The winning architect in an international competition to design what will become one of London's biggest public squares in front of King's Cross station has been announced.

Stanton Williams beat off competition from more than 100 architects and urban designers from around the world, impressing the judging panel with its innovative approach and commitment to a design of high architectural credibility.

At 7000m2, the new public square will be bigger than Leicester Square and will be the final piece in the jigsaw of Network Rail's £500m redevelopment of King's Cross station.

The redevelopment will not only free up space for the new square but will also bring the 150-year-old Grade-I listed southern station façade back into public view for the first time in more than 30 years.

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Jim Cornell, former executive director of the Railway Heritage Trust, headed the panel which chose the winning architect alongside representatives from Network Rail, English Heritage, Design for London and the London Development Agency and Camden and Islington councils.

Alan Stanton, of Stanton Williams Architects, said: "We are very excited to have been selected to work on this project at the heart of the city. This is a unique opportunity to create a new public square as part of one of London’s busiest transport interchanges. The design will address the challenge of integrating the legacy of existing structures on the site to create an environment which functions seamlessly for the public and makes an important contribution to the regeneration of the surrounding area.

Working for Network Rail's King's Cross project team, Stanton Williams will deliver this landmark project alongside well-established and world-class architect John McAslan & Partners and contractors Vinci, Kier, Arup and Carillion.

(CD)