This characterful refurbishment of a five-storey Grade II listed building on Sloane Street in Knightsbridge creates four luxury apartments.
From technical design to delivery, we collaborated with our long-time partner, the contractor Kaymac, to deliver this D&B project on time and budget.
Located on the prominent corner in the Hans Town Conservation Area, the building forms part of K1, the extensive redevelopment transforming the Sloane Street end of The Knightsbridge Estate. The ambitious K1 scheme reshapes the city block behind the historic façade, demolishing the buildings’ interiors to create new retail, residential and commercial space. Our project is the only wholly retained building, its character preserved and enhanced, ensuring its long-term viability.
We were entrusted to deliver the design from Stage 4 and ensure a smooth transition from tendered information to delivery. With every project, whether our concept design or not, we put the same care and attention to detail into our design information. By bringing fresh eyes to the design, we added value through our rigorous project management coordination and approach and our team’s creative thinking on and off-site.
We acted as an intermediatory and facilitator of the original design intent while delivering on the contractor and client’s requirements. As experienced architects, we know what it takes to build things and how to manage teams and expectations. This expertise, plus our communication and negotiation skills, came into play as the site revealed some surprising discoveries that threatened to knock the project off course.
It’s only by getting under the skin of a listed building that we truly understand everything it has to offer. As part of the works, we restored the communal art nouveau staircase with its twisting mahogany handrail, leaded stained glass windows, original double doors and mosaic flooring. But as construction kicked off, we found numerous site conditions within the listed building differed from planning stage surveys and expectations. The strip-out also revealed unexpected heritage features, including bamboo-filled blockwork and door piston hinge plates.
The building’s revelations and the client’s desire to retain and restore these features gave us the opportunity to enhance the design and the listed building’s heritage status. A full-time joiner was on site during construction, meticulously restoring the original woodwork, adding to the building’s unique character. And as with most heritage buildings, services coordination can be tricky. We worked with the team, minimising the impact of the services, particularly the ventilation systems, on the design and overall aesthetic, allowing architectural details to remain uninterrupted. We also helped to achieve retrospective listed building consent for the changes made since the planning architect’s drawings, working with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Conservation Officer to address and alleviate any concerns.
The retained building enhances the streetscape, adding to the conservation area’s character while creating four luxurious homes rich with heritage in one of London’s most prestigious neighbourhoods.
‘Working with Resident has once again been a great experience. The architect has had a full understanding of the brief and carried out the services to perfection. The diversity of the role has not been a challenge to Resident, and the architect has been completely professional in their approach.’ – Kevin McCusker, Kaymac Construction and Interiors
‘Our hands-on approach and attention to detail provided us with a deep understanding of the listed building, inside and out, allowing us to fine-tune spaces and enhance the design while delivering on time for our client.’ – Philip Russell, Project Associate
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