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Jon Emery is the UK managing director of developer Hammerson, though some people refer to him as 鈥淢r Bullring鈥�. Having led Birmingham鈥檚 famous 拢330m development, Emery is now immersed in other pioneering town centre schemes, two of which are set to open next year: Cabot Circus in Bristol, a 拢245m, 92,000m2 joint venture with Land Securities, and the 拢210m, 60,000m2 Highcross in Leicester, which is being developed with Hermes. He鈥檚 known for his willingness to embrace quality architecture, and for eye-catching developments that reinvent what shopping centres are all about. So we decided to find out what he thinks the future holds鈥�

What will the shopping centres of the future look like?

There鈥檚 no single answer. Each city needs a slightly different solution, not just aesthetically but also because the competition is different. We鈥檙e being a lot more experimental in how we put schemes together hotels appear in almost every one of our schemes, cinemas appear too, and catering content is now more than 10%.

I think moving from an indoor to an outdoor environment is quite significant. We鈥檙e trying to take the best of indoor centres - security, weather protection, all the hygiene factors you need but remove their surburban nature and connect them into the city to make it more likely consumers that will stay longer. Spending all day in Bluewater is something I sort of struggle with as an enjoyable experience, even with its vast array of shops. Spending all day in a city like Liverpool or Birmingham or Manchester, on the other hand, has got much more going for it.

How important is architecture to shopping centres?

I think it鈥檚 fundamental. A building that shows off your city is like a magnet, and with mixed-use schemes coming in, a single design solution is no longer tenable.

We like working with architects who have an intelligence beyond the bow ties and the black polo necks. Some of the practices we are using are very small and the risk is that they鈥檙e going to struggle with the amount of work, so in some cases we put them together with other practices.

What are the architectural trends in retail?

I think we鈥檒l see a range of clusters being created through different street patterns, so there will be an area for high street shops, one for local shops and so on. We might say: 鈥淲e could refurbish that little street there and that could be our local shops, and these listed buildings here could be our premium brands.鈥�

we like working with architects who have an intelligence beyond the black polo necks 鈥�

There鈥檒l also be more vertical separation of buildings so we鈥檒l have a building that has residential above and shops below, but architecturally wrapped with the same finish. The scale of the buildings is obviously getting bigger with more levels and greater density. And I think we鈥檒l see a narrowing of streets as well everything is getting taller and closer together.

Can shopping centres be truly sustainable?

That鈥檚 a good question can anywhere be truly sustainable? We鈥檝e looked at all our developments to see what we can do. At Leicester we took out all the residential electric heating and put in a central biomass dual-fuel boiler. My recurring comment was that I didn鈥檛 want Hammerson to be responsible for building the last dinosaurs. To me, it was no excuse to say: 鈥淲ell, we designed it seven years ago, so we can鈥檛 do anything about it now.鈥� The builder was very co-operative, changing the plasterboard and blockwork to have higher recycled content.

We鈥檙e targeting BREEAM 鈥渆xcellent鈥� for all of our schemes. It鈥檚 fundamental and it鈥檚 incredible how quickly it鈥檚 become normal thinking already.

Any regrets?

I would be very happy to take my three-year-old son and point at all the buildings that daddy鈥檚 been involved in. I鈥檓 proud of all of them. When we did the Bullring, I thought it would have been nice to get some more catering in the scheme. I think it missed that a little bit, and shortly afterwards I thought it would have been nice to put some residential on top of it as well.

What have you learned from your less successful developments?

I鈥檝e learned that there are easier ways of making money! There needs to be a very clear vision of what you鈥檙e trying to achieve. There are so many things along the way that will dilute it, whether it鈥檚 the construction process, the quantity surveying or the retail leasing process. There are a lot of stumbling blocks, which will bring you back to solutions that won鈥檛 stand the test of time. We all know shopping centres that are just very dull.

Retail is all about fashion and the moment that鈥檚 why the construction process needs to respond to change very rapidly. If the shape of the jeans has changed, the environment that retailers want to occupy will change as well.