This major new shopping centre was won in developer competition on behalf of London and Amsterdam Properties. The building forms an extension to Milton Keynes’ existing shopping centre, which was a key element in the master plan for the original New Town.

The extension is designed to complement the heroic forms of the original with an equally modern, though perhaps freer and more varied series of spaces. The strong expression of the link between Midsummer Place and the existing retail malls gives the project a civic dimension with the intention of encouraging its successful integration into the town.

The construction of the link between the new and existing retail involved the closure of one of the town’s roads and the resulting new urban space, named The Boulevard, is covered by an eighteen-metre-high wave-form roof. This is penetrated by four roof-lights and is clear-glazed on both ends. It covers a space the size of a football pitch and is carried by eight columns, beneath which are independent pavilions containing shops, restaurants and cafés.

The centre’s layout is based on a series of distinctive spaces linked by a circuit of eight-metre-wide malls and walks. These spaces include Oak Court, a large open-air circular courtyard containing the last preserved oak tree in the town centre; South Concourse, which is illuminated by a large south-facing window and links by escalator to the roof-level car parking; and of course the Boulevard itself. The rationale here was to design spaces that had a clear and individual identity and would instil an intuitive sense of place and orientation.

Externally, the building is clad in Spanish limestone above a granite podium, while internally the top-lit malls are finished in white with muted-grey limestone floor to act as a foil to the colourful new shop fronts.

Part of the fun of the centre comes from the introduction of specially commissioned artwork, such as the feature clock by the artist Kit Williams and other sculptural work by local artists. In the large window of South Concourse, a fine stained glass window by Anne Smythe, depicts the history of Milton Keynes.