Architects Zaha Hadid and Foster and Partners have been names on a shortlist for a project to revamp Bayswater’s Whiteleys shopping centre in west London.
The two firms are two out of four firms on the shortlist along with Make and Stiff + Trevillion. The proposals call for a complete overhaul of the centre which was once considered extremely prestigious and luxurious when it first opened in 1911.
The store once housed a theatre and a rooftop golf course during its heyday.
Created by entrepreneur William Whiteley, Whiteleys was London’s first department store with seventeen separate departments prior to being converted into a mall in the late 1980s. The Grade II listed building was purchased for £115m in September 2013 by Meyer Bergman – a deal which was considered ‘off market’ and backed by a Brunei family trust.
Zaha Hadid is one of the most famous architects in the world. She has become famous for her radical, avant-garde designs and designed the London Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Foster and Partners is a British architectural firm renowned for its high profile glass and steel buildings. Its most famous projects include London’s City Hall and Millennium Bridge.
A Whiteleys spokesperson said of the news: “We are currently reviewing concepts from a number of leading architects as we look at the next step of our transformation plans for Whiteleys.”