RMC Group Headquarters

The complex incorporates offices, lecture theatres, an audio-visual suite, laboratories, conference rooms, restaurants, and a swimming pool. Set in a conservation area within the Surrey Green Belt, the single-storey design and roof gardens sensitively disguise the new buildings. Our founder Max worked alongside architect Ted Cullinan on this innovative project.

A sophisticated environmental strategy provides comfortable internal conditions without air conditioning, using natural cross-and-stack-effect ventilation with some mechanical assistance. The ventilation uses the high thermal capacity of the building fabric; air is circulated over the ground slab at night, helping reduce peak daytime temperatures. Borehole water is used to cool and dehumidify the air, as well as for garden irrigation and fountains. Rooftop ventilators to the kitchens and labs are dressed as giant chess pieces in a nod to Lewis Carroll.

The pool is visually linked to the entrance fountain and to the lake beyond. To avoid the obtrusive effect of a glass wall, the pool is separated from the surrounding area by an innovative ‘air curtain’.

In 2014, in support of the building being saved from demolition, Max heralded the scheme as an ‘exemplar of sustainability’. Following widespread support, the whole scheme was given Grade II*-listed status.