I think this deserves it's own thread. :)

Developer: bloc
Architects: Bryant Newman Priest (http://www.bryantpriestnewman.com/index.html) (architects of Rhubarb in Digbeth)
Location: Caroline Street, Jewellery Quarter (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=52.486116,-1.907907&num=1&t=h&sll=52.486481,-1.90858&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&gl=uk&ie=UTF8&ll=52.486116,-1.907871&spn=0.000956,0.00284&z=19)
Number of rooms: 74
Application number: 2009/05831/PA (http://eplanning.birmingham.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=389249&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Birmingham/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Birmingham/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING)

Street elevations:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Erebus555/Birmingham%20developments/ss.png

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Erebus555/Birmingham%20developments/fr.png

Floorplans and room layouts:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Erebus555/Birmingham%20developments/fp.png

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Erebus555/Birmingham%20developments/air3.png

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Erebus555/Birmingham%20developments/air2.png

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d101/Erebus555/Birmingham%20developments/air.png

No renders yet. It will be black brick though. :)

Looks slick!

I assume natural light is an optional extra then!

Well, it's a budget boutique hotel so you get what you pay for. :)

I'm warming to the design - especially with the way the signage wraps around the building. Be interesting to see how the black bricks work in an area that is predominantly red brick or stucco.

A quick spot of research brings up this. These are what the bricks will look like:
http://www.wienerberger.co.uk/images/db/srref/1247225546825.jpg

And some data for brick geeks: http://www.wienerberger.co.uk/servlet/util/getDownload.jsp?blobtable=WBDownload&blobcol=urlimageupload&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1248863680943&blobheader=multipart/octet-stream&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=attachment;filename=Hectic_Black.pdf&sl=wb_uk_home_en

The architects office is 20 metres away at 3 Mary Street, B3 1UD.

The development site is former garage & petrol station
http://i49.************/2d2d310.jpg

I think it's a great shame that the architect doesn't draw inspiration for the window design/style from the great buildings close by in the jewellery quarter.

A few buildings within 20 metres of the development site....
http://i48.************/dzfrrs.jpg


The design does have nice bricks, but the building dominates the street scene (in an overbearing way) on that side of the road. If it needs 4 floors to be viable, it could have a basement as many of the rooms don't have windows.

I'm not satisfied with a bland boring depressing look just becase the bricks are nice (and they are).

Exactly what is needed here in terms of use/scale, a bit dull pending proper renders

I love the Jewellery Quarter - shame it's close to some of the nastiest gangsta areas.. :(

Still thios building looks good - not necessarily groundbreaking but tasteful. What is public transport like to this area?

^^Midland Metro passes through the area - two stops. Jewellery Quarter train station too which is connected to Snow Hill. Numerous bus services running along Newhall Street and such. Oh, and there's always the canal which passes through the south of area. :)

I like the simple shapes and brickwork, I'd rather it be understated and simple than fussy and contrived like that hideous post modern thing opposite.

I like the idea of something other than red brick or terra cotta, and it's nice to see such a brick chosen - something with a bit of character. I also thought the brickwork for Bloc's Rhubarb development in Digbeth was very good.

i blame the railway arches

Given this is called Bloc I assume it is nothing to do with Blok Developments, even though it shared architects and colour palette with Rhubard?

Given this is called Bloc I assume it is nothing to do with Blok Developments, even though it shared architects and colour palette with Rhubard?

I probably assumed wrongly that it was the same developer (Blok Properties), however I'm sure someone can advise.

It does seem odd that two such similar schemes have similar names, perhaps there is some connection, does anyone know who the applicant for this is?

Well, the name of the applicant given is a Mr Robert Morgan, whom I can't find any affiliated propert companies for. Reading through the application, 'bloc' is the only name I can find for the developers.

I can't find a website for 'blok properties' either. :?

Blok Properties are Piers Harding and Martin Saxon, with a registered address in Stratford upon Avon, also I believe a Liverpool address. I am trying to find out a phone number.

Update from Engels on the Jewellery Quarter thread, suggesting that this one is underway! :)


There were contractors on the site of the planned hotel at the corner of Caroline St and Northwood St this morning. I walk past this site every day and this is the first time i have seen any movement.

Can this thread be moved.......

..........into the blandest building in Birmingham thread

Just to clarify when i walked back past this, this evening there were signs that said these were demolition contractors

Will be better than what is there now - due for the chop iminently

(ps will resize this later but can't from the iphone app) edit done

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/f8a77f80-1.jpg

Welcome to see this start and to improve that corner, but it looks like a bit of a Rhubarb to me.

Welcome to see this start and to improve that corner, but it looks like a bit of a Rhubarb to me.

Wouldn't that be a good thing?

The detailing on Rhubarb including the flat roof and balcony handrailing is awful. Just a space filler in that position, whereas this hotel could be quite a nice building if detailed properly - like arched windows for a start.

This should be in the construction thread.

Hoardings have been extended across the Caroline St footpath & a giant screwdriver is on site (Piling machine). Construction is a go-go.

Some Construction pics

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/17caf7b3.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/0a83ad5c.jpg

Thanks for the pics. I think there should be more boutique hotels in the JQ. It's a nice area to place them.

Update: Mobile crane arived this morning and the foundations look almost complete.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/d669ecd9.jpg

time to move this thread then i think....

... and when i walked past this again evening they already had steel work up - too dark by then for a pick but will get one in the next couple of days.

Update - First floor steel work for the whole site and up to the second floor for the core of the building.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/f530ff9d.jpg

Huge telescopic crane operating today on Caroline Street (and temporary traffic lights to control the traffic) lifting what look like room pods from transporter lorries into the hotel

This thing is flying up - there's more steel up now than was visble in my last photo update too.

There is a big crane parked on Caroline Street today. They are placing large prefabricated 'pods' on top of the ground floor structure. If these are the rooms then this will fly up now! All they will have left is the brickwork and some internal fitout!

Yikes it's only been about 2.5 months since this broke ground and it seems to have topped out already- at his rate it'll be open by Christmas lol.

A quick one from this morning (now resized)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/aa5e3cd5.jpg

wow that was fast...... lets get the wrapper off......!!!!

^^ :shifty:

^^LMAO!! brilliant one erebus

This is almost completed with the lovely dark brickwork now covering the entire exterior. Looking forward to see how this fits in - the arched windows are a Jewellery Quarter signature and good to see the architect noting that.

The brickwork indeed does look good i'm just a bit concerned that it will be too simple a design and not carry enough interest for such a promenant position on the street. Wont be too much longer before the wrappings come off i'm sure

There is a big crane parked on Caroline Street today. They are placing large prefabricated 'pods' on top of the ground floor structure. If these are the rooms then this will fly up now! All they will have left is the brickwork and some internal fitout!

Seems like this is being done more and more these days. Are we seeing a revival of pre-fabricated buildings, or at least a more updated equivalent of them?

Seems like this is being done more and more these days. Are we seeing a revival of pre-fabricated buildings, or at least a more updated equivalent of them?

et voila! (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12315039)

News from EGI with an image (probably subsriber only):
http://www.egi.co.uk/Articles/Article.aspx?liArticleID=729593&NavigationID=454

Pod hotelier Bloc to debut in Brum

Japanese pod-style hotel group Bloc Hotels is to launch its first hotel in Birmingham this spring.

The company will open a 73-bedroom hotel in the city's historic Jewellery Quarter and plans to develop a further 10 properties across the UK over the next three to five years.

Bloc Hotels, funded by private investors in Monaco, will offer boutique-style bedrooms with wet rooms, drench showers and super-fast Wi-Fi.

The first hotel will be located on a derelict former garage site on Caroline Street. The 15,500 sq ft hotel will cover four floors.

Danny Jones, director of Boxbuild, the development team behind Bloc Hotels, said: "We chose Birmingham because as a city, it's totally open to new concepts. Ultimately the plan is to roll out the Bloc concept to other prime urban locations that offer easy access to international airports. London and Manchester are both on our target list."

The wraps are coming off the Northwood Street elevation - revealing bright gold coloured window frames

The hotel website
http://www.blochotels.com/

how fabulous..... pictures needed!!!

I wonder if the nitenite concept held any sway - if Brum is a guinea pig for capsule / pod style hotels then their experiment is in the right city. I would like to say we are open to new concepts and hopefully some of the blander proposals may start to disappear. I think Holloway Head should be a road for conceptual developments.

i cant waity to see what the final building will look like!

The wraps are coming off the Northwood Street elevation - revealing bright gold coloured window frames

The hotel website
http://www.blochotels.com/


Dark grey brick and bright gold windows ... fabulous!

Construction of the hotel using pods lifted into place - last year
http://i53.************/ka5u6v.jpg

Today
http://i51.************/2hewls5.jpg

Construction of the hotel using pods lifted into place - last year
http://i53.************/ka5u6v.jpg

Today
http://i51.************/2hewls5.jpg

As seen in my post above (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=71742775&postcount=41), This is the way social housing estates should be built.. unlike pre-fabs of the past, these are deisgned to last and to be adaptable to the designer's demands and the occupant's needs. It's quite clever and obvious - athough given the prejudice as a result of the past, post war constructions, this type of build has been quite dormant for many years.

The Queen Mary II's Accomodation was built using a very similar technique. The cabins were built in there entirity off site as completely self contained units and then transported to the build site and simply craned/slid into place where the plumbing and electrics were attached.

If this technique can be used to build a luxury ocean liner which is expected to be able to take the worst that the North Atlantic can throw at it and last for 50 years. Then there really is no reason why it shouldn't be used more frequently.

http://www.sealetter.com/newart/qm2building.jpg

Of course, when big ships are built these days, the whole thing is pretty much pre-fabricated in small chunks then welded together into big chunks which are then welded together into bigger chunks which then are welded into massive chunks and so on. You can check the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier thread for some pics &vids of this technique in its early stages.

Rooms are bookable from 11 April
http://www.blochotels.com/

http://bryantpriestnewman.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cimg1635.jpg

http://bryantpriestnewman.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cimg1635.jpg

love!

a welcome addition :)

A quality piece of filler! :)

To add to the photos from the developer here are a couple i took this evening - including a couple of contextuals showing what has been going on around this:

A phone pic from Caroline St taken a couple of days ago

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/64eae458.jpg


Taken from Northwood St this evening

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/P1050868.jpg


The view from further down Northwood St including the just refurbished 67-71 Northwood St

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/P1050866.jpg

A closer up view of 67-71 Nortwood St which was in a pretty poor state before and now looks great - not sure who the developer was but good job.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/chris_engels/P1050867.jpg

I really like bloc - it looks like Rhubarb's better looking sister!

I really like bloc - it looks like Rhubarb's better looking sister!

Same architects i believe so you are right about this being its sister - although i like Rhubarb even more.

According to Facebook, the hotel is now complete and open

Bloc Hotels
We're officially open!!! Bookings are already coming in for this week. Make sure you keep your eyes open in the local press as well as we've had a number of journalists pop in over the past few days

Got a snap on Saturday.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x13/mikeyfox23/mdfoxy04111112353980_0.jpg

Completed section now then?

Open in fact.

The signage has turned out different from the planning application (see first post on the first page) which has me a bit miffed because I really liked the original plans for the signage - especially 'Bloc St Pauls' as it gives it a little more identity but I can't complain the overall finished product, I think it's fantastic. The black brick and copper is a really bold yet nice combination. It's just a shame that the movement joint in the wall runs right up the centre of the front but that's something that is unavoidable, I guess.

i think i prefer the current signage.... i read it as a subtle celebration of the street corner!!!

Mmm but leaves the other half looking like a vacant unit. And I really liked the idea of the vertical one on the side.

Still liking the current signage though - 10x better than pretty much anything else being thrown on top of shopfronts at the mo!

Got some shots of this the other day. The automatic door is sooooo cool! :)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6146/5937375638_7c9f492e73_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6124/5937374840_fd934da352_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6001/5936815625_ba544344ee_z.jpg

You have a beautiful camera Erebus, may i ask what it is?

Also if anyone is interested they have jobs going at this place.

Cheers, it's just a knackered Nikon D70. But I use a Sigma 10-20mm lens - hence why the shots are wideangle and all distorted.

Great shots Erebus!! Still think the NatWest tower would look awesome painted black with gold windows!!

You have a beautiful camera Erebus, may i ask what it is?

Also if anyone is interested they have jobs going at this place.

how does one apply for them?

It was on their twitter, must be on the website mate

Don't know why im even asking, i want a planning job, but a job is a job hey