The Malls Shopping Centre, Basingstoke

The project involved the refurbishment to the external environment and main public/retail façades of this 1980s shopping centre.

A new landmark gateway structure was required to announce arrival at Basingstoke town centre. This was achieved with a broad, dramatic, aerofoil-shaped canopy. This sits immediately in front of new, bold, red fin walls which frame a striking, sinuous backlit feature entrance and illuminated signage.

Within the shopping centre itself the old solid canopies that provided limited shelter from the elements were replaced with a high-tech transparent ETFE cushion roof at high level supported on a new, lightweight steel structure that provides weather protection but also allows the maximum amount of daylight into the public spaces. The new roof oversails the facades allowing fresh air to naturally ventilate the malls like a modern interpretation of a Victorian glass-roofed shopping arcade.

Improved facilities include new lifts and new toilet facilities which both provide far greater accessibility. As well as upgrading the services infrastructure Mecserve commissioned specialist CFD analysis to demonstrate smoke management within the new canopy design.

Contract Value: £5.5m

Client: Basingstoke & Dean Borough Council

Architect: Saunders Architects

Quantity Surveyor: Baqus Boxall Sayer

Structural Engineer: Andrew Waring Associates

Services provided by Mecserve: Building services engineering, energy analysis & building simulation and an overseeing role for the client