Westfield
- Client
- Chelsfield
- Services
- Architecture, Interior Design
- Sector
- Retail
- Location
- London, UK
The UK’s first Westfield, and Europe’s largest shopping centre
Benoy’s transformation of a brownfield site in Shepherd’s Bush in West London delivered the UK’s first Westfield Shopping Centre, a 150,000m² retail destination that opened in 2008 as the country’s largest indoor shopping centre. Despite opening during a global recession, it drew 23 million visitors in its first year, exceeding expectations by 15%. A 2018 expansion grew the total area to 240,000m², making Westfield London the largest shopping centre in Europe. Annual footfall now averages 38 million visitors.
150,000m²
Below ground, above ground
The site presented significant constraints. A London Underground railway depot on the site had to remain fully operational while a new depot was built underground, prior to any construction of the shopping centre above. This required meticulous phasing and sustained coordination with two London boroughs and multiple stakeholders over a 15-year project lifecycle. Benoy was the only architectural practice involved throughout, coordinating design, stakeholder relationships, construction phasing and contractor management in full.
A retail model and a civic space
The layout centres on a glazed atrium functioning as a town square, a flexible space for events, performances, and community activities from which retail loops fan out to distinct clusters. The undulating glazed roof, supported by structural tree columns, filters natural light in patterns reminiscent of a forest canopy. This configuration has since become a dominant model for large-scale retail design.
The development has created over 20,000 jobs, accounting for 13% of employment in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, and catalysed significant investment in the surrounding area, including Imperial College’s White City campus.
