enough on teaching.
Coming Soon
From September
2010
‘Pathways Project’ by D-Fuse
16 September –
30 October 2010
King’s cross
Culture –
Stories, Images
and Sounds
For more than 150 years, King’s Cross has
been a source of inspiration for visual
artists, from Walter Sickert to Wyndham
Lewis and, more recently, Mike Leigh to Issac
Julien and Shane Meadows. The area has been
the centre for a rich and diverse plateau of
work, often reflecting moments of transition
in an artist’s life. ‘KX Culture’ explores the
stories, images and sounds from past to
present day and how the traces they leave
impact upon current visual artists, film
makers and musicians, within an area of
redevelopment.
In association with Argent, Create KX and
Kings Place.
Mike Figgis
15–17 September 2010
Mike Figgis at
kings place –
Sound, Music
and Film
Film director Mike Figgis works on three
evenings of projects with Kings Place.
Fascinated by the powerful psychological
effect of film scores on the drama, he
demonstrates his ideas with a live mix of his
film Timecode, changing the score and the mix
to illustrate the amazing potential of the
music. His second night features a selection of
songs he wrote for three multimedia
performances in the early 80s, combining
film with live performance and live music.
Finally a mesmerising performance that
combines video and soundscapes.
For more information visit
www.kingsplace.co.uk
© Quentin Blake
Hardy’s Monument, photo Marc Atkins
King’s Cross
Tours in october
From Panarmonion to Jam
A brief walk through Battlebridge
with Marc Atkins.
Times and dates will be available online
from 3 September www.csm.arts.ac.uk
27 
ILLUSTRATE A
BOOK, WIN GREAT
PRIZES!
The House of Illustration and The Folio
Society have launched an exciting book
illustration competition with great prizes.
Entrants are invited to submit three
illustrations and a binding design for a
book to be chosen by The Folio Society.
The deadline is December 2010.
The winning entry (judged by a panel of
experts) will become a prestigious
commission worth £4,000 to complete
a total of seven illustrations for the book,
which will be published by The Folio
Society in summer 2011. Five runners-up
will each receive £500 cash.
Entrants must be over 18 and unpublished
by The Folio Society. Winners will be
announced in January 2011.
Details of the book and competition
terms and conditions will be released in
September 2010.
To find out more, contact
info@houseofillustration.org.uk
 We aim to create the
highest quality
learning environment –
a place connected to the
best in contemporary
culture and industry,
where creative
thinking and practice
can flourish, and where
staff and students alike
will continue to provoke,
challenge, inspire and
take risks.