Interview with Ken Baker

Ken’s first job was designing the CMK road layouts. He recalls their team, led by Stuart Mosscrop, working in the ‘far reaches’ of Wavendon Tower, all the architects in one room. Ken says: ‘we were trying to fulfil the ideals that were laid out …in beautiful passages in the green book [Master Plan] where it describes a future of opportunity and equality’. Ken also recalls the brilliant Helmut Jacoby drawings of CMK areas. He describes the process of agreeing the layout of the central grid; probably a year spent drawing diagrams, gradually agreeing the dimensions. He talks of the importance of pedestrian routes, the design of underpasses, and raised level of boulevards. He worked with engineers on road designs, and recalls how the ‘enormous’ central section of the elevated road where two roads cross, was done using one ‘pour of concrete’, taking 24 hours. Ken comments how people now try to ‘fiddle’ with the grid, as in the part closure of Midsummer Boulevard, without understanding the structure.

Ken describes the design of the shopping building, as an open-ended ‘democratic’ building, recalling the model making unit led by Chris Olney that produced a CMK model for the 1972 Design Centre exhibition. He explains why the initial design lacked doors; and the eventual decision taken to add them. He recognises that the young CMK architect team were trusted by the MKDC Board to produce something that would work… ‘a leap of faith, to raise the millions of pounds that were needed to build that building’. Ken was responsible for the uniquely designed 600mm paving slabs for the City Centre, which could be fitted to the required area, needing no cutting. The flags were made specifically for MKDC by Empire Stone, a Leicester company. Ken explains that the dimensions of the shopping centre are harmonious to the eye, based on the ‘golden section’ principle. Finally, Ken describes the importance of the porte-cochères crossing the boulevards: ‘they are the crossroads of the service infrastructure’ as much as pedestrian routes: ‘each porte-cochère has …an area designed for equipment .. gas governors, electrical controls, anything else you wanted to put in there.’