Knightsbridge Development Corporation, established 15 years ago by Will Smith, the company’s CEO, is a full-service consultancy that provides development and construction management services as well as advisory and facilities management services as a third party to the development and real estate industry in the Americas and Europe.
The company today is part of the Knightsbridge Group of Companies, a fully integrated global real estate company, which includes KDC UK, Desarrollos Knightsbridge Limitada, PanAm Construction Managers and Knightsbridge Equities. While KDC UK provides services to the UK and EU, the focus of Desarrollos Knightsbridge Limitada and PanAm Construction Managers is on the Latin and South American markets.
Will Smith, who has worked in the development and construction industry since his graduation, progressing through various roles up to the very top, had a clear idea when he established his company, an idea that worked very well and promoted business growth.
“In large companies, I missed the focus on a relationship versus a transaction,” he says. “At Knightsbridge, we really look at our business as a relationship business, we limit ourselves to select clients that we feel we’re aligned with, and we look to them as long-term relationships.” Knightsbridge’s client retention of 90% clearly shows that this is also the way customers prefer to work.
“The fact that we are a relationship-driven business versus a transactional one is our key differentiator. We work as an extension of our clients, forging relationships based on trust and reinforced by sustainable results.”
He explains that Knightsbridge’s specialisation is the development of complex inner-city mixed-use properties which in many cases have challenging logistics and access, as well as requiring significant coordination with adjacent landowners and residents.
Within the mixed-use frame-work, as well as in single-use development sites the company works on several asset classes: office, retail, hospitality, and high-density residential. In addition, Knightsbridge is also involved in a number of prestige industrial developments.
Green and healthy
Sustainability is an important topic for Knightsbridge and Mr Smith affirms that the company is a big proponent of alternative energy sources – geothermal, solar, district energy, as well as the pursuit of reduced carbon levels, including the application of architectural and structural preservation.
“We take a look at a project, and wherever possible try to preserve as much as possible of the architecture on an existing building that is going to be redeveloped. The key is to try and reuse versus just filling landfills with construction debris, and to save the captured carbon that’s already in the building versus adding to the carbon footprint of the building.”
Although many of the company’s buildings have achieved LEED Gold and Platinum, Mr Smith points out that there is a difference between sustainable practices and simply LEED. “We are also big proponents of WELL standards, i.e., ‘healthy buildings’. We look for efficiencies and ways to make sure that the people who work in, live in, or visit those buildings can benefit from a great environment.
And that also includes the incorporation of open space and green space.”
The company’s efforts related to sustainability have not gone unnoticed – in June 2023, Knightsbridge was selected as a finalist for the second year in a row for the London Construction Awards in the Category of Excellence in Sustainability. “This has been a great achievement of our team and marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to sustainability within the construction industry.”
Setting new standards
Knightsbridge could well be proud of its achievements made over a relatively short period of time, but Mr Smith insists that the company’s measures of success have come in different forms, with each of them being equally important. “We have a 50% ratio of male to female team members, a diverse and inclusive team supported in an environment of respect, with equal opportunity for all,” he says.
The company also strongly supports better living for the disadvantaged. In the UK, it has been engaged in developing social housing, and through a Foundation in Costa Rica, it has launched a programme to build truly affordable housing, including reduced cost of maintenance and utilities, for the least advantaged citizens, as a not-for-profit development.
Focus on social co-existence and community is also reflected in the company’s latest assignment – the largest commercial development project in Canada, located in Toronto, called ‘The Well’.
The Well was designed and built to high standards of quality, performance, and sustainability. It reached LEED Platinum for office uses and LEED Gold for retail and residential uses, all of which are serviced by Deep Lake Cooling supplied by Enwave, eliminating the need for chillers.
“The project broke ground in the autumn of 2017, saw its first occupants in 2022, 
and will be fully occupied by the end of 2023,” says Mr Smith, explaining that the site is comprised of 3.5 million square feet of development on a 7.8-acre site made up of the office, residential and retail premises; about 1/3 of the site surface is dedicated to public open space.
Developed as a ‘Shop, Work, Live’ mixed-use development, The Well incorporates all the components of a true mixed-use development, including a European-inspired Food Hall providing both a market, various prepared food options, and an evening dining experience in conjunction with restaurants, and entertainment venues.
“The Well will set the standard for work-live-play developments in North America by creating a seamless coexistence of office, retail and residential uses through high-quality design supported by exceptional public transit connectivity.”
Moving on
The company is well-positioned to embrace future developments. “We are currently analysing potential expansion opportunities while remaining true to our brand, our values, and our teams,” emphasises Mr Smith. “Over the next year or two, we intend to continue to develop and expand within our two main markets, Canada & the UK, building on our existing infrastructure of offices in both countries, continuing to invest in technology, & more importantly, in our people.”
He affirms that the plan is to continue the sustainable building initiatives, including an expanded application of modular construction, and expansion of social housing initiatives beyond Latin America. The focus will be on the UK, where expansion into student accommodation and other purpose-built residential projects is considered.
“While our industry is about building the built environment, we as a company feel our true business is building relationships. That’s what allows us to work with great people, both internally and externally, and also be a contributor to the change tied to sustainability.”
