South Kensington Club | HKS Architects

The Challenge

The South Kensington Club has been an exclusive members-only club in the heart of London for many years. Located in an historic building, the design presented many challenges with respect to maintaining some of the original building’s design features, especially in terms of fenestration and the façade, which could not be altered, complicating the client’s desire for additional space.

The Design Solution

Designed by HKS with interior design by ROAM, South Kensington Club is a contemporary luxury destination for its members. Because one of London’s tube lines runs under the building, a basement addition required a deep study of the existing foundations and careful planning to safeguard the integrity of the rail tunnel below. The project’s box-in-a-box style solution prevents water infiltration, guarantees a low level of noise and preserves the stability of the existing structure. On the floor above, zones for new vertical circulation were agreed upon with the local authorities.

The Design Impact

The design teams applied a bespoke approach to every room to preserving and revitalizing a 200-year-old building. The design creates a sophisticated update that meets modern standards in safety, environmental quality and state of the art technology.