Skanska has completed the £160 million redevelopment at Knightsbridge Estate for The Olayan Group.

Work on the 340,000 sqft scheme comprising retail, commercial, residential and restaurant space started four years ago.

The challenges included the redesign of the Knightsbridge station’s access and installation of foundations, without impacting the line or its associated underground infrastructure.

Skanska’s design team relocated the station entrance from its original position on the northeast corner of The Estate facing Harvey Nichols to further along Brompton Road, thereby freeing up prime retail space while providing step-free access for the first time to Knightsbridge Underground through a new entrance from Hooper’s Court.

John Crawley, Operations Director, commented: “Key to overcoming the complex challenges of the old on a site with such rich heritage as this – situated as it is within a conservation area and with a wrap-around retained façade right above the tube – is embracing the new.

“We did this by using digital innovation right from the start of the design process, with extensive use of Building Information Modelling (BIM). This technology helped us visualise and scrutinise the site data way ahead of construction to reduce risk and build the most efficient project possible for our customer.”

Jonathan Shelton, MD-Europe, Real Estate, The Olayan Group, added: “It was important to us to partner with a company whose values were aligned with ours. We recognised that one of Skanska’s priorities is to drive down carbon emissions and that they were also the right partner to deliver this technically challenging project. At every stage, the team incorporated innovative techniques to meet the highest environmental standards. This approach, together with close teamwork, has resulted in the successful delivery of an outstanding building that revives an historic part of Knightsbridge, and significantly improves access to a vital underground station.”