Colmore Gate

I am afraid I don't have much information on this, other than it is located in the heart of Birmingham's CBD opposite Snow Hill station and next to St Philips' Cathedral

Height: 70m

Date Completed: 1992

Function: Office (with retail arcade)

Architect: tbc

Other Information: freehold sold by the Church Commissioners in 1999 for £47m

If others are willing to supply information, I will revise this post :)

I give it an 8/10 for its subtlety, quality and elegance.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/cargohold/Snowhill-Tower.jpg

:bash:

Dammit!

Will - could you add a poll please?

Thanks :cheers:

You numpty!

6/10, would get more if it had been a lot taller.

5/10 Short stumpy and very ugly at the top

First time I saw it on here, really didn't get what it was about and didn't like it.. but then, you grow up.. learn a few things. Now, still wouldn't say I understand what they were trying to acheive but, its different.. and when you see it you know its 'that tower in Brum', so.. could dare to say its borderline iconic.. so I'll give it 6

Poll added. Height is 70m btw.

Here's another pic.


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/192ColmoreGate_pic1.jpg

Thank you Mr Fox - I am in your debt :)

It looks grand. A mix between the modern and the old! 7/10!

Quite nice 8/10

Good but 30 Meters too short.


7/10

A bit squat but I like the shapes and colours used in the cladding. Is that thing on the top in Bio's pic a window-cleaning crane? Is it always visible?

7/10

One thing I have noticed is that when I'm with people in the city centre, they always say how nice this building is. It stands out where it is located.

ever since i was a kid this has been the building that lets me know im in brum if you kinow what i mean and have always thought of it as the nicest skyscraper in brum obviously now im a bit more older i realise its not that big....

A bit squat but I like the shapes and colours used in the cladding. Is that thing on the top in Bio's pic a window-cleaning crane? Is it always visible?

7/10

I think it lies down normally...

And thanks to CargoHold for the pic :cheers1:

7/10 bit squat...not too bad, looks a bit aged.

7/10

7/10 Nice but way too short. Surely just an extra 2 or 3 floors would give it an air of elegance instead of looking nice but stumpy!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%202/Colmoregate2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%202/ColmoreGate.jpg

It had potential... But it still looks great.

oudl be a 6 or 7 but bumped up to 8 becuase of how well it woks at street level

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/192ColmoreGate_pic1.jpgThis building is getting on for 20 years old now, & there has not been a single newly built office building in any regional city that has matched it since it has been built, IMO.

I agree with that. I'm disappointed with the 7 I gave it when it really deserves a 9.

http://www.savills.com/intinvest/images/colmore-gate.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2089/2275659964_ebcfc4e0c6_o.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spatho/2275659964/sizes/o/in/photostream/

9/10 for me, i think its a great looking tower, if it was 30 metrees higher it would be 10/10 :)

Considering its age, it always looks clean & fresh ..... as if it were completed just yesterday. There is a certain quality about it that I like, perhaps because of it's dark appearance, I don't know, it just looks good as you emerge from Snow Hill Station & look up at it..... the interesting arch detail, the unusual roof line etc. It would've been good to have had a taller building here, but I think it looks just great as it is. :)

One of my favorites. Love it! Need more quality buildings like this.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2351/2249735446_5920d17027.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/2249717594_de13855684.jpg

Nice pictures GrAfiK.

Yes, they are great ^^

Eugh grating PoMo, 3/10

8/10

But it would be 9 if i didn't know what the ground level was like. It is a very high quality building and a great example of post-modernism, a great Birmingham building.

nice 8/10

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2274865881_7d64e9c194.jpg?v=0 http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2457/3754634009_7b34931257.jpg
http://resources.kingsturge.com/contentresources/property/tempimages/1/full_12102004013114734210_1.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/3475407217_bafa0fae46.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3624/3475410845_c9d7524d66.jpg?v=0

Still like this one, not huge, but you'd struggle to find such a perfectly formed office building like this in Leeds, Liverpool or Manchester :)

Ugly. Aged. Stumpy. Short. Boxy. Basically, it's terrible. 1/10.

Ugly. Aged. Stumpy. Short. Boxy. Basically, it's terrible. 1/10.

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/8468/dscf00393jq.jpg

Will "age" better than Sheffield's finest Mr Griffiths ^^ eh?!?! :lol: ... not a bit boxy either!!!! :cheers: Merry Christmas.

Colmore Gate is a lovely example of 90's architecture, one of my fav's in brum - sheffield would be happy to have that one.

They recently replaced the reception area. I've taken a series of photos of the changes. Including the removal of those canopies on Bull Street.

See this set on my Flickr Colmore Gate (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/sets/72157625157346843)

Some shots of the changes ...

Feb 2010

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4365525791_88fd4e1366_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4365525791/)
Colmore Gate from Bull Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4365525791/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2689/4366313298_45d4c83e80_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4366313298/)
Colmore Gate - Construction Site from Bull Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4366313298/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

April 2010

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4502893703_695b3fb691_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4502893703/)
Removed canopies on Colmore Gate, Bull Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4502893703/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

July 2010

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4774520807_c37bfa4f77_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4774520807/)
Colmore Gate - New entrance (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4774520807/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4774518503_5282173e19_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4774518503/)
Colmore Gate - New entrance (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4774518503/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

October 2010

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5133111436_224c5b801d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5133111436/)
Colmore Gate - Bull Street side (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5133111436/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1366/5132483019_1f0eb52000_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5132483019/)
Colmore Gate - finished Reception area (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5132483019/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

I am afraid I don't have much information on this, other than it is located in the heart of Birmingham's CBD opposite Snow Hill station and next to St Philips' Cathedral


It is by the Seymour Harris Partnership.

The information is in the Wikipedia article Colmore Gate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colmore_Gate)


Colmore Gate is an office and retail building in Birmingham, England. An example of early 1990s architecture by the Seymour Harris Partnership, the lift shaft is on the outside of the building and the windows are tinted a dark blue colour. The design blends a traditional look with modern materials and style. It is situated in the heart of the business district of Birmingham. The building is home to many large companies.

The building was constructed after the developers bought the patch of land off another developing company whilst they were constructing a building there. The structure of a building was on the site and it was taken down before construction of Colmore Gate began.


Also detail in Pevsner Architectural Guides: Birmingham


Colmore Gate, shops and offices of 1990 - 92 by the Seymour Harris Partnership, with a fourteen-storey tower. Silver reflective glass and more blue pearl granite. The mullions defining the centre of each side end at the top in half-rounds, like Cass-Gilbert-period New York. Very dominating from Colmore Row and the Cathedral churchyard. Built for the Church Commissioners.

There is now a Tesco Express in one of the new retail units on Colmore Row. One is To Let.

10/10 design so classically good it doesn't need to be that tall

Another couple of years has passed, and still there is no other office building in the regions that looks as elegant as the 25 year old Colmore Gate tower in central Birmingham..... small, but perfectly formed :)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2791/4365530067_383ba345d2_z.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2736/4365512621_590dc34c51_z.jpg

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000ImH1wTU2hYk/s/850/680/11ch0311-274.jpg

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000VKAAd4BeGpM/s/850/680/12CH0406-021.jpghttp://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000anJEGM5THLw/s/850/680/11ch0311-42.jpg

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4153/4836069224_651c545afd_z.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000U5Q7Hji6HMI/s/850/680/11ch0311-255.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2045/2321231711_4f4c13df3c_z.jpg

7/10

Nothing great about this building despite Sandblast's insane ramblings (possibly a symbol of his age).

5/10

A fantastic gawjus building and i love all the glass, only if it was higher.


9/10 :cheers:

I remember seeing this tower for the first time in about 1996-7 and being staggered by the blueness of it lol