2000 - London's Green Brick Award

Covent Garden Market in Downtown London, at Talbot & King Streets, first started operating in 1835. By 1853 the first building housing stall holders for market was constructed and lasted until 1903 when a major renovation was undertaken. With the advent of the motor vehicle the market expanded to include parking facilities.

The turn of century renovations served the community well until 1956 when the next generation of the market building was constructed with two level parking garage which was later expanded with an additional two floors to keep pace with vehicle capacity.

In the late 1990’s the city issued a public request for proposal involving public meetings and consultations and McKay-Cocker became responsible for developing a portion of the project as part of a public/ private partnership with the City of London. The new market building in its design looked back in history at the previous structures and facilities and included modernized portions within the new concepts.

The facility boasts an underground parking structure over two levels totalling one hundred and thirty thousand square feet. The farmers market main floor offers forty seven and a half thousand square feet and two full a la carte restaurants and a facility for local television broadcasts. A perimeter mezzanine gives the market an additional twenty two thousand square feet of retail space.

The market still offers exterior community space for additional markets and festivals from Spring through to Fall. During the winter months the City and the Rotary Club operate an outdoor ice rink, with the infrastructure of refrigeration being incorporated into the design of the parking garage roof slab structure.

The project also received the City of London’s 2000 “Green Brick Award” for this project in recognition of its heritage design.