Projects : Retail

John Lewis Store, Burleigh Street, Cambridge

The new building replaced the former Cambridge Co-operative Society shop, which started trading in 1899 and continued right through to 1987, when the Co-operative ceased trading from these premises.

The primary objective of the new scheme was two fold:

• To design a high quality building which would become a new landmark and act as a catalyst and quality level for future new buildings and environmental improvements in the area.
• To design a mixed use building comprising of retail, offices and residential to ensure the vitality of the area with the presence of people at all times. The residential element and its needs, such as shops, coffee houses, newsagents etc., will ensure that the area will remain "alive" after the traditional office hours shut down, which sadly a lot of city centres experience and suffer from.

The design of the new building set out to capture the "spirit" of the original, not simply by using materials that matched, but more importantly with the form, scale and composition.

The core tower adds to the Cambridge silhouette, which is present in the nearby Habitat shop, University Arms Hotel and colleges beyond.

Building cost: £12 million
Completion: Autumn 2004