Louis de Soissons gets green light for new luxury automotive multi-brand destination site
• £30 million 110,000 sq. ft Hatfield luxury automotive development
• Designed by Louis de Soissons Architects for leading dealer group H.R. Owen
• Landscaped site to include five luxury showrooms, workshops, offices, and events space
• Includes support and infrastructure for the group’s luxury electric vehicle brands
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council approves plans to create a multi-franchise motor dealership and group HQ building designed by leading architects Louis de Soissons.
Louis de Soissons have secured planning consent for the construction of a £30m multi-franchise dealership at Hatfield Business Park in Hertfordshire. Developed for the UK’s leading luxury dealer group H.R. Owen, who represent prestige marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce.
The new site will create a market leading sales and servicing destination for the region and bring several of the worlds’ most iconic brands together under one roof.
The proposed 110,000 sq. ft. facility has been designed by Louis de Soissons while managing multiple brand stakeholders, a vital aspect of project delivery for the franchised automotive industry. The project sets new standards for H.R. Owen while also meeting the exacting brand requirements of the prestigious automotive names represented by the group.
To successfully manage this unique dual-lead requirement, architects at Louis de Soissons have called on their industry experience to streamline processes for decision makers at H.R. Owen while using their extensive knowledge of manufacturer corporate identity and the functional requirements of the motor trade to develop the design. Most importantly, the concept that Louis de Soissons delivered combines a visually stunning work environment with an incredibly effective, efficient and operationally functional businesses space.
Public-facing retail spaces are arranged as close to the highway boundaries of the site as possible with the workshop and servicing areas to inward looking spaces at the rear. A landscaped enclosure screens the workshop parking compound from the customer parking areas to ensure a high-quality human scale feel. The east complex of buildings will house four car showrooms, two workshops and offices each surrounding a shared mall area. The West portion of the site will house a further car showroom for H.R. Owen’s specialist group operation on the ground and first floors. To the rear will be additional workshop spaces and two storeys of internal vehicle storage.
Mark Wilkinson, Director of Louis de Soissons commented:
‘We are delighted to be working with H.R. Owen, the UK’s leading luxury automotive retailer group and developer Arlington to create a new destination for their customers. Our designs bring together the multiple services that H.R. Owen offer their customers into one complex of buildings that architecturally compliment the context, centred around a clear, strong hierarchy of spaces.’
The development will provide H.R. Owen’s customers with the finest sales, service and storage facilities in one strategic location and offer support and infrastructure for the luxury vehicle brands future development and expansion into the electric vehicle car revolution.
Ken Choo, HR Owen CEO commented:
“In partnership with Louis de Soissons and Arlington, we have created plans for a truly world-class facility, delivering the latest in cutting-edge design and technology for our customers. This site will become a real destination for automotive enthusiasts, ideally located and displaying some of the world’s most sought-after cars.”