A Farrell Grimshaw Partnership project. Windsor Road, Runnymede, Surrey.

The warehouse was a speculation on the part of McKay Securities. Planning permission had been agreed prior to the Farrell Grimshaw Partnership taking on the contract, but the site’s sensitive and historic location presented a number of challenges in the required scale of the building against the agreement to provide a low profile, protective colouration and minimal presence for the new structure. In the final design the concerns of the Thames Conservancy were addressed with a single storey unit standing only 7m high. In addition, the river frontage of the building included glazed residential units, which jutted out from the warehouse wall to attempt a more domestic scale and character from this view point. The Royal Fine Arts Commission and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England were equally satisfied with the olive-green cladding and bronze glazing which helped the building merge into the nearby meadow surroundings. The War Graves Commission, concerned about the view from the cemetery on Egham Hill, was also pleased with the result of the green spar roof chippings which helped the building blend with the surrounding deciduous trees.

Following completion, the warehouse was leased by Citroen as its main UK spare-parts depot