Mc Arthur Glen, Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village is the UK’s largest outlet shopping destination. In collaboration with the then North West Development Agency, a site was identified for a new stand-alone Visitor Centre to service the millions of visitors who shop and dine before exploring the wider Cheshire region.

New Build Visitor Information Centre

The Cheshire Oaks Visitor Centre is bwd’s first foray into architecture. As interior architects, we usually plan and detail the internal space. This project involved the planning and design of the whole building. Having undertaken a successful feasibility for the client, bwd were invited to design and manage the new build scheme.

bwd have delivered a purpose-built Centre which maximised an awkwardly clipped corner plot. The building shape was born out of studying visitor flows around the site. We observed natural desire lines as well as peak traffic flows and bottlenecks. The internal space is angled to reflect the external. A curtain walling systems were used to optimise views into and out of the Centre. Information is displayed on state-of-the-art screens and literature is presented by subject matter, making the services on offer, easier to browse. The look and feel of the architecture is a ‘nod’ to the surrounding mock-Tudor Centre, however, is contemporary in appearance.