McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners

McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - Image 2 of 20McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - Image 3 of 20McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - ChairMcLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - Image 5 of 20McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - More Images+ 15

  • Architects: Foster + Partners
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  34500
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2011
  • Photographs
    Photographs:McLaren, Nigel Young
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Trimo, Rolflex

Text description provided by the architects. The McLaren Production Centre, the second building designed by Foster + Partners at McLaren’s Woking site, has been officially unveiled by Prime Minister David Cameron today. The 34,500 sqm facility will house the assembly of all future McLaren Automotive road cars, including the recently- launched MP4-12C high-performance sports car. It has already led to the creation of a large number of skilled manufacturing jobs.

McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - Image 6 of 20
© Nigel Young

The state-of-the-art McLaren Production Centre is located to the south-west of the existing McLaren Technology Centre. The two buildings are connected by a subterranean walkway and share a common language of details and materials. The entrance, echoing the existing building, is a circular glass drum beneath the overhang of the roof canopy.

Section

As a manufacturing facility, the building is inherently flexible, with a wide span between columns and fully integrated services. The linear arrangement of the two-story structure mirrors the flow of the production line: components are delivered; the cars are assembled, painted and tested, and then pass through a rolling road and car wash, before leaving the building. Beneath this floor there is a full basement level for storage and plant, and above is a mezzanine floor with views over the production line. Every stage of production takes place under the same roof. Initially it will take 10 days for an MP4-12C to be assembled; at peak production it will be possible to build one in five days, with a new car joining the line every 45 minutes.

McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - Chair
© Nigel Young

Although the McLaren Production Centre represents a major increase in McLaren’s capabilities at its Woking campus, the building is dug into in the gentle incline of the site, to give it a discreet presence in the landscape. The lower floor is sunk completely below ground and the superstructure is almost invisible from the nearby road, with further screening provided by extensive tree planting.

McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners - Windows
© Nigel Young

The new McLaren Production Centre is designed to be environmentally efficient. The roof collects rainwater and has been designed to integrate photovoltaic panels in future; and the building incorporates a low-energy system of displacement ventilation. No soil was removed from the site, and all excavated material has been used to conceal the building within the green-belt landscape.

Elevation


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Project location

Address:Woking, Surrey, UK

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About this office
Cite: "McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners" 17 Nov 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/185257/mclaren-production-centre-foster-partners> ISSN 0719-8884

© McLaren

McLaren Production Centre / Foster + Partners

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