Aston Martin has bought itself an early Christmas present - or rather it has built itself one.

The new design studio – the first ever for Aston Martin – was inaugurated at a huge gala event presided over by the sports car maker's CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez. Dr. Bez, who spoke about how design is one of the brand's core values, was joined by Marek Reichman, Aston Martin's Director of Design in presenting the new studio to a group of Aston Martin board members, dealers and members of the press.

'Our success is not limited to independency,' said Dr. Bez, referring to Aston Martin's recent break from the grips of ailing American automaker Ford's Premier Automotive Group to return to its British roots. 'It's about core values like engineering, like design,' he continued. 'Tonight we celebrate our core values with this first ever design studio.'

Located in a building adjacent to Aston Martin's manufacturing and engineering center at Gaydon in Warwickshire, UK, the new 2700 square meter studio was built using the latest construction technology and is a showcase for environmentally sustainable design. The modular wooden structure, sourced from managed forests in Austria and Switzerland, makes extensive use of structural wood and large expanses of glass, including a flowing glass walkway leading from the atrium to the main studio space.

Designed by the Weedon Partnership in collaboration with Austrian pre-fabrication specialists Holzbau Saurer, the architecture of the new facility is modern and environmentally-friendly, claimed to use 65 percent less energy than a comparable building. Environmental technologies will ultimately include a 'green' sedum roof (scheduled to be planted in the Spring), helping the building integrate into the surrounding landscape as well as providing a high level of insulation. A closed loop vertical ground water system provides heating and cooling, a process that uses only one third of the energy of that used in conventional systems, and all levels have underfloor heating and cooling using a low energy 'Gravivent' system. The main structure, built using spruce and oak, is insulated to a high specification using natural hemp insulation.

The interior detailing of the new facility has been personally overseen by Design Director Marek Reichman and his team. 'You've got the smells, colors and sensations of Aston Martin around you,' he explained, pointing out the high quality woods, art work, stainless steel, travertine marble and designer work spaces. 'Everything contributes to an immersive sensory environment, mirroring the experience of the cars themselves.'

One side of the new building is faced entirely in glass, braced with glass beams, to help maximize the feeling of transparency, flooding the studio floor with natural light. Flush light fittings provide hidden ambient light, supplemented and enhanced by the customized and highly adjustable lighting rigs used to develop the clay surfaces.