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Subterranean hotel proposed for Surrey golf complex
Strict planning regulations in London's Green Belt have allowed hotel and resort architects ReardonSmith to innovate a subterranean hotel bound for Hersham Golf Club in Surrey. Plans are now on show for the luxury hotel and spa in advance of submission for planning permission, revealing a warren of 200 plus guest rooms facing out to sunken landscaped courtyards and gardens.
Height restrictions and view protection legislation create a challenge for the unique scheme which sees services including the existing above-ground parking and club house replaced underground - only one level will be visible at ground level and a green roof system is designed to mimic the undulating nature of the golf course. 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 design for the hotel creates two underground levels comprising three 'rings' of guestrooms, each built around large 800 sq m 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.
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