As Jaguar unveils the most advanced automotive design centre in the world – the new studio in Gaydon – it brings the marque’s entire design team together in one creative space for the first time in its 84-year history.
At its centre, a collaborative hub known as the Heart Space will house a diverse and creative 280-strong team to design future generations of Jaguars using world-leading technologies. Bespoke working environments for the interior, exterior, and colour and materials teams, plus design visualisation and design technical disciplines, surround the Heart Space. Designers from across the globe draw on their range of industry backgrounds, including fashion, watchmaking, sports and gaming, to deliver an interpretation of Jaguar Britishness. At their fingertips will be contemporary materials and processes using industry-leading technology – such as custom-made clay modelling machines that allow 20 models to be worked on at once, virtual reality (VR) systems and an 11-metre 4K digital display wall known as The Electric.
JAGUAR HAS A UNIQUE HERITAGE AS A DESIGN-LED BRAND AND THIS WILL ALWAYS TO BE A CENTRAL PILLAR OF OUR DNA
Said Julian Thomson, Jaguar design director. “We truly believe that inspiration comes from interaction and collaboration. Our studio is fitted with the latest technologies but, just as important, is the diversity of human expertise and our passion for Jaguar, which helps us design the extraordinary.
“Jaguar has a unique heritage as a design-led brand and this will always to be a central pillar of our DNA. The design values and philosophy that were created by Jaguar’s founder, Sir William Lyons, remain the same, and this building will allow us to design the very best cars for our customers, far into the future.”
The floor area of the new Jaguar Design Studio – more than 12,000 square metres – is double that of the previous studio spaces based in Whitley.
Its main studios are named Studio 3 and Studio 4, paying homage to Studios 1 and 2 at Whitley, home of Jaguar design from 1985, as well as taking inspiration from the numbers of the Le Manswinning Jaguar D-types of 1957 and 1956, respectively.
Studios 3 and 4 each house ten clay modelling plates measuring 20-metres long and are capable of accommodating two clays, with a load capacity of 4.5-tonnes. This means that, for the first time, designers can place interior and exterior models next to one another to improve synergy and collaboration between the two disciplines.
In a move that also sees greater importance placed on advanced material technologies and to meet Jaguar’s demanding quality standards, the colour and materials team has been given more space and cutting-edge technology to investigate and test new and sustainable resources that will continue to demonstrate the heights of luxury and tactility for the next generation of vehicles. The team’s vital role will range from devising new paint colours to conceptualising the smallest, beautiful interior details – for example, the Jaguar print in an E-PACE centre console.
Added Thomson, “We understand the issues that are facing the automotive industry and can respond accordingly through innovation and creativity.”
The Jaguar Design Studio was designed with Bennetts Associates and is part of the wider Gaydon Engineering and Design Centre redevelopment.
