Waitrose Bagshot | Phillips Tracey Architects

This new retail scheme is positioned off the A31 on the edge of Bagshot Village partly within Countryside and adjacent to a new area of natural green space. The brownfield site was previously occupied by a garden centre, which subtly influenced the design of the scheme.

The new retail proposals include a Waitrose food store and a further three retail units.

The form of the building is driven by its context. The building’s main feature is an undulating green roof, which has been designed to reflect the contours of the surrounding hills and heathland, and to provide a sensitive link with the wider rural landscape. 

A simple and limited palette of materials has been chosen to reflect the simplicity of the overall design concept. The roof is a living green Sedum roof, minimizing the building’s impact, promoting biodiversity and assisting with rain-water attenuation. Additional soft landscaping has also increased the number of wildlife habitats and improves screening to the site boundaries whilst also hinting at the historic use of the site. The roof edge is finished with large over hanging eaves, which provide an elegant break between the roof and walls. The front elevation is predominantly glazed to provide retail presence and a focus for customers. The Northwest orientation also minimises solar gain. The remaining walls are solid cladding panels which sit above a dark facing brickwork base to complement the glazed curtain walling and provide a subtle background to ensure the roof is seen as the main feature of the building.

349 car parking spaces are provided at the front, with rainwater attenuation provided under the paved parking spaces. Large planters and specimen trees are placed in an informal manner to reflect the planting retained when the site was used as a garden centre.

Delivery and service yards are hidden behind the building. Inside, the 2,980 sq.m Waitrose store has a full height sales area flooded with light from the glazed front elevation, with warehousing and offices and ancillary space are provided over two floors to the rear. The adjoining retail units, which have a gross internal area of 2,861 sq.m, have sales areas at ground floor and mezzanine levels with double height space at the front and side of the stores.