Miller Construction has handed over the new £130m Elements Square shopping centre in Livingston to Land Securities.

The 375,000 sq ft centre adjoins the existing Almondvale Shopping Centre to create almost 1million sq ft of retail space which will now be known as The Centre.

More than 7,000 workers spent an incredible 1.5 million hours on the site delivering the contemporary new shopping centre.

Brian McQuade, Joint Managing Director, Miller Construction, said: “We are extremely proud of Elements Square which has been a challenging and exciting project, enabling us to showcase our retail sector expertise.

“Throughout this project we have worked in collaboration with our supply chain and our client, Land Securities, to ensure that as one team we were delivering first class facilities which will serve generations for years to come.

“We have also contributed to a number of local charities and organisations and have worked in partnership with a several local schools on health & safety and environmental initiatives – demonstrating our commitment to making a real contribution to the communities in which we work.”

Neil Carron, Development Manager, Land Securities, said: “We are delighted with Elements Square which has been eagerly anticipated by shoppers in West Lothian and further afield. This stunning new retail development really reaffirms Livingston’s position on the map as a top shopping destination.”

The materials used inside Elements Square – granite flooring, and zinc and terracotta cladding – were chosen to give the shopping centre the feel of an outdoor high street. Adding to the outdoor feel, it even has an area known as the Wintergarden where there are 1,000 plants and trees of different varieties.

The bright and modern retail destination is the first in Scotland to boast an ETFE (plastic “air cushion”) roof – a technology made famous by other landmark structures including The Eden Project in Cornwall and Beijing’s Olympic swimming venue, the “Watercube”. A total of 137 cushions (spanning 6,500sqm) were used to create the roof, which is designed to let natural daylight flood in, and tiny lights have even been embedded in the frame to create a starlight effect at night.

Due to the size and nature of the development, thousands of construction workers have been involved since the project started in autumn 2006 and throughout this time, Miller has worked tirelessly to ensure the welfare of all staff, from the use of cutting-edge iris and facial recognition technology on its security gates, to employing a full time on-site nurse.

The project team were also presented with a Gold Considerate Constructor Scheme Award certificate for the works undertaken at the site earlier this year.

The new shopping centre brings department store shopping to Livingston for the first time, with the opening of the two 90,000 sq ft anchor stores, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams, which will be joined by a variety of top retailers and catering outlets.

Email: Victoria.Paterson@bigpartnership.co.uk