Transforming the Knightsbridge HeliDeck
Transforming the Knightsbridge HeliDeck
In 2024, Harrods and architects Kendall Kingscott commissioned AirClad to create a unique fan-shaped pavilion on the rooftop of the iconic Knightsbridge store.
You don’t often get to stand on the top of the Harrods HeliDeck. In fact, I bet most people don’t even know it exists. It was built, but never actually used as a landing point. After recent applications to activate it were rejected, the space became vacant, and ready for new ideas.
To me, the HeliDeck feels like a relic of a more flamboyant time, when flying over London in your own chopper was just another Tuesday. These days, our tech billionaires prefer e-bikes and carbon offsets. There was even a time when you could drop into Harrods with the right-sized purse and buy an elephant. Allegedly, they’d sell you anything your heart desired.
Fast forward to February 4th, 2024. The reality is a little colder, literally. Standing on this exposed rooftop in Knightsbridge, I was joined by Jasmine Blood from Kendall Kingscott, the architects behind a new concept for the HeliDeck Pavilion.
The idea was to create a pop-up structure for summer use, to be decommissioned in winter. Kendall Kingscott approached AirClad to see if we could make it happen with our lightweight building system, which of course, we could. However, as often happens with these prestige projects, the excitement ran away with itself and before we knew our left from right, the project had pivoted from a lightweight pop-up system to a fully integrated, permanent construction on the roof of Harrods.
I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say the learning curve on this was steep. The team embraced the challenge and pushed the boundaries of what’s possible on a roof like this. And now, the HeliDeck has a new life, hosting events that only the modern-day purchasers of elephants would be invited to. It’s fun, it’s razzle dazzle, it’s bold, and it proves what’s possible when you rethink how spaces can be used.
If you have a space that needs bringing to life, no matter where, or how demanding, AirClad will deliver a solution.
Nick Crosbie
Create | Inspire | Engage
