The Runnymede on Thames Hotel and Spa
Location: Egham, Surrey
Client: Warner Hotels
Other Constraints: Flood Zone 3, Green Belt
RIBA Plan of Work stages: 0-7
The Runnymede on Thames Hotel was built in 1974 on the bank of the River Thames by the Bell Weir Lock. It was previously renovated in 2009 and has received various planning permissions, most recently permission for an extension to provide further guest accommodation.
PWP Architects worked to secure planning permission to improve the existing site and produce a scheme that delivers a ‘Warner experience’, through extensions, alterations, and refurbishment.
An extension and reconfiguration of the existing conferencing suites provides a bar lounge, cabaret, and ancillary spaces to provide an indoor entertainment space. By extending the existing fitness studio and gym, and adding two additional floors, further guest accommodation was provided at first and second floors. To maximise private external guest amenity space, balconies have been inserted onto the riverside façade, designed in the shape of an elegant boat hull to correspond with the riverside location, providing views of the River Thames. To break up the existing façade, and to denote the entrance to the hotel, timber colour aluminium fins were added to the central block, surrounded by a box frame. On the auditorium block, fins have been implemented in a rhythm to mimic the ebb and flow of the river, linking the building to its location.
