Ink on paper, c.1963
Michael Evans
RCAHMS: RIAS Collection
Cumbernauld, located on a windy hilltop east of Glasgow, was one of Britain’s last, but most daringly designed, New Towns. Construction of the town took place over several phases throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Its bold architecture received wide acclaim, with architects and planners coming from across Europe to admire the outcome.
Cumbernauld was originally intended to house 50,000 to 80,000 people. Residents would live in high-density neighbourhoods surrounding a multi-purpose town centre. Michael Evans' drawing of Geoffrey Copcutt's design for the town centre illustrates Cumbernauld’s most remarkable feature. Conceived as a giant mega-structure, the centre accommodated all retail, administrative, cultural and recreational needs on nine levels.