Arena Central Tower
Encyclopedia
The V Building is a proposed 51 storey residential skyscraper
approved for construction on Broad Street
on the Westside of the city centre of Birmingham
, United Kingdom
as part of a larger development scheme called Arena Central on the former ATV
/ Central Television Studios which had closed in 1997. The entire development site covers an area of 7.6 acres (30,756.1 m²). On completion the development is set to include offices, shops, restaurants, cafes, leisure/entertainment, fitness centre and hotel. It will be located next to Alpha Tower
, one of the tallest buildings in Birmingham, on what is currently a multi-level underground car park. The total cost of the entire scheme is expected to be £400 million, and the tower, £150 million.
The estimated date of completion was for 2009. However, due to the setbacks this was deemed unlikely to be completed by 2009 and a later date of 2013 has been presented by the developers and architects. In 2009, the developers received a 5 year extension to planning permission, the council turned down a 10 year extension in the hope that work would begin before 2015.
. No buildings in the design were taller than 20 storeys. However, the design was soon changed and a tower was incorporated later into the year. The design, by HOK Architects, saw a 50 storey tower which had a total height of 245 metres to the top of the spire
and a roof height of 187 metres. At the time, that would have made the tower the tallest building in Birmingham
and England
, and one of the tallest in Europe
. The building was referred to Deputy Prime Minister
, John Prescott
in 2000 who disapproved of the tower and forced it to be scaled down to 187 metres. The amendments to the design were made and the entire scheme later received outline planning consent.
The 9/11 attacks of 2001 resulted in a number of setbacks for the project and it was significantly delayed. The building was considered a potential terrorist target if constructed and in consequence, the Hampton Trust pulled out of the project as part owners. No news about the development was released for two years.
In 2003, Andy Ruhan of Bridgewaters Capital was found as a partner and papers were signed in 2004. In December 2004, planning permission, which would have run out for the tower in February 2005, was extended to December 2010.
n company, Multiplex was awarded the contract for construction of the tower. The masterplan was unveiled in 2006 however did not specifically outline the details of individual buildings. A model of the tower was present in the models, however, the detail and the roof feature were not on the images released. The shape of the tower in the models confirmed that the design by HOK Architects was not to be used. It was described as going to appear as if it "is squeezed in the middle creating two bulges."
A news article in the Estate Gazette on 17 June 2006 stated that the height of the tower will be 175 metres and the Civil Aviation Authority agreed that they would not have any problems with the tower if it was 175 metres tall however they would have to comment on the planning application if it did go any taller. Other news articles have also said that the tower will be of 47 storeys however whether this is in reference to the old design or the new design is unknown.
In September 2006, it was revealed that despite Miller producing profits, the construction would be delayed yet again. It was also revealed that the tower will be the first constructed part of the development due to the lack of demolition needed on the site.
On 12 February 2007, Arena Central Developments were granted a 250 year lease on the land by Birmingham City Council.
of Eric R Kuhne & Associates and Civic Arts Architects was appointed by Dandara Ltd to design the form, the façades, the public realm, the lobbies, and commercial tenancies of the tower. The apartments and the technical delivery have been designed by Scott Brownrigg Architects, who Eric Kuhne and Civic Arts Architects collaborated with.
show in Cannes. The design shown was different from what was quoted as having been "squeezed in the middle creating two bulges". Instead the design featured a tower of a 'V' shape rising from the base.
The tower was unveiled at the MIPIM show in Cannes
, France
in March 2007. It had changed its name from Arena Central Tower/ Arena Square Tower to V Building highlighting the 'V' shape on the Suffolk Street Queensway elevation. It was initially quoted as having 50 storeys and being 150 metres tall.
The detailed planning application for the tower was submitted to the Birmingham City Council
Planning Department on 13 June 2007 by agents Aims Ltd. The planning application for the tower also contained changes to the masterplan for the site. The proposal was described as:
The tower was approved by Birmingham City Council Planning Department on 4 October 2007. It was reported by the Birmingham Post
that it took two minutes for the councillors to make the decision. Construction of the tower is expected to begin in early 2008 for completion in 2013.
The planning application explained that the reasoning behind the height decrease from 175 metres to 147 metres was due to the refusal from the adjacent hotel building, Crowne Plaza, to move out of their building and be given hotel space in the new tower, which would have increased the height to 175 metres. The owners of Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn
, submitted a planning application prior to the application for V Building to refurbish the hotel.
At street level, near the entrance, is a plaza area which will consist of vertical concrete slabs with inscriptions written into them. The first two floors will be of double height, containing a restaurant and lounge for residents. The second floor will be cantilevered over the entrance. Beneath these will be two storey underground car park. The footprint was decreased in size from that of the tower approved in the 2000 masterplan. This was to complement the residential use of the building, which had been proposed as mixed-use in the 2000 masterplan.
Whilst the roof height is 147 metres, the façade overrun increases the overall height to 152 metres. The roof line has a serrated edge. On the 50th floor will be a sky bar with a public viewing platform, which will extend to a height of three stories, above which will be a plant room. There will be a total of 706 apartment units in the tower, 60 of which will be serviced suites. Facilities for the residents include a lounge on the ground floor and a library. Residents will have their own entrance to the building. This will provide access to the residents reading room. A hotel-style lobby of 3000 sq ft (278.7 m²) will provide public access to the three restaurants and top floor sky bar.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
approved for construction on Broad Street
Broad Street, Birmingham
Broad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into...
on the Westside of the city centre of 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as part of a larger development scheme called Arena Central on the former ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
/ Central Television Studios which had closed in 1997. The entire development site covers an area of 7.6 acres (30,756.1 m²). On completion the development is set to include offices, shops, restaurants, cafes, leisure/entertainment, fitness centre and hotel. It will be located next to Alpha Tower
Alpha Tower
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...
, one of the tallest buildings in Birmingham, on what is currently a multi-level underground car park. The total cost of the entire scheme is expected to be £400 million, and the tower, £150 million.
The estimated date of completion was for 2009. However, due to the setbacks this was deemed unlikely to be completed by 2009 and a later date of 2013 has been presented by the developers and architects. In 2009, the developers received a 5 year extension to planning permission, the council turned down a 10 year extension in the hope that work would begin before 2015.
Original proposal
The V Building was not part of the original plan for Arena Central which was submitted in 1998 by Miller GroupMiller Group
Miller Group is a diverse transportation construction company based in Markham, Ontario where its Corporate Head Office is located. Its U.S. headquarters is located in Morrow, Georgia....
. No buildings in the design were taller than 20 storeys. However, the design was soon changed and a tower was incorporated later into the year. The design, by HOK Architects, saw a 50 storey tower which had a total height of 245 metres to the top of the spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
and a roof height of 187 metres. At the time, that would have made the tower the tallest building 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...
and 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...
, and one of the tallest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The building was referred to Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
, John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
in 2000 who disapproved of the tower and forced it to be scaled down to 187 metres. The amendments to the design were made and the entire scheme later received outline planning consent.
The 9/11 attacks of 2001 resulted in a number of setbacks for the project and it was significantly delayed. The building was considered a potential terrorist target if constructed and in consequence, the Hampton Trust pulled out of the project as part owners. No news about the development was released for two years.
In 2003, Andy Ruhan of Bridgewaters Capital was found as a partner and papers were signed in 2004. In December 2004, planning permission, which would have run out for the tower in February 2005, was extended to December 2010.
Early history
Due to the problems the project encountered, a new masterplan was being produced and AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n company, Multiplex was awarded the contract for construction of the tower. The masterplan was unveiled in 2006 however did not specifically outline the details of individual buildings. A model of the tower was present in the models, however, the detail and the roof feature were not on the images released. The shape of the tower in the models confirmed that the design by HOK Architects was not to be used. It was described as going to appear as if it "is squeezed in the middle creating two bulges."
A news article in the Estate Gazette on 17 June 2006 stated that the height of the tower will be 175 metres and the Civil Aviation Authority agreed that they would not have any problems with the tower if it was 175 metres tall however they would have to comment on the planning application if it did go any taller. Other news articles have also said that the tower will be of 47 storeys however whether this is in reference to the old design or the new design is unknown.
In September 2006, it was revealed that despite Miller producing profits, the construction would be delayed yet again. It was also revealed that the tower will be the first constructed part of the development due to the lack of demolition needed on the site.
On 12 February 2007, Arena Central Developments were granted a 250 year lease on the land by Birmingham City Council.
Team
Eric KuhneEric Kuhne
Eric Robert Kuhne is an American-born architect living and working in London. Owner of CivicArts / Eric R Kuhne & Associates, his office is a research and design firm which has completed projects on five continents...
of Eric R Kuhne & Associates and Civic Arts Architects was appointed by Dandara Ltd to design the form, the façades, the public realm, the lobbies, and commercial tenancies of the tower. The apartments and the technical delivery have been designed by Scott Brownrigg Architects, who Eric Kuhne and Civic Arts Architects collaborated with.
The design is revealed
The first indication of the design of the tower were revealed on the Pipers Models website. The website presented images of a model of the building that had been produced for the developers to be unveiled at the upcoming MIPIMMIPIM
MIPIM is a trade show that its organisers describe as a "market for international property trade". It takes place annually in Cannes, France in March. In 2004, MIPIM attracted 15,157 participants from 67 countries...
show in Cannes. The design shown was different from what was quoted as having been "squeezed in the middle creating two bulges". Instead the design featured a tower of a 'V' shape rising from the base.
The tower was unveiled at the MIPIM show in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in March 2007. It had changed its name from Arena Central Tower/ Arena Square Tower to V Building highlighting the 'V' shape on the Suffolk Street Queensway elevation. It was initially quoted as having 50 storeys and being 150 metres tall.
The detailed planning application for the tower was submitted to the 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...
Planning Department on 13 June 2007 by agents Aims Ltd. The planning application for the tower also contained changes to the masterplan for the site. The proposal was described as:
Erection of new tower to include flats, restaurant & bar together with landscaping, car parking & means of access. Updated masterplan for the Arena Central site, bound by Broad Street, Suffolk Street Queensway, Holliday Street & Bridge Street, in accordance with condition 3 attached to application No. C/04238/97/OUT
The tower was approved by Birmingham City Council Planning Department on 4 October 2007. It was reported by the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
that it took two minutes for the councillors to make the decision. Construction of the tower is expected to begin in early 2008 for completion in 2013.
Design
The design of the tower had changed slightly from what was revealed at the MIPIM show in Cannes. The exterior of the building was a mixture of cladding with bars running across the windows, however, this was changed when the new renders for the tower were revealed after the submission of the planning application. The new renders showed the exterior to brighter in colour.The planning application explained that the reasoning behind the height decrease from 175 metres to 147 metres was due to the refusal from the adjacent hotel building, Crowne Plaza, to move out of their building and be given hotel space in the new tower, which would have increased the height to 175 metres. The owners of Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, submitted a planning application prior to the application for V Building to refurbish the hotel.
At street level, near the entrance, is a plaza area which will consist of vertical concrete slabs with inscriptions written into them. The first two floors will be of double height, containing a restaurant and lounge for residents. The second floor will be cantilevered over the entrance. Beneath these will be two storey underground car park. The footprint was decreased in size from that of the tower approved in the 2000 masterplan. This was to complement the residential use of the building, which had been proposed as mixed-use in the 2000 masterplan.
Whilst the roof height is 147 metres, the façade overrun increases the overall height to 152 metres. The roof line has a serrated edge. On the 50th floor will be a sky bar with a public viewing platform, which will extend to a height of three stories, above which will be a plant room. There will be a total of 706 apartment units in the tower, 60 of which will be serviced suites. Facilities for the residents include a lounge on the ground floor and a library. Residents will have their own entrance to the building. This will provide access to the residents reading room. A hotel-style lobby of 3000 sq ft (278.7 m²) will provide public access to the three restaurants and top floor sky bar.