Clarendon Centre

Regeneration and repurposing of an urban shopping centre

The proposals for the Clarendon Centre in Oxford are for partial refurbishment of the 1960s buildings along with the demolition and new build of further parts of the site. The works will transform the centre into a new 226,500 sq ft mixed-use scheme comprising R&D laboratories, Grade A office space and student accommodation, as well as shops and restaurants.

The plans for the Centre also include a new public square that will be created in the middle of the development creating new thoroughfares through the site.

The development brief was to use as much of the existing structure as possible while delivering viable spaces for the new building uses. There are a number of challenges Walsh overcame including justification of the upwards extension of a number of existing buildings. Substantial investigations were undertaken due to the very limited historical records of the buildings and the extensive reworking of the frame often associated with retail accommodation. Any strengthening of the substructure was minimised due to the archaeological importance of the area.

Being in the middle of the largely pedestrian town centre presented Walsh with logistical constraints for construction activities, so we developed a number of structural solutions to allow flexibility as the project progresses.