Skanska will carry out the internal fit-out of 29 residential apartments at Knightsbridge Gardens, a new luxury residential scheme for the rental market, on behalf of The Olayan Group, which owns the property. Knightsbridge Gardens forms part of the significant redevelopment of the northern end of The Knightsbridge Estate.
Worth £24 million, work will start in September and is due to finish at the end of next year. Scope of work includes the communal areas, a club room, as well as hard and soft landscaping for an internal courtyard garden located on the second floor.
The award follows the successful delivery of the redevelopment of the northern end of The Knightsbridge Estate, a £159 million mixed-use development of commercial and retail space, with residential forming the final element of the prestigious scheme.
The new apartments wrap around a landscaped courtyard garden accessed privately by the residents through an orangery. With a discreet entrance on Basil Street, the apartments draw their design from the architectural heritage of The Knightsbridge Estate, guided by the design movements of the late 19th and early 20th Century, from Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Modernism to Art Deco.
John Crawley, Operations Director, commented: “After extensive work at Knightsbridge that has involved the challenges of maintaining the development’s heritage, while delivering something fit for the 21st century, we are delighted that we will be working with our customer to fit-out these apartments and showcase our residential expertise.
“Since we began working on site four years ago, the team has forged a strong relationship with our customer, enabling new ways of working to help reduce risk, improve communication, provide greater cost certainty and drive efficiency.”
Commenting on the award, Jonathan Shelton, MD Real Estate - Europe, The Olayan Group said: “In line with The Olayan Group’s strategy of delivering value through long-term, strategic partnerships with best-in-class operators, we are delighted to award Skanska the contract to complete the redevelopment work at The Knightsbridge Estate. This extends our important relationship into our 5th year and importantly ensures that the apartments at Knightsbridge Gardens will be finished to the highest standards.”
In 2018, Skanska was awarded the contract to build a mixed-use scheme. The 340,000 sqft (31,600 sqm) development project combines commercial, residential and retail space in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and forms a third of The Knightsbridge Estate.