One Knightsbridge; a strikingly sustainable addition to London's charming Hyde Park Corner
Nestled amongst Hyde Park Corner’s most decadent hotels sits a sustainable office space, as environmentally endearing as the street’s aesthetic surroundings.
A workspace for the ages, the newly refurbished One Knightsbridge office brings together six floors of multi-tenanted space with sustainable functionality at its core. Situated within one of London’s most opulent hospitality spots, its proximity to hotels The Lanesborough and The Wellesley Knightsbridge makes it a unique selling point for future tenants of the space.
But what truly sets it apart? Its environmentally friendly design.
Handed over by ISG’s UK fit out team, the two-stage design and build project is a trailblazer for what’s possible in sustainable CAT A refurbishment.
“When we started on site there were no fixed sustainability targets, so to take it from that to achieving outstanding sustainable credentials for a full refurbishment was a really unique challenge.”
Matt Fowler, Project Director, ISG
The project’s sustainability targets were first introduced during RIBA stage 3 and at a large re-design stage of the atrium at RIBA stage 4. To ensure all the credits and optimisations were achievable within the design & build, the team had to manage the site with a high level of precision, intricacy and flexibility.
Transcending well above the project’s initial scope, the refurb received an A-grade EPC level rating (originally an EPC D), and BREEAM Excellent and WELL Gold Ready accreditations. All accolades achieved despite minimal upgrades to the building fabric and façade, resulting in high air tightness and low/zero carbon internal MEP.
Supported in the delivery by ISG sustainability manager, Nicola Forest, the project’s sustainable initiatives included:
• Replacing the plant and re-roofing
• Two new Air Source Heat Pumps and a VRF heating and cooling system
• Developing a reuse point
• Developing a circular economy point
• Reusing raised access flooring
• Making bird boxes to go on the roof for the building’s wildlife
• Utilising a materials passport for all supplies on site
Delivering a refurbishment of this calibre between two 5* hotels has been no easy feat. But despite the heavy structural works, the team were able to manage relationships and expectations successfully to deliver the project on time and with minimal impact to the guests of the surrounding hotels.
A task which proved particularly challenging when the site was forced to shut down and withhold all deliveries during the two weeks of Her Majesty’s funeral in September 2022, due to its central Hyde Park location.
“The key to hitting our ESG targets was to be as agile and flexible as possible, and not shy away from pushing boundaries to achieve these ambitious goals,” adds project manager on site, Chris Cooke, “It wasn’t always easy, and we were definitely thrown some curveballs, but thanks to the amazing efforts of our team and contractual partners, we always found solutions to make things work.”
With carbon efficiency and environmental ethics weaved into the building’s canvas, the office’s new lease of life is perfectly set to stand the test of time.
Low-carbon retrofit
As organisations are transitioning from short-term decision-making to long-term preparation for a new reality, underpinned by the ESG agenda as the driving force, our teams offer the expertise and knowledge to assist you in reaching your carbon reduction goals for your estate. We can help you set new standards for low energy use, carbon emissions and impact on natural resources.
Our low-carbon retrofit offering will ensure that your building stays ahead of energy usage legislation and maximises the performance of your estates and to meet your commitments and deliver long-term return on investment.
