McLaren Technology Centre, England Building, Project, Photo, News, Design Automotive Development by Foster + Partners in Surrey, England, UK e-architect			World Architecture : index Building architect: Foster + Partners Architecture News
McLaren Technology Centre England : Architecture Information
McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, Surrey, southeast England, UK 1998-2004 Foster + Partners Images : Nigel Young_Foster + Partners The McLaren Group’s new headquarters building - developed in part with the hi-tech company’s own technology - is roughly semi-circular on plan, completed by a formal lake which is an integral part of its cooling system. The principal lakeside facade is a continuous curved glass wall that looks out across the landscape and is shaded by a cantilevered roof. The McLaren Group is a collection of high-tech companies involved in the design and development of Formula One cars, high-performance road cars, electronic systems and composite materials. Since McLaren began competing in Formula One in 1966, it has established a global reputation as one of the most successful teams in the history of the sport.The McLaren Technology Centre provides a headquarters for the majority of the groups staff. It includes design studios, laboratories and testing and production facilities for Formula One and road cars, including the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Viewed on plan, the building is roughly semi-circular, the circle being completed by a formal lake, which forms an integral part of the buildings cooling system. The principal lakeside facade is a continuous curved glass wall, developed in part using McLarens own technology, and shaded by a cantilevered roof. Internally, the building is organised around double-height linear streets, which form circulation routes and articulate fingers of flexible accommodation. These house production and storage areas on the lower levels, with top-lit design studios, offices and meeting rooms above. Directly behind the facade a circulation boulevard leads to areas for hospitality and to the staff restaurant, both of which look out across the landscape. A Visitor Centre is located in a separate building at the entrance to the complex. It houses educational facilities, a temporary exhibition space and presentation theatre and is linked to the main centre by a subterranean building. This two-storey structure is buried underground - like the rest of the Technology Centre it is designed to make a minimal intervention in the landscape - and is visible only by its circular rooflight. McLaren Production Centre 2009- Foster + Partners Production line for the new McLaren sports car Surrey Architecture English Housing English Skyscrapers Architecture Studios Contemporary Interiors English School Buildings Church Buildings New Houses Office Buildings English Houses World Architecture : e-architect - a guide to key buildings across the globe World Buildings Comments / photos for the McLaren Technology Centre England Architecture page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk McLaren Technology Centre Building : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt Website : www.mclaren.com/technologycentre			Buildings by this architect: Russia Tower Crystal Island Tower Beijing Airport Building Smithsonian Institute City of Justice Madrid Caja Tower Key Links: University Buildings English Architects English Architecture