A JOURNEY THROUGH THE MCLAREN TECHNOLOGY CENTRE
The McLaren Technology Centre is a building close to my heart. Seven years ago I made the first of many visits to the MTC.
Every time I photograph in and around the building - whether it is architectural, advertising, PR or portraits - it is a pleasure. Taking photographs here throws up some technical challenges, but who wants easy.
I’ll always remember arriving at the MTC for the first time. As you drive on a winding road past security, in between the well-manicured grass and organised rows of silver birch trees, you are teased with glimpses of the building’s character.
The lake road starts to descend and curve - this is the first moment the building shows itself, and what a presence it has. It looks like it is growing out of the curved lake, as the curving glass and roof reflect the ripples of the water. The interior glows in the evening light, and through the glass you can see the immaculately placed cars lined up on the boulevard.
To ensure that the building was invisible from local roads, the building height was restricted to 11 metres high so that it sat below the tree line. To allow extra space, the building then descends beneath the ground for two levels.
The lake is 3 metres at its deepest point and is man-made, but has three ecology lakes hidden behind the reeds. These have a natural biotope and a charcoal layer that helps purify and filter the water in the lake, enabling the fish to thrive in the water and helping to clean algae from the water surface without the need for any chemicals.
The roof has siphonic roof drainage - water cascades down drainpipes, which are actually the support pipes that run along the windows on the lakeside façade.
When you first step into the building you are struck by the size of the structure, and the eye is carried through the building by the curving and winding floating skywalk above. Created and designed by F1 engineers and the McLaren Applied Technologies department, the skywalk is supported by suspension arms with a damper system much like on a an F1 car. Along the boulevard is McLaren racing and road car history, years and years of precision engineering and design brilliance - which are all emphasised by the clean, curved and purposeful lines of the building.
As you proceed through the boulevard and you get to glimpse the carbon fibre being layered, baked and fitted to the tub of the following year’s F1 race car, you are reminded that this building is a fully operational factory and not a museum. For obvious reasons unfortunately no photography is allowed in this area.
Following the path of the skywalk, you find yourself at a wall of trophies, all 651 of them gleaming in the cabinets – ranging from 1954 all the way to 2020 from four different racing series. The location of the trophy area was deliberately selected so that staff have to walk through the long corridor of accolades after they have visited the staff restaurant. The restaurant itself has a one-way system so you are guided out into the trophy area, helping staff appreciate that it is not just the F1 team that should get to enjoy the glory - but that every member of staff is a huge part of McLaren, and all achievements belong to everyone in the McLaren team.
The wind tunnel which is used for aero research (another no photography area), is made from 400 tonnes of steel, and has 96 concrete foundation points going 30 metres below the ground. The wind tunnel uses two 8 mega-watt cables linked to West Byfleet sub power station to start it up, then uses hydrothermal power from the water in the lake to lower its temperature. The 5 heat exchanger water towers (image above, left) that channel water in from the lake also heat and cool the building. The water then runs down the sides of the wall that surrounds the building and aerates across the concertinaed brickwork, returning to the lake at anywhere from 27C to ambient temperature.
Throughout the MTC there are clean, long, corridors that are deliberately spacious and open, to allow staff to feel a sense of calm, open space and clarity. The idea is that you clear your mind, leave the day’s worries behind and focus on your work ahead.
Even seven years later I still enjoying arriving at the MTC, the building is a reminder that I am part of something special. Having McLaren as a client has been inspirational - the attention to detail and extremely high expectations that are the DNA of McLaren pushes me to always deliver on the wide range of photography commissions needed in this awesome building.
Images taken in October 2020 by George Sharman