ReardonSmith architectural firm has unveiled plans for an underground five-star, 204-room hotel and spa at Hersham Golf Club in Surrey, in London’s Green Belt.
The architects’ response to the area’s strict planning guidelines has been to place all 200 plus guestroms underground around landscaped courtyards, leaving just one level of public areas at grade.
“Our concept integrates hotel, spa and golf facilities into a single architecturally exciting and organic composition below and above ground,” explained ReardonSmith’s project designer.
“It represents a commercially viable solution to developing in the Green Belt and is, we believe, a world-first.”
In total, the ReardonSmith scheme represents in the region of one third less built-up hard surface than the existing club houses and car parking.
Patrick Reardon, executive chairman of ReardonSmith, says: “The question was how to design a hotel of significant size that would not disturb the Green Belt environment. In fact, our solution attempts not only to preserve the essence of Green Belt amenity but also to improve it by the removal of existing and highly visible buildings and hard standing parking zones. The process required to achieve this proposed hotel will be expensive. But, the client accepts this and is to be congratulated for his willingness to invest in a solution which clearly responds to environmental, as well as commercial, imperatives.”
The total area of the hotel and new golf club will be approximately 16,500 sq metres and includes improvements to public footpaths and access roads.
The two underground levels of the hotel comprise three “rings” of guestrooms, each built around large 800m² garden courtyards, allowing light to permeate the fully glazed façade.
Public spaces, including high quality restaurants, will be contained within a single level at grade.
