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Brent Cross Cricklewood Regeneration

London, UK

º£½ÇÊÓƵ played a pivotal role in shaping the design for an updated shopping centre at Brent Cross Cricklewood – bringing together infrastructure, sustainability, building physics and transport expertise to help progress one of London’s most ambitious regeneration schemes. 

Part of a wider £8bn regeneration of Brent Cross in north London, the shopping centre will form the bustling hub of the new town centre, comprising a welcoming network of covered streets and spaces that will provide world class retail, dining and leisure amenities. A range of highways and public transport refinements are proposed, including a pedestrian and cycle bridge across the North Circular Road that will link the two new centres. 

CFD and thermal modelling helped optimise comfort in covered streets, guiding design decisions for seasonal resilience. 

Energy strategy cut carbon emissions by 40% below 2010 Part L targets, using CHP and district heating.

Sustainability planning shaped a commercially viable scheme aligned with council and GLA expectations. 

Environmental modelling informed massing and landscape design, improving pedestrian safety and comfort. 

Challenge

The existing Brent Cross Shopping Centre – the UK’s first fully enclosed shopping mall – opened its doors in March 1976 and remains in operation today, offering a full range of retail, leisure and dining outlets. But the vision developed from 2005-2013 sought to substantially redevelop and modernise the mall. 

Our specialist engineers and consultants worked closely with the development partners and project team to prepare a masterplan for the regeneration of Brent Cross Shopping Centre and its surrounding area, comprising more than 150 hectares north and south of the North Circular Road in Barnet.  

We needed to create a sustainability strategy that would meet the needs of all the stakeholders including the local council and the GLA as well as ensuring its long-term commercial viability. 

Solution

We also devised an energy strategy that will reduce the carbon emissions of the development by around 40% less than required by the Building Regulations (Part L): 2010, achieved using a combined heat and power system and a district heating network. Harvested rainwater will be used for irrigation and help reduce the demand for potable water and at least 10% of the available roof space will have green or brown roofs. 

As part of the early masterplanning for Brent Cross Cricklewood, our sustainability and building physics team undertook a detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Dynamic Thermal Modelling (DTM) study to assess the impact of the proposed covered street design on pedestrian comfort. This 2013 analysis focused on the semi-enclosed mall environment, comparing conditions with and without a roof canopy to understand how the development would perform across seasonal extremes. 

The study revealed that the canopy would help moderate internal temperatures, offering up to 1.5C of cooling in summer and a similar degree of warming in winter. Crucially, the modelling showed that the canopy itself did not exacerbate wind acceleration around entrances or walkways. Instead, it was the massing of surrounding buildings that influenced wind behaviour.  

By simulating wind flow and thermal conditions across multiple levels and orientations, the team was able to identify potential hotspots and recommend mitigation strategies – including refined building geometry and landscape interventions – to improve comfort and safety for future users. 

This early-stage analysis provided the design team with a robust evidence base, helping to shape architectural decisions and inform the planning process. It exemplifies how integrated environmental modelling can add tangible value to complex urban regeneration schemes. 

Value

Brent Cross Cricklewood continues to evolve as one of London’s most significant regeneration programmes. While the wider Brent Cross Town development is well underway â€“ with new homes, infrastructure and public realm already taking shape â€“ elements of the original masterplan, including the proposed covered mall extension, remain on hold.  

º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s early-stage engineering and environmental modelling has nonetheless played a vital role in shaping the scheme’s trajectory, providing the design team with a robust foundation for future phases and ensuring that sustainability, comfort and resilience remain central to its delivery.