Derek Walker

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Derek John Walker (born 15 June 1929, Blackburn, Lancashire, UK) is a British architect primarily associated with urban planning and leisure facilities architecture through his firm Derek Walker Associates. From 1970 to 1976, Walker was the first Chief Architect of the New Town Milton Keynes, and head of Architecture at Royal College of Art^{[citation needed]}. With Stuart Mosscrop, Walker designed the Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, the first U.S.-style shopping center in Britain.[1]

In 1980, Walker was involved with Norman Foster and Frank Newby in a controversial scheme to expand the Whitney Museum in New York City using air rights purchased from nearby properties to build a mixed-use skyscraper which would include a new wing for the museum. When a furor developed, the museum denied it had solicited the team.[2]

Walker

Derek Walker has two sons Matthew Walker & Alex Walker who both live in Leeds and eight grandchildren Grace, Lydia, Liam, Aaron, Fay, Anna, Daniel & Leah who also live in Leeds. Walker currently lives in London & Bath with his wife Eve, but also spends a lot of time in the south of France, and with his children and grand children up north.

[edit] Projects

• Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes
• Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds
• Luminar Leisure's Jumpin' Jaks/Chicago Rock Cafe in Aberdeen[3]

[edit] Publications

• The Great Engineers : The Art of British Engineers 1837-1987. ISBN 0856709174
• Happold : The Confidence to Build ISBN 0419240608
• Animated Architecture
• Structural Engineering Design in Practice. With Roger Westbrook.
• The Royal Armouries in Leeds. With Guy Wilson.
• New Towns (Architectural Design, No 111). With Maggie Toy.
• Helmut Jacoby Architectural Drawings
• The Architecture and Planning of Milton Keynes