The area focussed on Manor House underground station has tremendous potential; the King’s Cross regeneration area and St Pancras International station is only a 10 minute journey away and the extensive green spaces of Finsbury Park are on the doorstep. Furthermore, with the bold plans for redeveloping the adjacent Woodberry Down estate ushering in a new future, Manor House occupies a pivotal position.

Yet the area at present is characterised by under-used and shabby buildings facing a busy crossroads that is hostile to pedestrians and an underground station with poor accessibility. To initiate potential redevelopment proposals, a briefing exercise was prepared for English Partnerships and Hackney Homes to identify how different mixed use development scenarios could be pursued, accompanied by imaginative sculptural forms and high quality public realm works that make the most of this gateway location.