One Hyde Park, London
One Hyde Park is a major residential and retail complex located in Knightsbridge, London, that harmonizes with the current streetscape and enhances the vistas from Hyde Park. Upon entering the building, these views are preserved through a series of fully-glazed circulation cores that include: lifts, stairs, and lobbies. One Hyde Park consists of 86 apartments and duplexes (which feature four penthouses) with prices starting at around £5 million for a 1 bedroom apartment, and penthouses selling for almost £200 million along with three retail units (Rolex, McLaren Automotive and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank) located at ground level facing Knightsbridge.
Additional amenities for residents comprise: a private cinema; a 21-meter swimming pool; squash courts; a gym; and a business suite equipped with meeting rooms. It is generally considered the most exclusive apartment building in the world.
The building was developed by Project Grande (Guernsey) Limited, a joint venture between the Christian Candy-owned CPC Group and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. Graham Stirk led the team at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners who designed the building, built by Laing O’Rourke. It was financed via a £1.15 billion development loan from Eurohypo AG. Candy & Candy were the development managers and interior designers for the scheme. The building is now owned by One Hyde Park Limited.
The design enhance the current streetscape of Knightsbridge while providing natural light and ample views, all the while ensuring the required level of privacy for its residents. In line with the standards of luxury residences, the significance of refined detailing and high-quality construction was paramount. The materials selected were intended to echo the colors and textures of the nearby structures: red-brown copper alloy façades harmonize with the adjacent red brick buildings, and light structural concrete imitates the stone features of the nearby Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
One, Hyde Park, 100 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LJ, United Kingdom.
A new entrance to the Park has been established by moving Edinburgh Gate to the western boundary of the site. The road is sheltered by a canopy, and the upper surface is landscaped to offer a visual enhancement for everyone who overlooks it, while also shielding residents from traffic noise. Epstein’s ‘Pan’, previously located at the northern end of the original Edinburgh Gate, has been relocated to preserve its connection to the new roadway.
Esteemed lighting artist James Turrell has developed a cohesive lighting concept that engages with the architecture of the development. This concept features perimeter lighting for the five glass stair and lift structures, along with a vibrant light display.
The arrangement of the pavilions in relation to each other and to the surrounding structures adheres to a radial configuration that radiates from a central location deep within the Park. This design has led to a harmonious alignment with the nearby buildings of Wellington Court and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, while also restoring – to the greatest extent feasible – the curvature of the original road and sidewalk layout leading to Knightsbridge.
The spaces between the four pavilions permit beams of sunlight to penetrate One Hyde Park from the southern direction, while also creating visual pathways connecting Knightsbridge to the Park. For primary access to the apartments and penthouses, three service cores are utilized for secondary access by staff and to facilitate service.
The design of the roof profile reflects the surrounding roofscape, resulting in a layered façade that possesses depth, texture, and shadow, while ensuring it does not overshadow the diverse cupolas, turrets, gables, and chimneys that define the adjacent structures.
The design of the pavilions – which expand towards the center of the site and narrow towards the edges – facilitates angled lateral views from each pavilion towards Knightsbridge in the south and the Park in the north.
The total footprint of the site influenced the dimensions of each pavilion, including their width and length, as well as the width of the passenger and support service cores. Consequently, this method resulted in a seamless continuation of the building edge extending to the southern boundary of the site along Knightsbridge.
The design of each pavilion optimizes its perimeter, positioning all the main rooms at the northern and southern ends to afford sweeping views of London. Secondary rooms are situated further along the perimeter towards the center of the pavilions, providing regulated views to the north and south, while tertiary spaces (those that do not need natural light) are placed within the central section of the floor plates. The configuration of the privacy screens and the form of the pavilions have worked together to create numerous interior spaces.
Views are managed through the strategic placement of privacy screens on the exterior of the façade. These screens effectively block sightlines from one apartment to another, as well as between pavilions. A standard single-level façade system features triple glazing, which includes an outer pane, a ventilated cavity housing a vertical roller blind, and an inner double-glazed unit, all meticulously adhering to the geometry of the pavilions.
The slender promontories located at both the northern and southern ends of each pavilion are designed to create the prominent edges of the development. This design imparts a slim profile on both the Hyde Park and Knightsbridge facades.
The magnitude of the scheme becomes apparent when considered in relation to the bays and projections of the primarily Victorian and Edwardian structures that encircle it.
The pavilions are divided by transparent circulation cores that include lobbies, staircases, and elevator shafts, which create a clear distinction between the ‘served’ and ‘servant’ areas. The pavilions differ in height, increasing in two-storey increments. These two-storey increments align with the local context, with the tallest point situated at the intersection of Knightsbridge, Sloane Street, and Brompton Road. This design provides a sense of scale and clarity to the development while granting residents stunning views over London.
The architectural design and choice of materials illustrate the segmentation of each pavilion into three separate zones: the top, the middle, and the base. This arrangement, in turn, alludes to the common vertical zoning observed in other local structures. The upper section of the building features flat, neutral greys, while the middle section incorporates red/brown patinated copper privacy screens, mirroring the dominant hues of Knightsbridge. The lower levels maintain a neutral palette, akin to the stone plinths of the neighboring buildings, set back behind the structural columns of the exposed white concrete framework.
Owners of residences at the address have included: Kylie Minogue, Rinat Akhmetov, Amirkhan Mori, Vladimir Stolyarenko, Alexander Ponomarenko, Dane Bowers, Vladimir Uzun, Temur Akhmedov (the son of Farkhad Akhmedov) and the Candy brothers.
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