BUILDING THOUGHT TO BE LAST OF ITS KIND SET TO BE DEMOLISHED
An office building opposite Harrods, thought to be the last of its kind, is set to be demolished and replaced with an 11-storey new build block.
One Knightsbridge Green, known as Caltex House, is a 1950s modernist office block on central shopping strip Brompton Road, west London.
Architect firm Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) has submitted plans to Westminster council to partially demolish and replace the building.
The proposals were drawn up for developer Berkeley Estate Asset Management (BERM) and would see 51% of the existing structure retained whilst part of the building on Raphael Street would be refurbished.
An 11-storey newbuild block would be built facing Knightsbridge Green and Brompton Road providing a total of around 19,000 square metres of office space.
A pub called Tattersall's Tavern on Raphael Street, one of only two pubs left in Knightsbridge, would also be replaced.
BERM said the existing 1957 building, which underwent a refurbishment in the early 2000s, is dated and difficult to let to the 'quality of tenants that support Knightsbridge as an international retail destination.'
They said the modernist building's appearance was not 'befitting to its prestigious location' and a 'product of its time' which doesn't reflect the area's traditional architecture.
Changes to the plans were made in April, after a consultation, that will see a setting back of the massing on Knightsbridge Green and Raphael Street due to complaints about the height of the proposed building.
The colour of the facade has been switched from the original green colour to a terracotta shade to blend in with neighbouring buildings.
Read more 2024-07-02T18:41:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd