Looking good!! Drone images from Stephen Giles.

The 1904-built grade II* listed building will be fully and unequivocally restored by Irish developer Oakmount and sister leisure company Creative Cedar and will be operated by another of Oakmount's sister companies, Press Up Hospitality.

Known as ‘The Dean’ – a UK first – the building will see a viability-boosting three-storey glazed roof extension to house another UK first: a flagship Sophie’s restaurant and bar, with two terraces affording panoramic views across the city.

The hotel-led destination will also see a full restoration of its Central Hall auditorium into a grand 1,500 capacity event venue, guaranteed to become one of the city's premier destinations, as well as offering basement and ground-level commercial and business units.

These will feature several public bars, eateries, and leisure brands, such as the members-only 'The Dalton' club and cocktail bar, a 'Creative Cedar' gym, meeting rooms, and a classic barber's.

Class!

The Dean Birmingham, images from TODD Architects. 

Long lost to demolition during the mid-20th century when the site once housed dense back-to-backs and terraced housing, the site will re-establish new frontages to both Upper Gough Street and Chapmans Passage for the first time in a generation.

Recognising the emergence of new projects in the area, the I-shaped Corstorphine & Wright design will be spread over five to seven storeys and will be formed around two landscaped courtyards.

Accommodating a wide range of lifestyles, the project includes a hearty array of one- and two-bedroom apartments, together with 5 two-bedroom duplex townhouses - eleven have been assigned affordable, with 25% available as 'First Homes'.

Complementing the living spaces will be a fifth-floor roof terrace offering both exercise spaces & views across the city, spaces for 56 cycles, and private balconies to select apartments.

Brought forward by Upper Gough Street Ltd (Rainier Developments), the development also includes a new pedestrianised thoroughfare to Chapmans Passage, which will go a long way to sewing together the fabric of the street to (ultimately) provide fluid access to the historic Peace Gardens.

Chapmans Yard, images from Corstorphine&Wright.

As our drone images show, Enterprise Wharf is looking absolutely magnificent as we enter the closing stages of development – with the prominent external red panels now being installed.

Offering 120,000K SF of high-quality commercial space over ten floors, the £30m building is a brand-new addition to Birmingham Innovation Campus, the UK’s largest dedicated digital tech campus, home to over 170 businesses. But there's so much more.

The building, brought forward by Bruntwood SciTech, and designed by Associated Architects, will be embedded with the latest cutting-edge new technologies, such as ‘Internet of Things’ sensors, which will act as a ‘central nervous system’ for the building to provide its energy use data.

Businesses will be able to harness this data to optimise their heating, lighting, and air quality, helping to reduce emissions, and operational costs while improving occupants' wellbeing.

A whole lot of work is also happening around the periphery of the site, with the planting of new trees rejuvenating the canalside and amenity. Other facilities will include 5G coverage, a large open-plan reception, collaborative spaces, showers, breakout areas, and a roof terrace.

Drone images from Stephen Giles.

Enterprise Wharf CGIs from Bruntwood SciTech.

We took to the skies recently to snap the latest progress of Setl, where construction is well underway on the delivery of two residential buildings.

The site will see a new part 6-12 storey to Ludgate Hill & Newhall Street, with a striking tile-clad three-storey cushioned canalside.

102 one- and two-bedroom apartments will be formed, together with two public commercial units that will add to the already thriving commercial street scene on Ludgate Hill.

All of this will be complemented by a rooftop garden on the sixth floor, with workspaces, lounges, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, and an internal courtyard space.

The £32m project is HBD's first foray into Birmingham and, with Jeweller Quarter trendsetters BPN designing the scheme, Setl - when it completes in 2024 - will be externally finished in a dark red & light red orange brick, with bespoke glazed terracotta & decorative detailing, paying homage to Birmingham's architectural past.

Cornwall House for Ready Player One (Image from Metrogogo, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons).

Drone photography from Stephen Giles; CGIs from HBD.

Follow the development HERE with us!

Prosperity Developments are bringing forward plans to rejuvenate this area of the city.

Spread across two parcels of land, the development has been designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects.

Having bounced onto the scene back in 2021, the proposal went back to the drawing board and has now been refined in recent weeks to consider the other emerging schemes in the area - namely Birmingham Smithfield, and Warner Fields.

THESE ARE THE CHANGES PROPOSED (GREEN):

Plot 1: Significant improvements have been made to Bradford Street.

The new design now features a classic perimeter block of buildings ranging from 7 right up to 11-storeys at prominent corners. The perimeter extends to Bradford Street, across Rea Street, Cheapside, and back towards Bradford Street.

The designs have also been significantly improved to take more cues from neighbouring heritage assets.

The old proposal v the new one:

Plot 2: This is where we will see an increase in height, which will be dissected by a newly created green linear link and a green space that looks out towards Smithfield.

Previous plans for Pressworks saw a 21-storey to Bradford Street - which, of course, has now been refined. The height has now been transferred to Moseley Street - and will reach 23-storeys.

Why? Other emerging schemes in the area, namely Warner Fields, will incorporate a landmark 30-storey directly adjacent Pressworks. For that reason, the 23-storey has been positioned to sit subservient to the 30-storey, but to also sit in line with the planned 'scraper at Smithfield.

Therefore, an emerging cluster is earmarked for the ever-changing area, all of which will face onto a new public green link and sit in front of Smithfield. Good forward thinking!

Like the CGIs? Let us know in the comments.

Pressworks Birmingham, images from Glancy Nicholls Architects.

Early morning arrival.

Waiting outside.

In we go!

South Central tower, well under construction on Bristol Street, Essex Street.

The historic Rotunda.

Cranes Reflected in the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

One Centenary Square (HSBC UK), the Hyatt Regency Hotel, The Mercian, and the core of Cortland Broad Street.

The Library of Birmingham.

Looking Over Centenary Square.

'Cheese'.

On the Top Floor.

The Dome of the Council House.

Exchange Square, Phase 2, is flying up!

Orion House and Beetham Tower

And down we go! 

Photography by Daniel Sturley

Photography by Stephen Giles

Photography by Mat Burling

Photography by Jack Babington

There are now nearly 800 photos of the construction of this building and can be seen in reverse date order in the full gallery here:

Full Construction Feature Project and Photo Gallery

Once home to Furnaces & Machinery, until their demise in 2019, the Alcester Street site will deliver 39 one- and two-bedroom apartments, in two buildings of three to six storeys.

The Corstorphine & Wright designed scheme, red-bricked and offering a symbolic nod to Digbeth's industrial heritage, will offer high-end apartments to match the demands of today's rental market.

Six storeys to Alcester Street and three storeys to Cheapside, the new builds will nestle alongside its historic neighbour, The Fountain Inn, offering it focal point status - and bustling trade - for years to come.

Both builds will reanimate their respective streets and will be set around an attractive and intimate internal courtyard space - as seen below. Watch our socials for more on Fountain Lofts!

Construction images from Stephen Giles; CGIs from 10m Group.

Located on Hanley Street and Lower Loveday Street, The Crown Works is a 203-apartment scheme entirely for rent (View the site map HERE)

Led by Europa Capital and White Ink Architects, the new placemaking community will reinforce the area through a contemporary, contextual design offering an enhanced interpretation of the area.

With groundworks ramping up on site and a crane due any time now, The Crown Works will be arranged in four blocks of four to eight storeys, with each one, two & three-bedroom apartment designed to a high specification, across 138K SF of space.

With renters in Birmingham wanting good quality living spaces and amenities aplenty, The Crown Works offers that in abundance.

There will be up to 5,900K SF of attractive facilities on offer, with all apartments set around a raised courtyard, with concierge services, shared gardens, terraces, dining and meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, as well as co-working areas for those WFH, all on offer.

Two public ground floor commercial units, totalling 3,700K SF, will also bring additional vitality to the area. The Crown Works is scheduled for a circa. April 2024 completion.

June 30:

May:

Drone images by Stephen Giles; CGIs from Europa Capital/White Ink Architects.

MAY

Cortland Broad Street from a little over a mile away at Soho Loop:

Photography from Stephen Giles.

JUNE

Photography from Daniel Sturley.

There are now over 200 photos of the construction of this building and can be seen in reverse date order in the full gallery here: The Square, Broad Street - Full Construction Photo Gallery

29th April 2022

4th May 2022

11th May 2022

13th May 2022

14th May 2022

16th May 2022

19th May 2022

27th May 2022

27th May 2022

28th May 2022

31st May 2022

It's Your Build were kindly invited to the offices of Glenn Howells Architects in Digbeth to view and photograph their amazing architectural models.

10th June 2022

14th June 2022

17th June 2022

19th June 2022

Photography by Daniel Sturley.

Paper Yard will revive a 1960s warehouse site with 77 apartments and family townhouses.

With all leases on site now expired (as of March 2022), the tired industrial site is to be unceremoniously demolished and replaced with four distinct but interconnected blocks of three to six storeys.

The site will deliver 71 one- and two-bedroom apartments, and six family-sized townhouses/duplexes, complemented by a mix of greenery & amenities, including gardens to all ground floor units, recessed/Juliet balconies, a heavily landscaped communal garden, photovoltaic panels, a green roof on the Princip Street part, and secure bicycle spaces for 75.

SET FOR DEMOLITION:

Paper Yard, images from BPN Architects; Demolition images from Google Street Maps.

Designed to ‘BREEAM Excellent’ certifications, 3CS will ultimately raise the bar in the region to become one of the most sustainable commercial buildings, resulting in a highly progressive low carbon, low energy building.

With distinctive florid motifs, vertical ribs & an elegant two-storey cantilevered base, the prominent terracotta building will offer a desirable office environment with health and wellbeing firmly at its heart.

Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, 3CS will offer approximately 236K SF of office space & a ninth-floor roof terrace, with a sizeable 14K SF of mixed-use space at ground level.

A basement level is also included with changing facilities and 250 cycle parking spaces, with an additional 16 at ground level.

With consent granted, planning conditions arising from this will ensure that any design concerns are addressed at the delivery stage. Watch this space!

Three Chamberlain Square, images from Feilden Clegg Bradley. View the site map HERE.

Lower Essex Street Ltd – led by the team who developed the excellent Timber Yard adjacent, as well as Soho Wharf – is seeking the go-ahead to develop the land with a major 628-home build-to-rent (BTR) development at the heart of the city's vibrant Gay Village.

Three new buildings of eight, 12 and 27-storeys (98m) are planned, comprising one- to three-bedroom apartments (36 affordable), as well as over 20K SF of high-quality new ground-level amenity and commercial space, providing a vibrant extension to an already bustling commercial scene.

Plans also include discounted space for a local LGBT charity.

Two internally landscaped courtyards, extensive winter and podium gardens, terraces, and a ninth-floor roof terrace on the tower would be available to residents.

New tree-lined boulevards are planned, linking Hurst Street to Lower Essex Street, along with a new public square and a lime tree-lined link on Sherlock Street.

A cycle highway already runs past the site; as a result, 644 cycle spaces are to be provided across each new building, along with 24 car spaces, six disabled, and five electric vehicle bays.

A statement filed on behalf of the applicant said: "The proposal represents a significant capital investment which will create employment, drive increased spending in the local economy, and support the city council's aspirations for Southside and Highgate.

"The mix of housing delivers a range of unit types that best reflect the demographic trends and market demand in this part of the city centre, as well as supporting the creation of sustainable communities."

An officer's report said: "The scheme would make efficient use of this largely vacant brownfield site and contribute to the city's need for residential accommodation.

"There would be a net positive impact upon biodiversity, subject to the recommended conditions and, notwithstanding the small amount of employment land, the scheme would, on balance, make a positive contribution towards the regeneration of this part of the city centre."

Lower Essex Square will be reviewed by the city council’s planning committee on 16 June, at 11 am.

Lower Essex Square, images from Claridge Architects.

EMERGING AREA: Itsyourbuild's Development Map - Birmingham's first and only.

Brought forward by ES Suffolk Birmingham Ltd – McAleer & Rushe – Gough Street has been designed by Urban Innovations, the same team behind the 24-storey Oynx on Lancaster Street.

With Vita Group set to operate the ‘BREEAM Very Good’ building, students will have the added luxury of having a multitude of internal & external amenities to choose from.

Students will be greeted by a 24-hour concierge and reception via its Gough Street entrance, with two of the lower levels here devoted to shared facilities and amenities.

These include a pool/games area, study spaces, laundry, and private bookable dining rooms on the first and 28th floors – not to mention the landscaped terraces on the first, second & 29th floors.

A bio-green roof garden is proposed for the ten-storey here – a street that will also see a new layby for deliveries and drop-offs, as well as accommodating 207 cycle spaces.

To Suffolk Street Queensway, a double-height glazed entrance frontage will be introduced to the street and will provide a state-of-the-art gym studio and a social hub.

The designs for the development consist of a stack bonded brick finish with a horizontal rhythm, one that creates depth, texture and visual interest to a primary route into the city.

It is anticipated that – consent pending & the discharging of conditions relating to approval – the project could well kick off later this year – but 2023 looks the likelier option. Stay tuned!

Gough Street, images from Urban Innovations. View the site map HERE.

PROJECT TEAM:
Client: ES Suffolk Birmingham Ltd (McAleer & Rushe)
Architect: Urban Innovations, Park Hood
Operator: Vita Group
Project Manager/ Contractor: McAleer & Rushe
Principal Designer: Hasco
Civil & Structural Engineer: MCR Consulting
MEP: Caldwell Consulting
Sustainability & Energy: BPP Energy
Air Quality: Ramboll
Planning Consultant: Carter Jonas
Targeted start & completion: October 2022; August 2025

As our drone images show, Enterprise Wharf is looking absolutely magnificent as we enter the closing stages of development.

Offering 120,000K SF of high-quality commercial space over ten floors, the £30m building is a brand new addition to Birmingham Innovation Campus, the UK’s largest dedicated digital tech campus, home to over 170 businesses. But there's so much more.

The building, brought forward by Bruntwood SciTech, and designed by Associated Architects, will be embedded with the latest cutting-edge new technologies, such as ‘Internet of Things’ sensors, which will act as a ‘central nervous system’ for the building to provide its energy use data.

Businesses will be able to harness this data to optimise their heating, lighting, and air quality, helping to reduce emissions, and operational costs while improving occupants' wellbeing.

A whole lot of work is happening around the periphery of the site, with the planting of 83 new trees rejuvenating the canalside and amenity. Other facilities will include 5G coverage, a large open-plan reception, collaborative spaces, showers, breakout areas, and a roof terrace. Nice!

Images from Stephen Giles.

Images from Stephen Giles; CGIs from Elevate Property Group.

You can follow the project here with us, as well as on Twitter, and on Instagram.

Transforming a derelict site full of industrial heritage, Glasswater Locks is a phaseable placemaking regeneration that will deliver up to 753 stylish one to three-bedroom apartments and duplexes in buildings ranging from one to 37-storeys (123m).

The site – close to the forthcoming HS2 network, and the emerging Knowledge Quarter – will inject new life into the canal-side, with high-quality new public squares, and elevated shared podiums containing a mixture of alfresco restaurants, bars, and cafes.

Residents will have a canal-side club with elevated, residents-only courtyard gardens with 155m of canal-side frontages, lounges, 24-hour concierge, reading and co-working areas, games room, cinema room, and a state-of-the-art gymnasium.

Seven buildings will be built, starting with 59-bed Ashted Wharf and 60-bed Belmont Wharf – two nine-storey buildings that’ll feature one- and two-bedrooms and those impressive residents’ facilities listed above.

Subsequent buildings include Cardigan Wharf and Curzon Wharf – again, two nine-storey builds; 18-storey Cameo Works; and the signature 37-storey Glasswater Tower.

Up to 769 bicycles will be allocated, with underground parking for around 108, 15 disabled, and around 10 electric vehicle bays.

The development, which you can follow here with us, is being brought forward by St Joseph Homes, Berkeley Group's newest WM brand named after our 19th Century mayor, Joseph Chamberlain.

They follow the ethos, espoused by Chamberlain himself, that ‘inspiring public realm is the cornerstone of a happy, thriving community.’

Glasswater Locks will officially launch on May 21 & 22, click here for more.

Glasswater Locks, images from St. Joseph Homes.

The Galliard & Apsley turnkey development, acquired by Swedish giant Heimstaden Bostad for £160m, will deliver 752 new apartments and townhouses in six new builds ranging from four to 14-storeys when it completes in early 2024.

Reinvigorating the 12-acre site and the wider community within the Greater Icknield Masterplan, Soho Wharf has been designed and master-planned by London-based architectural practice, Claridge Architects.

The site will present an attractive array of choices, including 102 carefully crafted two- and three-bedroom family townhouses, as well as 650 one- and two-bedroom apartments in a variety of tenures, with 64 on-site affordable units. 

With intimate green pockets, shared gardens, and public waterfront spaces, Soho Wharf includes around 10,000K SF of vibrant, public, and resident-friendly commercial at ground level. 

Linking the site will be two central public greens - making up 38% of the land - known as 'The Meadow' and 'Garden', which will serve as significant focal points at the heart of Soho Wharf. 

Another will be located canal-side, which will also see a new pedestrian bridge, connecting the site with the wider canal network and granting direct access to Birmingham city centre!

Follow us on Twitter & on Instagram for more development updates.

Construction images from Stephen Giles; CGIs from Claridge Architects.

The build-to-rent scheme, from Select Property Group’s Affinity Living brand, will feature a series of linked buildings of six to 23-storeys, positively reactivating the canal-side plot to cater to the demands of the Birmingham rental market.

Offering large, contemporary living spaces, with new hybrid ways of living and working, Lancaster Wharf will feature floor-to-ceiling windows and fully integrated high-spec kitchens, in addition to a multitude of amenities.

These include a state-of-the-art gymnasium, with an internal and external sixth-floor terrace area, basement cycle storage, co-working spaces, residents and TV lounge, and a spacious waterfront garden courtyard.

With a contractor appointed, to facilitate the start of works, a historic ornate gateway will be dismantled brick-by-brick, stored, and reinstalled at a later date, while the wider site, which includes the former Police Stores Building, will be demolished in the coming months ahead. 

Follow us on Twitter & on Instagram for more development updates.

Lancaster Wharf, images from Select Property Group.

The site will be developed by Goodstone Living, the UK build-to-rent (BTR) property arm of Australian mega-company, Macquarie Asset Management, for its first BTR development.

The placemaking scheme will revitalise the former industrial site with 563 apartments and townhouses across six new buildings varying between three to 26-storeys, all centred around one acre of private garden space.

The new community will benefit from a new public realm, with amenities including a rooftop bar and terraces, private dining, a fitness zone, a nursery, private gardens, and public commercial and business spaces, further nurturing Digbeth's live-work-play ethos.

Be sure to watch the development with us (Buildsweare & Itsyourbirmingham).

Camp Hill Gardens, CGIs from Darling Associates; demolition images from Stephen Giles.

Chapmans Yard would effectively infill a long-term car park site with an 'I'-shaped block featuring 111 one- and two-bedroom apartments spread over five to seven storeys.

The brownfield site, long lost to demolition during the mid-20th century when the site once housed dense back-to-back and terraced housing, would re-introduce new frontages to both Upper Gough Street and Chapmans Passage for the first time in a generation.

Formed around two internal private courtyard spaces, the new community is set to benefit from biodiverse roofs, secure storage for c. 56 cycles, and a fifth-floor amenity space offering exercise spaces and views across the city.

Recognising the major new office and residential developments coming forward in the vicinity, Chapmans Yard proposes a healthy mix of 56 one- and 50 two-bedroom apartments (1-4 persons), alongside 5 two-bedroom duplexe townhouses to cater to every lifestyle.

This would be supplemented by a pedestrianised thoroughfare to Chapmans Passage, (eventually) stitching together the fabric of the street to provide fluid access to the historic Peace Gardens.

Chapmans Yard - images from Corstorphine+Wright, Itsyourbuild, and Google Maps.

Oakmount (*Creative Cedar Ltd*) plans to turn this grand old building into a flagship new c.155 bedroom hotel, operated by their own Press Up Hospitality Group, along with a viability-boosting rooftop extension that will include a Sophie's restaurant and bar.

The hotel-led destination also includes a full restoration of the Central Hall auditorium into a stunning new 1500-capacity event space to become one of the city’s premier event spaces.

Grade II* listed and built in 1904, the largely vacant and derelict building is currently on a Heritage at Risk Register and has seen a plethora of commercially unviable plans fail to materialise over the years.

It is to be rebranded as The Dean Birmingham.

A 'Creative Cedar' Power Gym, a traditional barber's, meeting rooms, and 'The Dalton Club' - a members club/ cocktail bar - will be among the vibrant new public-friendly bars, restaurants, and leisure brands available at basement and ground floor levels.

The project will create roughly 291 full-time jobs and will become Creative Cedar's first UK location.

PROJECT TEAM:
Developer: Oakmount (*Creative Cedar Ltd*) 
Architect: TODD Architects
Operator: Press Up Hospitality Group (Part of Creative Cedar)
Structural Engineer: Heyne Tillett Steel
MEP Engineer: Semple McKillop
Interior Designer: O'Donnell O'Neill
Fire Engineer: Sweco
Access Consultant: RLB
Acoustics: Anderson Acoustics
Planning Consultant: SLR Consulting

The Dean Birmingham, images from TODD Architects.

A 31-storey tower with 650 purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) units, 180 build-to-rent apartments within seven and 10-storey buildings, and the conversion of the site's two western Grade II* listed buildings into a publicly accessible gym and café are among the plans proposed, allowing for a new neighbourhood to thrive.

New courtyards and private landscaped canal-side areas would serve as private green spaces for future tenants and students, offering pleasant green spaces in the city centre.

The listed buildings, which formerly housed the Queens Hospital, would be integrated into the wider development to become a true focal point of a new community.

The western building would be opened up to the public to include a café and gym, as well as a bike store with resident workspaces. The eastern building could facilitate high-quality graduate accommodation (as seen below).

EXISTING EAST BLOCK:

EXISTING WEST BLOCK:

Have your say

You can share your feedback by:

• Completing the online form here
• Emailing contact@queenshospitalclose.co.uk
• Freephone number on 0808 1688 296 and a member of the team will call you back

We ask that you share your feedback by Wednesday 18th May.

Queens Hospital Close, images: www.queenshospitalclose.co.uk.

With plans unaminously approved, all existing listed buildings at Key Hill Town End will be preserved, restored, and reused for future generations to saviour. 

New build elements will also be delivered to offer a total of 62 studios, one to three-bedroom apartments, townhouses, duplexes, and ground floor commercial units.

KEY HILL TOWN END

40% of Key Hill Town End is situated at 17-21 Hockley Hill – home to 1913-built, Gem Buildings, a Grade-II* listed building to be refurbished to provide 16 loft studios & duplex apartments; and the 1824-built, Harry Smith Buildings – three integrated buildings set to retain its commercial studios with six apartments above.

The remaining 60% resides over the road on Key Hill Drive, and these would see new builds and refurbishments.

These include the demolition of 54-58 Key Hill, which will be replaced with 23 apartments with commercial, courtyard, and a communal roof terrace; 1-2 Key Hill Drive: new build and refurbished elements to offer 13 apartments; and 3-4 Key Hill Drive: two refurbished former Victorian houses into two houses and two studios.

The development will provide spaces for 9 cars and 65 cycles.

AFFORDABLE WORKSPACE & PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS

PCPT has agreed that 50 per cent of the commercial floor space, equating to 5,022K SF, will be made available to the creative industries.

In addition, around £60,000 will be put towards Public Open Space improvements - namely improvements to nearby Key Hill cemetery.

Key Hill Town End, images from PCPT Architects and Google Maps.

Follow Buildsweare on Twitter & Itsyourbirmingham on Instagram for updates.