Winner announced RIBA Competition for a Major Mixed Use Development in the Town Centre of Maidenhead

Studio Egret West is today announced as the winner of the RIBA Competition (Royal Institute of British Architects) to be the masterplanner and lead architect for a mixed use development to reinvigorate a prominent site in Maidenhead Town Centre. Runners-up, Allies & Morrison, have also been chosen to do a major building within the scheme.

The competition was managed on behalf of local developers, Ryger Maidenhead Ltd/The London & Aberdeen Group with their long term associates, Smedvig Eiendom AS of Norway, who were seeking an architectural practice to bring imaginative thinking to build upon a high level strategic masterplan developed in conjunction with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

The new scheme will provide a mix of retail, commercial, offices and residential buildings with associated parking and a new public town plaza.  The scheme will improve accessibility and links with the Nicholson Shopping Centre and car park, the High Street and the Maidenhead railway station (joining the Crossrail route from 2019). The scheme will complement Crossrail’s arrival by creating a stimulating and vibrant living and working environment, while raising the Town Centre’s profile as a new destination for shoppers, workers and residents and an attractive central meeting place.

Studio Egret West and Allies & Morrison were selected from a shortlist, which included Eric Parry Architects and Rick Mather Architects.  The judging panel included representatives from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and RIBA Adviser, Sarah Williams.

Commenting on the winning design Doug Higgins, Managing Director, London & Aberdeen Group said:  “After a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating RIBA competition, we are delighted to announce Studio Egret West as the winning lead architects for the Broadway site in Maidenhead town centre with Allies & Morrison doing a major building within the scheme. The competition itself was incredibly productive and well-run thanks to our RIBA Adviser, Sarah Williams and also Julia Davies from the RIBA. It was a hugely valuable exercise, which came to a unanimous decision on Studio Egret West as lead architects. Their whole approach and feel for Maidenhead will lead to a scheme that integrates effortlessly with the surrounding town, while providing a wonderful place to eat, drink, meet, play, work and live. We wish to thank again all the architects that expressed interest in this site and especially the two other short-listed firms, Eric Parry Architects and Rick Mather Architects, for their immense effort and work that they clearly invested into this. We look forward to now beginning the serious work and progressing a scheme with our world-class team towards an Outline Planning Application in the near future.”

Sarah Williams, S Williams Architects, acting as the RIBA Adviser added:  “It was a very difficult decision, due to the high quality of all the teams and submissions and whilst Studio Egret West’s proposals for Maidenhead struck a chord with the judging panel, Allies & Morrison’s proposals were also highly recommended. The masterplan addresses many of the key design challenges posed by the brief and will, no doubt, provide a thoughtful, elegant and playful development, very much embedded at the heart of Maidenhead."

On winning the competition David West, Studio Egret West said: "We aim to inject new life into the heart of Maidenhead. Our ambition for this pivotal site in Maidenhead is to seamlessly weave high quality homes and workspace, well orientated eating, drinking and specialist retail into the fabric of the town. Working with traditional materials with a contemporary twist, we propose a family of noble buildings, clustered in pairs around a central square and flexible forum building providing a community focus."

Cllr MJ Saunders, the Royal Borough’s cabinet member for planning and property, corporate transformation and Maidenhead, said: “We are looking forward to seeing what exciting ideas Studio Egret West has for this key part of Maidenhead. Through PRoM we have developed a robust strategy for achieving a vibrant town centre and are excited about the potential this appointment offers.”

Bob Dulson, chairman of PRoM, said: “The RIBA competition was an excellent way of attracting top quality architects – congratulations to Studio Egret West and Allies and Morrison. This is another step towards our mission of creating a town centre that is the distinctive heart of the community and an appealing home to people and commerce.”

Studio Egret West and Allies & Morrison will now work with the local developers, London & Aberdeen Group; Smedvig Eiendom AS of Norway, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and PRoM (Partnership for the Rejuvenation of Maidenhead) on their design proposals for a planning application to be submitted later this year.

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