Architecture of Birmingham

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Birmingham City Council House

Although Birmingham in England has existed as a settlement for over 1,000 years, today's city is overwhelmingly a product of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, with little surviving from its early history. As it has expanded, it has acquired a variety of architectural styles. Buildings of most modern architectural styles in the United Kingdom are located in Birmingham. In recent years, Birmingham was one of the first cities to exhibit the blobitecture style with the construction of the Selfridges store at the Bullring Shopping Centre.

Birmingham is a young city, having grown rapidly as a result of the Industrial Revolution starting in the 18th century. There are very few buildings remaining in Birmingham prior to this. Further loss has been demonstrated through the effects of war and redevelopment, especially following World War II. Industrialisation has also led to buildings being demolished but the prosperity brought with it led to some of the city's grandest buildings being constructed. Industrialisation and the growth of the city led to it's boundaries expanding and the city acquired other forms of architecture. As of April 2006, there are 1,946 listed buildings in Birmingham, thirteen scheduled ancient monuments^[1] and 27 conservation areas.^[2]

Many well-known architects come from Birmingham. From the Victorian era, Yeoville Thomason, J. A. Chatwin and Martin & Chamberlain made a big impact on the city. In the early 20th century, Harry Weedon designed over 300 Odeon cinemas across the country. Hurley Robinson also designed numerous cinemas around the United Kingdom. William Alexander Harvey played a key part in the design and construction of Bournville. In the postwar period, John Madin became a prolific architect and more recently, Glenn Howells and Ken Shuttleworth have made their mark on the international stage.

[edit] 11th-17th centuries

Blakesley Hall in Yardley, built by Richard Smalbroke in 1590.

Little survives from Birmingham's early history as Birmingham was a small settlement situated near the River Rea in Deritend. However, there are buildings from around the 15th century that survive in the city. Some exhibit a cruck timber frame construction whilst buildings that were built later on start to show the use of stone and brick as the preferred construction material. There are only seven cruck-framed medieval buildings in Birmingham.^[3]

It is believed that Birmingham's origins stem back to a crossing at the River Rea in modern-day Digbeth. In this area, St. Martin's Church was constructed in the centre of the Bull Ring and was Birmingham's original parish church. A church has stood on the site since the 12th century. It was extensively rebuilt to a new design by J. A. Chatwin in 1873, retaining some original walls and foundations. Inside the church is an effigy of Sir William de Bermingham - a medieval lord of the manor, dating from 1325.^[4] This is one of the few surviving links to Birmingham's medieval past. St Edburgha's Church in Yardley dates to the 13th century, and is another relic from this period.^[5]

The oldest house in Birmingham is the Lad in the Lane public house in Bromford, Erdington, which dates to 1400.^[6] Prior to the Lad in the Lane public house being dated, New Shipton Barn in Walmley was considered to be the oldest house in Birmingham, being built in 1425.^[6] Other surviving black-and-white timber buildings include The Old Crown public house in Digbeth which dates to the 15th century,^[7] although it is claimed to have existed as early as the 14th century.^[8] The 'Stone' public house in Northfield and Stratford House (1601) in Sparkbrook are also other examples of such buildings.^[9]

Aston Hall, after the coming of the railways, in 1851

Other buildings from this period include Bournbrook Hall in Bournville, Selly Manor, a Tudor manor house, Minworth Greaves, a medieval hall,^[10] the 15th century "Saracen's Head"^[11] and "Old Grammar School" in Kings Norton,^[12] Handsworth Old Town Hall, built in 1460; an example of early cruck timber frame construction,^[13] and Blakesley Hall in Yardley, which was built by Richard Smalbroke in 1590.^[14]

The 17th century saw the transition from timber frame to brick and stone construction. An example of this in Birmingham is Aston Hall, which was completed in 1635 for Sir Thomas Holte. It was designed by John Thorpe and features the Jacobean style, which was popular amongst large buildings of this type during the 17th century.^[9]

Sutton Coldfield began to expand during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries as a result of investment by Bishop Vesey. The architect Sir William Wilson made his impact on the streetscape in the area as well as other towns and cities throughout the country. As well as designing Four Oaks Hall for Lord Ffolliot,^[15] he also designed Moat House for him and his wife. This was completed in 1680.^[15][16]

[edit] 18th-19th centuries

St Philip's Cathedral

Birmingham began to expand during the 18th century due to the Industrial Revolution and the prosperity that it brought with it. The expansion of the town's industry brought industrialists to the town, and they constructed their own houses as well as modifying existing ones. Communities within Birmingham's boundaries also began to expand, resulting in the construction of houses and public facilities such as churches. Much of the buildings built in the 18th and 19th centuries were designed by local architects who developed reputations throughout the city and were to go on to design more buildings.

As the population of the town increased, attendance at churches increased and this led to the construction of St. Philip's Cathedral, which was built in 1715 as a parish church and designed by Thomas Archer. It is in the heart of the city, with glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones. Another church that was built during the 18th century is St Paul's Church which was designed by Roger Eykyns of Wolverhampton and completed in 1779, although the tower was built in 1823 to a design by Francis Goodwin.^[9]

In 1704, the Job Marston Chapel (now the Church of the Ascension) in Hall Green, which is believed to have been designed by him, was completed. This is thought to have been the work of Sir William Wilson.^[9] Also in Hall Green is Sarehole Mill which dates to 1542, although the current structure is thought to have been built in 1771.^[17] The building remains today and is Grade II listed.^[18] Sarehole Mill and its millers inspired J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, to create the Hobbit miller Ted Sandyman and his mill.^[19][20] In Edgbaston is Edgbaston Hall, now used by Edgbaston Golf Club, which was built in 1717 by Sir Richard Gough.^[21] In 1758, John Perrott built the 29m metre high Perrott's Folly in Ladywood.

Birmingham Back to Backs on Hurst Street.

Perry Bridge, built in 1711 in Perry Barr to replace an earlier bridge, is another example of a structure built during this time.^[22] The industrial expansion of Birmingham attracted industrialists to the city. Soho House, in Handsworth, was completed in 1796 and was designed by brothers Samuel Wyatt and James Wyatt as the home for the wealthy industrialist Matthew Boulton.^[9] The Industrial Revolution did not just attract wealthy industrialists to Birmingham. The need to house the many industrial workers who flocked to the city from other areas during the Industrial Revolution led to the construction of many streets and terraces of back-to-back houses, some of which were later to become inner-city slums. Remaining examples of inner-city domestic buildings are located on Kingston Row, which was built around 1780 and modernised by J. A. Maudsley, the City Architect of Birmingham, in 1969.^[9] A later example of back-to-back houses are the Birmingham Back to Backs, the last remaining back-to-back houses in the city, which were built in 1830.^[23] These have been renovated and turned into a museum run by the National Trust.^[24] Many houses dating from around this period are listed buildings.

A sketch of the entrance to Charles Edge's Market Hall in the Bull Ring.

Attendance at churches still increased and parish churches across the town were commissioned for construction. In 1823, Francis Goodwin's Holy Trinity Church in Bordesley was completed. The Commissioner's church is of Gothic architecture, which was popular during this time.^[9]

Baroque architecture and Neoclassical architecture were also becoming popular in Birmingham during this time and early buildings which used the Neoclassical building style include the Birmingham Proof House by John Horton which was built in 1813. The Jacobean style gates were added in 1883.^[9] The style became predominantly popular in the centre of the town during the 1820s, which is reflected in Regency House on Waterloo Street. Although the architect is unknown, they are believed to have been influenced by Sir John Soane.^[9] The building features copies of the Corinthian columns used at the Tower of the Winds in Athens. Domestic buildings also used this style of architecture, such as the houses at 116-120 Moseley Road which were also built during the 1820s. The two houses feature stucco fronts with unusually large bay windows.^[9] St Thomas's Church, which was bombed during World War II, was built in 1827 and is an example of neoclassical architecture being used in the design of churches in Birmingham. It was designed by Henry Hutchinson of Rickman and Hutchinson and features a tower and quadrant Ionic porticoes.^[9] The most well-known pre-Victorian example of this architecture in Birmingham is Birmingham Town Hall which was designed by Joseph Hansom and Edward Welch, and completed in 1834. In 1835, Charles Edge was commissioned to repair weaknesses to the design of the building. He was also commissioned for the extension of the building in 1837 and again in 1850.^[25] Edge was also responsible for the Market Hall in the Bull Ring which was completed in 1835,^[26] as well as many classical shop frontages and office buildings on Bennett's Hill and the surrounding area.^[9]

[edit] Victorian era

The red brick and terracotta Victoria Law Courts by Sir Aston Webb and Ingress Bell, on Corporation Street.

The financial benefits of the Industrial Revolution provided Victorian Birmingham with an extensive building programme, with the construction of elaborate churches and public buildings. The use of neoclassical architecture was carried on into this era alongside the use of red brick and terracotta, which was pioneered during this period. This construction period led to Birmingham being designated city status by Queen Victoria in 1889. Birmingham also acquired its own council which led to the construction of civic buildings.

Birmingham's importance as a growing town led to the construction of municipal buildings, which were designed by some of the most prominent architects of the time. Sir Aston Webb and Ingress Bell's Victoria Law Courts were completed in 1891 and feature extensive use of terracotta on the exterior. The ornamentation on the exterior, which includes a statue of Queen Victoria, is carried on inside the building.^[27] Webb was not the only major architect to make an impact on Birmingham. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin designed St. Chad's Cathedral, which was completed in 1841 and granted status as a cathedral in 1850.^[28] Pugin's work in Birmingham also includes Erdington Abbey (1850), Oscott College (1838),^[29] and the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy in Hockley (1845).^[9]

Despite major architects making impacts across the country, locally-born or resident architects were the more dominant group in Birmingham. Yeoville Thomason, who was born in Edinburgh to a Birmingham family, designed many important buildings with the most significant being the Museum & Art Gallery and the Council House, which were completed in 1879.^[30] His range of designs included the Singers Hill Synagogue and a variety of offices for banks. He also designed the original Lewis's Department Store, which was completed in 1889 as Birmingham's first concrete and iron building, on Corporation Street.^[31] Martin & Chamberlain were prolific architects in Birmingham during the Victorian era, having designed 41 Birmingham board schools. John Henry Chamberlain, who was not of local descent, was part of Martin & Chamberlain. His works in Birmingham include Highbury Hall and Birmingham School of Art,^[32] which was completed by his son Frederick Martin following his sudden death in 1883.

The Birmingham School of Art on Margaret Street.

J. A. Chatwin became one of the most prolific architects involved in the construction or alteration of churches in Birmingham. Some of his most significant works include the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Birmingham, which was completed in 1873,^[9] Aston Parish Church in 1879, and St Martin in the Bull Ring in 1873. As well as designing churches, he designed the King Edward VI High School for Girls on New Street in 1866 and Bingley Hall in 1850.^[31] His son P. B. Chatwin also became an architect, designing King Edward VI Handsworth in 1911 and St. Mary the Virgin Church and Church Hall, Acocks Green which opened around 1908.^[27]

Railways arrived in Birmingham in 1837 at Vauxhall station. One year later, Philip Hardwick's Curzon Street railway station opened and it remains as the world's oldest surviving piece of monumental railway architecture.^[33] Designed in the neoclassical style, it was built as a copy of the Euston Arch, also by Hardwick, in London. The building ceased use as a railway station in 1966 and is disused.^[34] Many other railway stations throughout the city were built of red brick and terracotta. The construction of Birmingham Snow Hill station led to the construction of the Great Western Arcade in 1876, which was designed by W. H. Ward.^[35]

The front of Curzon Street railway station by Philip Hardwick.

Commercial buildings included the now-empty Grand Hotel on Colmore Row (1875, with additions in 1876, 1891 and 1895). Cutting of Corporation Street through slums in the city centre began in 1878^[36] and much of the work for designing the buildings that were to line the street was given to Martin & Chamberlain. Many of the buildings, which had leases of 99 years, were demolished in the post-war period. However, the street has retained many of its fine Victorian buildings above modern ground-floor façades, providing an insight into how the city once looked.^[36]

The city has several Victorian green men (or foliate heads) which consist of unusual human heads, carved of stone with vegetation growing out of their faces.^[37] Notable Arts and Crafts buildings include 21 Yateley Road, Edgbaston, designed by the architect Herbert Tudor Buckland^[9] as his own home, and listed Grade I (neighbouring buildings are also listed, Grade II) and his Walkers Factory, in Digbeth.

In the late 19th century, James & Lister Lea became prolific designers of public houses in Birmingham. They designed The Woodman (1896-7)^[38], the Swan and Mitre (1899)^[39], The White Swan (1900)^[40], The Anchor Inn (1901)^[41] and The City Tavern (1901).^[42] Many of these pubs are now listed buildings and were built of red brick and terracotta.^[43]

[edit] 1901-1945

The Hall of Memory in Centenary Square.

The late-Victorian era of red brick and terracotta gave way to coloured glazed terracotta - faïence: examples being the Trocadero in Temple Street, completed around 1902,^[27] and the Piccadilly Arcade, completed in 1909 as a cinema, on New Street.^[27] Glazed brick was also used with examples including Moor Street Station (1909-1914). Terracotta still remained in use, for example, in the Methodist Central Hall on Corporation Street.^[27] Classical architecture made a return as a preferred choice of architecture during the 1920s and 1930s as well as Art Deco, which was pioneered during the 1930s.

The original buildings of the University of Birmingham, including its clock tower and The Barber Institute of Fine Arts (opened 1939), and the large Council House Extension and bridge housing the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (1911-1919) are from this period. S.N. Cooke and W.N. Twist's Hall of Memory (1922-25)^[27] and T. Cecil Howitt's Baskerville House on Broad Street (1938) were part of a large civic complex scheme designed by William Haywood.^[44] The Trinity Road Stand at Aston Villa's Villa Park ground was completed in 1924,^[45] and was considered the grandest in the land, complete with stained glass windows, Italian mosaics and sweeping staircase, it was thought of as architect Archibald Leitch's masterpiece^[46] and was described as "the St Pancras of football" by a Sunday Times reporter in 1960. It was demolished in 2000.^[45] The Blue Coat School in Harborne dates from 1930, the King Edward VI boys' and girls' schools in Edgbaston from 1840, and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital from 1933-8. A distinctive Art Deco cinema is the Odeon in Kingstanding (1935).^[47][48] Many cinemas were constructed by Oscar Deutsch who commissioned Birmingham-born architect Harry Weedon to design many of these cinemas. Weedon's designs also extended to industrial buildings and he designed the Typhoo Tea factory in Digbeth in 1936.

Kent Street Baths, now an empty building under the name of Kent House.

The former Times Furnishing Company store on the High Street.

Art-Deco architecture became popular in the design of cinemas, however, it was not so widespread in other buildings. In 1933, the new Kent Street Baths, operated by the Birmingham Baths Committee, was completed to a design by Hurley Robinson. This is one of the first non-cinema buildings in Birmingham to feature this style of architecture. Another prominent building featuring this style is the former Times Furbishing Company store on the High Street in Birmingham, now a Waterstone's store. The building was completed in 1938 to a design by Burnett and Eprile.^[9]

The Bournville Village Trust was set up in 1900 to manage the Bournville estate and public buildings growing around Cadbury's in Bournville.^[49] Much of the planning was done by William Alexander Harvey.^[9] In addition, the Birmingham-born architect, Town Planner and Secretary of The Birmingham Civic Society, William Haywood, did much to raise the profile of the improvement of Birmingham in the inter-war years.

The reformed pubs started just after 1900 - large 'family' pubs intended to replace the workers' and drinking men's pubs of the previous century. Such pubs included The Black Horse on the Bristol Road in Northfield which was completed in 1929.

Birmingham's first multi-storey block of flats was built in 1937 on the Bristol Road. The building, called Viceroy Close, was designed by Mitchell and Bridgwater in partnership with Gollins and Smeeton. It also features sculptures by Oliver O'Connor Barrett. In the same year, the Art Deco Petersfield Court in Hall Green was completed. The building contains 14 flats and consists of large curved corner windows.^[9]

[edit] Post World War II architecture

James A. Roberts' iconic Rotunda prior to renovation.

Birmingham's industrial importance in World War II led to heavy and destructive bombing raids during the Birmingham Blitz. This claimed many lives and many buildings too, but the planned destruction that took place in post-war Birmingham was also extensive. Birmingham again began to expand and reached a peak in its population in 1951. This produced a demand for housing as well as the reconstruction and improvement of public facilities.

As a result of this demand, dozens of fine Victorian buildings like the intricate glass-roofed Birmingham New Street Station,^[50] and the old Central Library, were destroyed in the 1950s and 1960s.^[51] These planning decisions were to have a profound effect on the image of Birmingham in subsequent decades, with the mix of concrete ring roads, shopping centres and tower blocks giving Birmingham a 'concrete jungle' tag.^[52] To cope with the demanding requirements for housing and public buildings in the post-war years, the Public Works Department of Birmingham City Council established a city engineer and a city architect position within the department. Sir Herbert Manzoni was made city engineer of Birmingham and his work included the construction of the Inner Ring Road, Middle Ring Road and the Outer Ring Road, which necessitated the purchase and clearance of vast areas of land. As well as this, he designated large areas of land redevelopment areas and set about clearing large areas of slums. Several architects were made the city architect of Birmingham, with the first being Alwyn Sheppard Fidler who held the position from 1952 to 1964, when he walked out following disagreements over his design for the Castle Vale housing estate.^[53]

[edit] Commercial buildings

Richard Seifert's Alpha Tower on Broad Street.

Demand for offices had changed since the Victorian era with large office blocks being preferred by companies over small office buildings. Tall office blocks were constructed in city centre in the form of basic shapes such as cuboids. For example, The McLaren Building and Centre City Tower, which were constructed towards the end of the 1960s and in the early 1970s. 'Big Top' was completed in the late 1950s and became the city's tallest office building and the first shopping centre in Birmingham.^[54] This was followed by Laing's nearby Bull Ring Shopping Centre, which included plans for a large cylindrical office tower, in the 1960s. In 1964, The Rotunda, by James A. Roberts was completed as a separate development to the Bull Ring Shopping Centre. Although the building failed as an office tower, it became a landmark and received Grade II listed status in 2000. It was recently refurbished into apartments by Urban Splash.^[55]

[edit] John Madin

John Madin and his architects practice made an impact on city, from the 1960s to the 1970s, comparable to that of Martin & Chamberlain. His best known buildings included Birmingham Central Library in Chamberlain Square.^[9][56] Built in 1974, it quickly became detested by the public for its Brutalist architecture and was once described as "looking more like a place for burning books, than keeping them" by Prince Charles. Despite this, there have been campaigns launched to get the building listed status in more recent times.^[57] Another building by John Madin, received other views from the public. The Post and Mail building was completed in the late 1960s and upon its completion, the tower was hailed as a great achievement.^[9] A lesser known building in the city by John Madin, Metropolitan House, shows the variety of architecture he brought to the city. Metropolitan House exhibited use of other materials than concrete.

John Madin's Birmingham Central Library, containing Paradise Forum.

However, as Modernist architecture fell out of favour in the 1980s, proposals for the redevelopment of many of the buildings constructed in Birmingham from the 1960s and 1970s were aired including redevelopment proposals for the Post and Mail Tower (most including the total demolition of the tower).^[58] In 2005, demolition work began on the tower and a replacement office block has been constructed in its place.^[59] A building of similar architecture, the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce on the Hagley Road, still remains, however is under threat from demolition as the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce look for a new building.^[60]

[edit] Domestic architecture

Slum clearances, the increase in the population of Birmingham and the destruction of housing during the Birmingham Blitz led to the council constructing thousands of housing units all over the city. Mostly designed by the City Architect of Birmingham and the Public Works Department at the council, the schemes focussed on high-density housing in low-cost builds. Prefabricated houses were provided initially to those who were displaced by the destruction of their homes. These structures were intended to be temporary, although many lasted longer than they were intended. A row of sixteen listed single storey Phoenix prefabs, built 1945 under the Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act still exist on Wake Green Road and a 1940s Arcon V prefab was disassembled from Moat Lane in Yardley and transported to the Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings in 1981.^[61] Following the provision of these temporary structures, the local authority looked to providing permanent housing units.

A total of 464 tower blocks above six storeys were built in Birmingham, 7% of all the tower blocks constructed in the United Kingdom,^[62] in the post-war years with the first Birmingham tower blocks being built in Duddeston, part of the Nechells and Duddeston Redevelopment Area, in the late-1950s. They were designed by SN Cooke and Partners and were extremely expensive for the city council.^[53] In 1960, the Lyndhurst estate in Erdington was completed and the entire estate won a Civic Trust award in 1961.^[53] The main tower block on the estate, the 16 storey Harlech Tower, became the tallest tower block in the city, although it was later surpassed by many more tower blocks including the 32 storey Sentinels in the city centre, which were inspired by the Marina City complex in Chicago.^[53] Stephenson Tower is another city-centre tower block, located on top of New Street Station.^[50] The planned refurbishment of New Street Station will see the demolition of the tower.^[63] A group of four tower blocks located behind The Rep Theatre on Broad Street are currently undergoing an extensive renovation to improve their insulation and appearance.^[64]

The largest high-rise housing estate in Britain was constructed at Castle Vale with 34 tower blocks on the site of Castle Bromwich Aerodrome. This became an unpopular area as it began to suffer from social deprivation as well as maintenance problems. As a result, one of the largest tower block demolition and renovation programmes anywhere in Europe began on the estate, with the construction of new buildings, squares and green public open spaces.^[65]

[edit] Present skyline

The skyline of Birmingham in September 2006. Birmingham's skyline stretches from Five Ways to the student towers at Aston University and is located mainly on the sandstone ridge where the city centre is. The skyline began to take shape in the 1960s and 1970s, when high rise buildings were built. Recent proposals include taller towers that will extend Birmingham's skyline into Eastside.

[edit] Recent developments

The Selfridges store by Future Systems at the Bullring Shopping Centre.

Under the Birmingham Redevelopment Scheme, Birmingham has witnessed a new period of construction. Prompted by the regeneration of Broad Street through Brindleyplace, which began construction in the early 1990s. It features office and other mixed-use buildings designed by separate architects.^[66] The National Sea Life Centre in Brindleyplace was designed by Foster and Partners.^[67] Other architects involved in the development of Brindleyplace include Terry Farrell, Demetri Porphyrios, Allies and Morrison and Associated Architects.^[67]

Other large-scale projects include the major Bullring Shopping Centre development by The Birmingham Alliance, which replaced the early 1960s shopping centre which had fallen out of favour with the public. The new shopping centre was completed in 2004 and was designed by Benoy.^[68] The shopping centre features the award-winning Future Systems' Selfridges building which is an irregularly-shaped structure, covered in thousands of reflective discs (see picture) and is a form of blobitecture. In Eastside, the Learning and Leisure Zone has seen the construction of the Eastside branch of Matthew Boulton College, Millennium Point and the New Technology Institute. Many large scale projects were proposed as part of the Birmingham Redevelopment Scheme.

One of the most recent buildings to be constructed and opened within the city centre itself is Ian Simpson's Beetham Tower at Holloway Circus which was partially opened in January 2006. When topped out, it became the second tallest building in Birmingham at 122 metres, only being beaten by the BT Tower.^[69] This has been prompted by the publication of the city council's "High Places" document which outlined locations along the city centre sandstone ridge that were deemed appropriate for the construction of high rise structures.^[70]

Developers Urban Splash recently completed the refurbishment of Fort Dunlop and are currently involved in the refurbishment of The Rotunda^[71] and the future refurbishment of three tower blocks on the Birchfield Road in Perry Barr.^[72]

[edit] Future developments

The Glenn Howells design for a 43 storey residential and hotel development in Snow Hill.

Further new projects are planned for the city under the Birmingham Redevelopment Scheme. Birmingham's renaissance is a result of increased investment in the city and has led to some of the city's most ambitious schemes since the 1960s and 1970s being proposed. Plans include the construction of a new Central Library to replace the current building in Chamberlain Square.^[73]

Eastside is the latest focus of major developments following the degrading of the Inner Ring Road, which resulted in the demolition of Masshouse Circus.^[74] On the site of Masshouse Circus, a mixed-use development named Masshouse has begun construction.^[75] Another plot of land made available for construction following the demolition of the elevated road junction is City Park Gate,^[76] designed by MAKE Architects, whose design received outline planning permission in 2007.^[77] A large area of land has been cleared to make way for the Curzon Park development, which currently has outline planning permission.^[78] Alongside this is a new city park which will run between Curzon Street and Millennium Point.^[79] A large regeneration project named Eastside Locks has been proposed for the area and Curzon Gate is another development currently under construction in the area. In September 2007, a 200-metre (656 ft) vertical theme park or "Vertiplex" by ROC International named VTP200 was unveiled to the public and is yet to be submitted for planning consent.^[80]

Construction work at Curzon Gate in the Eastside area.

Developers, the Birmingham Alliance, who are responsible for the redevelopment of the Bullring Shopping Centre and Martineau Place have also proposed a new mixed-use development on Corporation Street and Priory Queensway, fronting Old Square, called Martineau Galleries to link the Eastside with the city core.^[81] The development would involve a major shopping area and a 110-metre (361 ft) tall residential tower with a sloping roof constructed. It will replace Priory Square, which was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd.^[9]

High rise structures are also being proposed in large numbers. In 1999, the Arena Central scheme on the former ATV studios on Broad Street was unveiled. It featured a 245-metre (804 ft) tall residential tower. This was one of the first highrise buildings to be proposed in the high rise boom in Birmingham. The tower was later redesigned by Eric Kuhne and unveiled as the V Building in March 2007.^[82] The first buildings to be constructed as part of the highrise boom include the Orion Building on Navigation Street, which is nearing completion with Phase 4, called Sirius, well into construction.^[83] The tower section of the complex features apartments and a penthouse designed by fashion designer John Rocha.^[84] Proposed designs for the redevelopment of New Street Station were made public in February 2006. They showed a naturally lit foyer and two high rise buildings with the entire development set to cost approximately £500 million.^[85] However, many have issued strong objections to the project and an international design competition has taken place for a concept architect. Other projects part of the highrise boom include Broad Street Tower on Broad Street designed by Level7 Architects^[86], The Cube to the rear of The Mailbox designed by Ken Shuttleworth of MAKE Architects,^[87] and the redevelopment of National Westminster House^[88] and 1 Snow Hill Plaza,^[89] both designed by Hamiltons Architects.

A major project breaking ground in Birmingham, Snowhill, will see the construction of three large mixed-use blocks on wasteland. As a part of the development, St Chad's Circus was remodelled and Snow Hill Queensway was realigned. Building One, which is completely offices, is under construction along with Building 3, a 43 storey tower containing apartments connected by a bridge to a 23 storey tower consisting of a luxury hotel. Building Two of an identical design is set to commence construction in July 2008. The developer is Ballymore and architects include Glenn Howells and Sidell Gibson Architects. Completion is due in 2011.^[90]

[edit] Conservation areas

See also: List of conservation areas in the West Midlands

Birmingham has 27 conservation areas. The first conservation areas in Birmingham were designated in 1969.^[2] Three conservation areas have been de-designated including St Peter's Place which was de-designated in 1976 following the demolition of the church in its centre.^[91]

[edit] See also

• Listed buildings in Birmingham
• List of tallest buildings and structures in Birmingham
• Birmingham Redevelopment Scheme

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Conservation areas in Birmingham
• E-Architect: Birmingham Architecture