- TOTAL COST
- £28M
- COMPLETED
- 2017
- DURATION
- 1Y2M
- RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
Project description
Situated at the corner of Colmore Row and Church Street, 55 Colmore Row is one of Birmingham’s most prominently positioned and widely recognised business addresses, with a Grade II listed Victorian terrace façade overlooking St Philip’s Cathedral.
The complex and extensive programme of works provides three brand new floors offering panoramic views of the city, plus complete refurbishment and alteration of the existing space, bringing this desirable address into a ‘Grade A’ office rating.
In addition to the building’s vertical extension, the team has reorganised the existing floor plates to provide flexible office space, combined with restaurant outlet space on the ground floor and basement levels.
Advanced technology has been used extensively throughout the building. This includes a state of the art reception desk, aligned entry system, and individual key car identification lifts, making all the lifts buttonless, learning users’ movements depending on the time of day. This reduces waiting times, making the lift system far more efficient for users.
The complex and extensive programme of works provides three brand new floors offering panoramic views of the city, plus complete refurbishment and alteration of the existing space, bringing this desirable address into a ‘Grade A’ office rating.
In addition to the building’s vertical extension, the team has reorganised the existing floor plates to provide flexible office space, combined with restaurant outlet space on the ground floor and basement levels.
Advanced technology has been used extensively throughout the building. This includes a state of the art reception desk, aligned entry system, and individual key car identification lifts, making all the lifts buttonless, learning users’ movements depending on the time of day. This reduces waiting times, making the lift system far more efficient for users.
Responsible business
-
Enhancing communities
In order to bridge skill gaps the team took part in the Construction Industry Open Doors week, ensuring that people visited the site and learned more about the industry. The team also partnered with Oxford Brookes University to welcome students on site visits.
A Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) evening visit was arranged to invite people from across the industry onto site and learn about best practice being implemented.
As part of Business in the Community’s ‘Give and Gain’ day we invited Dame Ellen Primary School on a site visit, and also helped them build an insect hotel on the school site. We also collected for Birmingham Central Food Bank and, began various charity pots for Birmingham Childrens’ Hospital.
-
Improving the environment
During the main construction phase, the project had the largest scaffold wrap in the UK.
When complete, the project donated the wrap to a charity, so the material could be reused to make tents for refugee camps.
-
Working together with our supply chain
By studying aspects such as façade design in detail from an early stage, the team made savings of approximately £2 million.
Challenges
The project’s location at the heart of a dense city centre required complex logistics - the team applied for permits and suspended a small street along the side of the facade which was replaced during the project. Barwick Street provided the perfect one way system for every single delivery and material to enter and exit the project – the team used a small ‘pit-lane’-style set-down area, the length of the building and the width of a small road, to manage the entire project.
The building has a listed facade and listed 19th Century banking hall - everything was protected during the works, and specialist lead replacement contractors re-leaded the external cills.
We engaged with building conservation officers throughout the process to inspect the measures protecting the existing banking hall, which now makes up the building’s reception. The creation of a new entrance through a wall in the banking hall was carefully coordinated with conservation in mind, to ensure that the banking hall was not affected.
Awards
Considerate Constructors Scheme - Silver Award
