Zaha Hadid Architects, Norman Foster alongside Make Architects’ Ken Shuttleworth, and Stiff + Trevillion are the four leading architects that have been shortlisted for the revitalization of the once lavish and luxurious Whiteleys Shopping Center in Bayswater, west London.
Current Image – Courtesy of Whiteley Shopping Center
The current building was designed by John Belcher and John James Joass. It was a wonderful vision of luxury at the time, including both a theater and a golf-course on the roof.
A spokesman for Whiteleys said: “We are currently reviewing concepts from a number of leading architects as we look at the next step of our transformation plans for Whiteleys”.
Pre War Image – Courtesy of Whiteley Shopping Center
This remodeling comes as part of a £500 million plan to revitalize Queensway, and make it “the Covent Garden of west London”.
Before it was converted into a mall in the 1990s, the Grade II listed Whitleyes’s was London’s first department store with seventeen separate departments. The 147 years old building was sold for £115 million in September 2013 to Meyer Bergman. This deal was supported by a Brunei family trust and was considered ‘off market’ .