Brooklands Hotel - Surrey

It’s rare that the historic surroundings of a newbuild hotel influence its design so significantly that they can be traced to its foundations – literally. But this is the case with the new Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey, where the finishing strait of the legendary Brooklands racetrack is demarcated through the centre of the site. Running from the landscaped terrace through the lobby, the track provides the most obvious link to the past amongst a wealth of references to reveal a narrative more apparent as the journey continues.

From the outset, planning consent for the hotel endeavoured to retain the nature of the site – once host to the British Grand Prix – now home to Mercedes-Benz World test track, an aviation and motoring-themed museum, and a range of major corporate offices.

Carey Jones Architects proposed a boomerang-shaped building, “synonymous with movement”, with the two wings aligned to respond to the geometry of its neighbours. “The hotel has deliberately been designed to present a very distinctive image,” explains Mike Harris, Director, Carey Jones Architects, “and although a modern building, its architectural language echoes the heyday of the Brooklands circuit using Modernist and Art Deco references common to that era.”

In terms of materials, a limited palette of stone, render, and glass, with zinc detailing to the roof, has been adopted to maintain emphasis on the building’s form.

Design practice Trevillion Interiors followed the lead of the architecture, taking cues from the surroundings and developing them into a sophisticated scheme. Director Mike Trevillion and Design Director Frances Blackham set about creating a “seamless transition from outside to inside, further establishing and identifying the historic location and its Art Deco references.”

“We were keen to make sure that we didn’t deliver an Art Deco-themed hotel,” explains Blackham, “so we researched this period to gain an understanding of what influenced design at that time.” Trevillion’s research led to the likes of Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier and van der Rohe, widely regarded as pioneers of modern architecture and responsible for a number of furniture icons. “We took these drivers into account when designing all the elements of the hotel and delivered them in a contemporary way,” she adds. The red leather panelling behind the reception desk, for example, is an exploded version of the button detail on the Barcelona chair, and an RHA-designed credenza exemplifies Trevillion’s own take on the Rocket cabinet.

The overall design is a fusion of these influences together with the repetitive patterns and geometric shapes typical of the Art Deco era. All the while paying tribute to the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation. At every turn there is a reference to this bygone era, occasionally in the form of artwork or bronze sculptures, but more often in the subtle finishes and design solutions throughout.

In the lobby, a modified, more angular version of Morgan Furniture’s Seville winged armchair coordinates with coffee tables of the same range designed with nickel marquetry and chrome ring detail, a nod to the mechanic component. Even the hotel’s signature resembles the twists and turns of the original track.

The centrepiece of the double-height atrium however, is an extraordinary sculpture by Charlie Whinney. Blackham came across the artist’s work by chance, as part of a window display in a London department store, and worked with him to create an expression unique to this site. Suspended from the ceiling, over 100m of steam-bent oak loops around the space to give the impression of movement. “The strips of wood represent the car on the track,” explains Blackham, “and the shape is inspired by the speed of the cars racing around the famous banked corners.”

Either side, three-tier Northern Lights pendants based on a wheel construction reinforce the symmetry of the building and deliver a practical lighting solution. Further decorative lighting in the form of honeycomb pendants by Conciluce are suspended over the elliptical shagreen front desk.

Leading off from the atrium, a lounge area is characterised by Morgan’s 6m-long curved Verona sofa set against a 3D wall formed from geometric mirrors. Materials and furnishings are purposely limited, as is the colour palette of charcoal, steel grey, and ebony, with spaces differentiated by varying top tones of red, aubergine, and copper.
Subtle references to the Art Deco period are further delivered through polished chrome and macasser ebony finishes, as well as in the repetitive design of the carpet.

As a nod to its time as Britain’s largest aircraft manufacturing centre, the bar at Brooklands features five polished chrome propellers as well as a dramatic canopy swathed in hide, evocative of a flying jacket or the worn interiors of a classic automobile. Complementary bar stools have been designed bespoke in collaboration with RHA Furniture.

Double doors inset with tinted voiles lead through to the brasserie-style restaurant where walls are lined with framed memorabilia and coloured flags. Intelligently designed sliding glass doors reveal the breakfast buffet only when in use so as not to detract from the overall experience. Group dining is made possible with a large banquette curved around a 2.2m diameter table with nickel edge detail, again designed by Morgan Furniture who also supplied loose seating for the 120 guestrooms.
Sleeper’s room, a generously proportioned one-bedroom corner suite, follows the contours of the building and offers optimal views of the test track. Full-height windows provide plenty of natural daylight whilst decorative and functional fittings are supplied by Chelsom and Gubi.

Trevillion worked with Castlebrook to design the macassar ebony casegoods in the guestrooms, and with Badekabiner to deliver the bathroom pods, complete with Duravit sanitaryware and Grohe brassware. In fact, Trevillion was involved in every aspect of the design process, right down to the staff uniforms, ensuring a synchronised palette throughout. Far from being a themed hotel, this is a sophisticated design solution with the ability to reveal more of its narrative with each returning visit.

Brooklands Hotel
Brooklands Drive, Weybridge
Surrey, KT13 0SL, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1932 335 700
www.brooklandshotelsurrey.com

Rooms 120 guestrooms and suites
Dining Brooklands Brasserie & Bar
Drinks Brooklands Spa
Facilites 7 meeting rooms

Brooklands Hotel
Trevillion Interiors Ltd
12 Ladysmith Road, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 3AA
Tel: 020 8367 9494
Contacts: Mike Trevillion and Frances Blackham – Directors
www.trevillion.co.uk