This five star hotel is going under – underground that is! Designed by ReardonSmith Architects for a proposed development at Hersham Golf Club in Surrey, London, this new subterranean hotel will pay its ultimate respects to London’s Green Belt by placing all 200+ guest rooms underneath it! The entire scheme is covered with a plush green roof that takes its cue from the surrounding countryside.
In addition to the green integrated into the building, the proposal includes the addition of extensive on-site re-vegetation and re-organization of existing spaces (such as parking) that will actually leave the site even more eco-friendly than it is now.
Matthew Guy, ReardonSmith’s project designer, states “Our concept integrates hotel, spa, and golf facilities into a single architecturally exciting and organic composition below and above ground. The design fulfills the requirements of the brief for a bespoke five star hotel while returning hard standing to the Green Belt and improving the physical layout and visual attraction of the entire site. It represents a commercially viable solution to developing in the Green Belt and is, we believe, a world-first.”
+ ReardonSmith Architects
Via Architecture News Plus
I thought Green Belt was about not having contiguous buildings across the whole of the southeast of England- which is what this is helping to create. I have noticed quite a few hotels in London, are there really not enough?
I’m sure, if there were “enough” Mathew, the developers wouldn’t be building another with a view to making profit, since there would be no custom for it. There are several hotels being developed in and around London at the moment, and I’d wager to say they will continue to build new hotels whilst London remains the massive tourist magnet it is. Judging by the extortionate rates for mediocre service in London hotels, there’s room for plenty more in hope of competitive pricing.
I agree that an area is still technically built up, even when you build…uh… down, so this seems to be contrary to the purpose of the Green Belt, if it can be siad that the Green Belt serves a genuine purpose at all.
I’m not very happy with this proposed development at the back of my house which currently has some beautiful poplar trees which are scheduled for chopping. I can’t quite understand why Hersham (suburbia) needs a hotel at all.
[...] subterranean hotel is a set of linked rooms hosting private bathrooms and private patios constructed from glass and [...]
Aside from the turf of the roof, I wonder how this building really fits into Inhabitat’s remit; ‘design that will save the world’?
It seems to me that the walls and roof will need a huge amount of concrete and bituminised waterproofing and the fact that the site was already green before the construction means that the resources used are not being offset by the planting of trees and grass.
Agreed, Also how the hell am I supposed to vacation there, if I cant find it. It’s as more well camouflaged than a bunker. And tourists are just fly and drive there anyway.