Four Acres is a beautiful, garden-set campus where restored Arts and Crafts character meets contemporary learning and hospitality. A new, welcoming reception improves access and coherence, while reconfigured interiors create calm spaces for dining, meeting, working and reflection. Warm natural materials, layered textures and carefully restored details evoke a domestic atmosphere that supports focus and connection. The result is an inviting, holistic environment that balances heritage, comfort and the needs of a modern leadership centre.
- Location
- Kingston Upon Thames, London
- Size
- 30,000 sqft
- Client
- Unilever
Originally built in 1940 as a private retirement home for WW1 Naval Hero Commander ND Holbrook and later occupied by the exiled Dutch government, Four Acres became Unilever’s global leadership centre in the 1950s, then expanded in the 1970s with educational and leisure facilities. Over time, these additions left the campus functional but fragmented, lacking coherence and no longer expressing Unilever’s values of purpose, leadership and sustainability.
Textures and Details
The brief called for a sensitive, holistic refurbishment: restoring the building’s architectural integrity, improving accessibility, and strengthening the sense of arrival and flow. It also required renewed social spaces, flexible learning environments and a warm, home-like character that could support both structured programmes and informal connection. Sustainability and long-term adaptability were central, with the ambition to create a leadership centre equipped for decades of evolving use.
Before and After
We extended the main entrance link building to form a generous, accessible reception that unifies the estate and signals a renewed sense of welcome. Inside, careful reconfiguration introduced flexible spaces for dining, meeting, workshops and quiet work, while the bar was returned to its original location to restore social heart and historical logic. Restored timberwork, fireplaces and Arts and Crafts details were paired with a warm, contemporary palette to create a calm, residential feel.
A full fabric and services upgrade brought the building to modern performance standards, with discreet integration ensuring historic character remained intact. A new building management system allows Unilever to monitor use and reduce operational carbon, while improved circulation and universal access embed inclusivity throughout the estate. Together, these interventions transform Four Acres into a coherent, sustainable, heritage-rich retreat that supports reflective learning and leadership development.
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