Westgate Opens in Oxford

Westgate, a major retail led mixed use development in Oxford opens to the public. It comprises a full range department store, over 100 retail units ranging in size, and 30 restaurants and cafes. A new public roof terrace with walkways and courts leads to the restaurants and bars which provide spectacular views across the city’s historic roofscape.

BDP led the masterplan for the development which required seamlessly stitching into the historic city fabric. The new Westgate arranges a series of four individual urban blocks, tied together by public spaces and urban fabric that operate as a single entity. The public spaces integrate with the surrounding city streets and lanes to form a cross weave of arcades and lanes, linking the blocks together while integrating with and connecting the different areas of the city.

BDP was also the lead architect in the selected collaborative group of architects for the scheme, working closely with Glenn Howells, Allies & Morrison, Panter Hudspith and Dixon Jones, and has been responsible for the design of all the common areas which join all the buildings together. These include three distinct glass covered urban spaces plus a two storey underground car park and service yard. BDP designed the glass roofs over each space, which let in maximum daylight and are elegant and complementary to the architecture of the different blocks without overwhelming them.