But, despite still being on schedule for completion on 13 April 2008, the £29m car park development has not been without its difficulties. Building across different ground levels, the challenges were present from the outset. But when several significant archaeological remains were found on the site, those challenges were exacerbated.

The most notable of the remains was a substantial Roman town house that stood on the site around 2,000 years ago and is one of the most important and complete structures recovered from the 100-acre civitas of Ratae Coritanorum - the Roman city that became Leicester.

University of Leicester archaeologists also found the remains of the lost church of St Michael's, dating from the 15th century, and this had a significant impact on the already complicated multi-phase site. The design of the substructure and piling for the car park had to be amended to respect the archaeology.

Architectural and engineering practice Pick Everard worked closely with structural engineers Waterman Structures to ensure the remains were undamaged so they are preserved for future generations who will be able to use more advanced excavation and analysis techniques.

"The adjustments to the original plans, hard ground and other difficult conditions meant that the construction work fell behind in the early stages, potentially jeopardising the proposed completion date of April 2008," says Pick Everard architect Andrew Brown. "But the teams involved worked late days and weekends to ensure that the building of the car park would not delay the rest of the project, and they have just completed the first of the five stair cores on schedule."

Meanwhile, concept architects Gollifer Langston managed to exploit the uneven ground levels of the site by incorporating two-storey retail units beneath the car park while having a minimal effect on the car parking arrangement.

The structure is being built over nine storeys with the public entrance into the car park's main lobby on level two and a bridge link into the shopping centre at car park level four. The car park will also provide parking for residents of the new apartments, which are being built within the envelope of the new car park, but as an individual structure.

"It's quite an elaborate design Gollifer Langston has come up with," says Chris Gilbert of Pick Everard. "The design is dictated by the four streets that surround it and the bridge link back to the John Lewis side of the extension. The bridge comes back to us at level four, which decided where the main lobbys would be."

Materials being used include aluminium veiling, which is an expanded aluminium mesh that will enclose most of the upper level of the car park. At street level, where there are no shop fronts, there will be a double layer of perforated aluminium mesh - the outer layer of which will be illuminated at night with white light. The John Lewis store opposite will have a more exciting light show to music. "We looked at creating the same system but it was decided we would have the car park as a very simple lighting scheme next to the fancy flagship store," adds Gilbert.

In addition the main stair core is enclosed within a glazed atrium that rises eight storeys above ground level. "It's a dynamic entrance lobby," adds Gilbert.

A post-tensioned slab of just 175mm think was also chosen to increase ceiling heights on each level, creating a lighter, airy atmosphere inside the car park, which in total provides 1,908 spaces, including disabled areas and parent and child provision on most levels and motorcycle parking on level one.

The car park is also going environmentally-friendly by providing 105 spaces for electric cars, enabling shoppers to recharge their car batteries while they shop.

The car park will also be naturally-ventilated and the white soffits will help reduce the lighting levels required, which impacts on the Co2 output of the building.

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