Alpha Tower
Encyclopedia
Alpha Tower is a commercial building
in Birmingham
, England
. It was built to a design by George Marsh of Richard Seifert & Partners
as the headquarters of the commercial television company ATV and part of the companies' production studio complex known as ATV Centre. Now operated by the developers GVA Grimley
, it provides office space for a number of companies and organisations, including Network Rail
, Birmingham Arts Marketing, Jacobs Engineering, and the Criminal Cases Review Commission
. Birmingham City Council
vacated the building in 2010.
It is a landmark
and is a Grade A locally listed building. It was nominated for listed building status by The Twentieth Century Society
in 2002, although the owners applied for a Certificate of Immunity from Listing
.
An adjacent shorter tower was planned but was never built. The site of the tower that was not built is now proposed as the location for another, but taller building called V Building as part of the wider Arena Central development which will redevelop the now-closed studio facilities at ATV Centre. V Building will be 147 metres tall.
The tower featured in the Cliff Richard
film Take Me High
(1973) for both exterior and interior shots.
Commercial building
A commercial building is a building that is used for commercial use. Types can include office buildings, warehouses, or retail . In urban locations, a commercial building often combines functions, such as an office on levels 2-10, with retail on floor 1...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was built to a design by George Marsh of Richard Seifert & Partners
Richard Seifert
Reubin Seifert - normally known as Richard Seifert was a British architect, best known for designing the Centrepoint tower and Tower 42 , once the tallest building in the City of London...
as the headquarters of the commercial television company ATV and part of the companies' production studio complex known as ATV Centre. Now operated by the developers GVA Grimley
GVA GRIMLEY
GVA is one of the largest commercial property advisers in the UK. It provides multi-disciplinary commercial property advice and services to clients in the public and private sectors....
, it provides office space for a number of companies and organisations, including Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, Birmingham Arts Marketing, Jacobs Engineering, and the Criminal Cases Review Commission
Criminal Cases Review Commission
The Criminal Cases Review Commission is an non-departmental public body set up following the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice itself a continuation of the May Inquiry. It aims to investigate possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
vacated the building in 2010.
It is a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
and is a Grade A locally listed building. It was nominated for listed building status by The Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society is a British charity which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. The society's interests extend to buildings or artefacts, whether important or humble, rare or commonplace, that characterise Twentieth Century Britain.The Sociey was...
in 2002, although the owners applied for a Certificate of Immunity from Listing
Certificate of Immunity from Listing
In England a Certificate of Immunity from Listing, generally known as a Certificate of Immunity, is a document which guarantees that a building will not be statutorily listed or be served with a preservation order from the local authority for the succeeding five years...
.
An adjacent shorter tower was planned but was never built. The site of the tower that was not built is now proposed as the location for another, but taller building called V Building as part of the wider Arena Central development which will redevelop the now-closed studio facilities at ATV Centre. V Building will be 147 metres tall.
The tower featured in the Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
film Take Me High
Take Me High
Take Me High is a 1973 British feature film, directed by David Askey, written by Christopher Penfold and starring Cliff Richard in his final film role, with Deborah Watling, Hugh Griffith, George Cole and Anthony Andrews....
(1973) for both exterior and interior shots.