original publication material - courtesy of Foster + Partners
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Architect
- Construction status
References
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Construction + materiality
by Lorraine Farrelly
Suggestions
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The TAG 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 Technology Centre provides a headquarters for the
group’s 850 staff and is designed to reflect the company’s design and engineering
expertise. 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 building’s environmental cooling
system. The principal lakeside facade is a continuous curved glass wall, developed in
part using McLaren’s own technological expertise, which is 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 is a circulation ‘boulevard’ which
leads to areas for hospitality and to the staff restaurant, both of which look out across
the landscape. Other social facilities include a swimming pool and a fitness centre.
A Visitor Centre with educational facilities is located in a separate building at the
entrance to the complex. 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. It houses a temporary exhibition
space and lecture theatre and is linked to the main centre by a subterranean building
with a permanent display of McLaren’s historical racing and road cars.
description by architects
Building Activity
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Teodora Todorova updated 94 media, uploaded 4 media and added a print reference
about a year ago via OpenBuildings.com -
