Foster, McLaren Production Centre

The McLaren production centre designed by Foster + Partners was recently inaugurated in the presence of Britain?s Prime Minister David Cameron. The plant will be used for assembly of cars including the MP4-12C, the latest sports model presented by McLaren.

The building is Foster + Partners? second project in Woking for McLaren. It will be connected with the existing building via an underground route; the two structures share the same architectural vocabulary, materials and details.

The new production centre, with its ceramic tile floors and floor plan based on two linear levels, is organised to reflect the structure of the production line and add new spirit to the idea of the factory. It is a discrete presence in the landscape, created by digging into the gentle slope of the land and re-using excavated soil to conceal the building by burying the lower level completely under the ground.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Design: Foster + Partners Team
Location: Woking, United Kingdom
Illustrations: courtesy of  McLaren, Nigel Young_(Foster + Partners)