RIVA at Pancras Square

King’s Cross has unveiled a stunning new artwork by Arthur Mamou-Mani as part of its evolving permanent art programme.

Situated at the entrance of a reimagined office environment on Pancras Square, RIVA is a flowing sculptural design by Mamou-Mani that guides visitors through a space of transition between outside and in, day and night, motion and stillness.

The project features two distinct panels, an interior piece and an exterior piece. The exterior piece marks an exciting first for the studio: the debut of Mamou-Mani’s wave forms in metal. With its soft, wave-like geometry, RIVA invites visitors to ‘surf the wave’, a playful metaphor for the fluid passage between the built environment and its human experience.

The name RIVA carries diverse and poetic meanings: ‘shore’ in Italian, ‘connection’ in Hebrew, ‘from the sea/star’ in Arabic and ‘sacred river’ in Sanskrit. These interpretations reflect the installation’s role as a threshold between elements.

The interior piece was 3D printed robotically from a blend of fermented sugar and non-toxic fire retardant. It is the largest single 3D print by Mamou-Mani, measuring 3m long and 1.9m high, in collaboration with Fab.Pub, which combines parametric design and large-scale digital fabrication.

RIVA flows like a soft series of waves, flowing like a river through the entrance of the building, bringing people in. The sculpture captures a moment in motion: an upside-down wave splashing onto the sandstone, inviting visitors to playfully surf their way in and out of the space.

It is a high-resolution origami piece using a technique called “lattice hinge”. The artwork exists fully only in its completed 3D form, held together by a complex yet harmonious fractal structure. This intricate pattern symbolises the interconnectedness of ideas, people, and places, woven together through design.

At night, RIVA glows with a diffused light, offering a tranquil transition from the bustling exterior to the interior calm. It serves as both a functional art piece and a poetic landmark, embodying connection, flow, and belonging. A river of glowing warm fire.

Process

The journey of RIVA began with parametric design, where the Mamou-Mani team developed the flowing geometry using algorithmic modelling tools. This allowed for precise control over each fold and connection, ensuring structural logic and design intent were fully integrated. To bridge the gap between digital design and physical fabrication, the team used Augmented Reality (AR) to assess the alignment of digital modules with their real-world counterparts, ensuring that every ripple and junction resonated with the architecture and spatial experience of the site.

From this digital genesis, the project advanced to fabrication in collaboration with Fab.Pub. The interior panel was 3D printed using sustainable materials, while the exterior panel, inspired by the waveform used in our Wooden Wave installation for Orange HQ, represented our first iteration in metal. Mamou-Mani also acted as the general contractor, coordinating all consultants to ensure a smooth and integrated process delivery.

The Fab.Pub team not only handled fabrication but also played a crucial role in prototyping, logistics, and installation, transforming complex geometries into tangible, enduring structures. Their expertise bridged the gap between concept and construction, ensuring that RIVA’s delicate elegance remained intact through every layer and connection.

This collaborative workflow spanning virtual craftsmanship, parametric logic, and digital fabrication epitomises Mamou-Mani’s ethos of architectural alchemy. RIVA is not just a sculpture; it is the result of a process that fuses creativity, technology, and craftsmanship at every step.

About King’s Cross

King’s Cross is London’s creative neighbourhood and home of the extraordinary. It comprises 67 acres of inspiring businesses, outstanding architecture, destination retail and dining and a vibrant cultural scene.

The area’s industrial past has inspired the 50 new and repurposed buildings, including Coal Drops Yard, the iconic Gasholders London and the Granary Building. The estate also includes 27 acres of public space, ranging from parks, streets, squares and gardens, with Granary Square and its iconic fountains at its heart.

King’s Cross has almost 1,750 private, rental, student and affordable homes and once complete, 41,000 people will live and work in the neighbourhood. King’s Cross is a hub for creative and innovative businesses in London with 4.25m sq. ft. of office space and capacity for 30,000 workers. It is home to start-ups, SMEs and world-renowned brands such as Meta, Google, Havas, Universal Music and AstraZeneca. Boasting 500,000 sq. ft. of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, King’s Cross is also alive with the capital’s best places to eat, drink and shop, welcoming over 19 million visitors each year.

The King’s Cross estate, which is owned and managed by King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP), is committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2035.

KCCLP is made up of the pension fund, Australian Super and clients of the international business of Federated Hermes. Australian Super owns a 74% stake in KCCLP. Australian Super manages more than AUD$342 billion in members’ retirement savings on behalf of more than 3.4 million members from more than 478,000 businesses (as at 30 June 2024). The Fund is an active investor across global financial markets, real assets, private credit and private equity, with the aim of delivering sustainable, long-term performance for its members. Australian Super is the 16th largest pension fund in the world by total assets, and the fastest-growing among the global top 20 (Thinking Ahead Institute, Global Top 300 Pension Funds, based on 5-year CAGR 2019-2024).