Europe's Tallest Modular Building

Name: Student Village
Street: Culwell Street
City: Wolverhampton
Architect: O'Connell Architects East
Developer: Victoria Hall
Cost: £40 million
Construction Start: July 2008
Construction End: September 2009*
Buildings: 4

Building 1

Floors: 25
Height: 75m*

Building 2

Floors: 11
Height: 33m*

Building 3

Floors: 8
Height: 24m*

Building 4

Floors: 6
Height: 18m*

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/Pitty107/Image2.jpg
http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/Pitty107/Image4.jpg
http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/Pitty107/Image3.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Untitled-1-9.gif

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/04/student-village-will-transform-city/



http://www.contractjournal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=68009690

http://www.contractjournal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=68009691

http://www.contractjournal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=68009692



http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5671Building1_pic2.jpg


Student village will transform city

Here is the first glimpse of the towering 25-storey “student village” which will transform the skyline in Wolverhampton.
The luxurious development will revolutionise student living and cost £40 million to create – £15m more than first expected.
Complete with Sky TV, broadband internet access, en-suite bedrooms, gym and communal areas, developers have vowed the luxury complex will make the image of grimy, rundown student digs a thing of the past in Wolverhampton.
It will spring up opposite the Low Level Station on land off Culwell Street and be made up of more than 720 rooms. Around 500 jobs will also be created during construction.

Bob Crompton, chief executive officer from London-based Victoria Hall which is behind the development, said today: “We are trying to create a new little village for students in Wolverhampton which will breathe new life into the city centre.
“We want to integrate student life into city living. The development will cost around £40m and it is so much more than just creating bedrooms for students to stay in.
“Wolverhampton is the perfect location for this sort of development and for students to live in high-quality surroundings. The building itself is 25-storey and will become a new landmark in the city.”
Victoria Hall already owns high-profile student developments in cities including Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester.
Construction is expected to start within weeks once the company satisfies council officers on a number of issues such as CCTV, car parking, and a public art strategy.
The complex will be opposite the leisure, retail and homes complex being created on the site of the Low Level Station and the new development at Springfield Brewery.
Work to renovate the old station back to its former glory has finally been completed and now Claremont Leisure is preparing to move in to transform the site into a casino, complete with £6m worth of fittings.
Elsewhere in the city the University of Wolverhampton’s former MU building in Lichfield Street could be transformed into student flats, three shops and a courtyard.
The university sold the 57,371 sq ft building last year, which was made up of office accommodation, lecture halls and seminar rooms.
It has several blocks of student halls but many live in private houses, particularly in the Whitmore Reans and Penn Fields areas.
Figures last year showed rents for student houses in the city are the third lowest in the country and almost £20 a week below the national average.

looks great!

:happy: Looks pretty cool. Good height too.

Good for Wolerhampton! Will I be able to see it from the train when travelling between Telford and Birmingham?

Now, that is impressive! :eek: Shame it's wasted on students though. :|

From the other thread:

Its not always about size Butters.

Yeah right. ;)

I think I'm going to start on a future skyline render for Wolverhampton. :)

Never thought I'd say that, but there's actually enough going on now to warrant one.

Also, the 2 smaller blocks look to be around 10 and 7 storeys, so 30m and 21m respectively.

^^Wolverhampton's skyline's already worth turning your head for. A future render would be great! Don't forget to update SSP also ;) (New Street station tower's apparently already built!)

:lol: I'd noticed that too. It's not my fault though. It's whoever added it. :bash: And it's right next to the station so you'd have to try pretty hard not to see it.

Here's a scan from the newspaper. It looks as if it has a spire too, meaning the overall height could be around the 80m-85m mark. It's definitely a blocky building and most certainly looks like student accomodation, but I still like it due to the towers slender physique and bold colours.

:banana:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Untitled-1-9.gif

It's quite brutal - I do like it. :happy:

How does it compare in height with the nearby Heath Town/Wednesfield tower blocks?

Wow ,that looks impressive for Wolverhampton and surely a structure that will dominate its skyline .Thanks for the scans VH .:)

It's quite brutal - I do like it. :happy:

How does it compare in height with the nearby Heath Town/Wednesfield tower blocks?

Well Alder House is 62m + about 8m of chimney = 70m
This is about 75m + about 6m of spire = 81m

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Untitled-1x.gif

Excellent! :D

Much as I love the Heath Town blocks (in a strange kind of a way), it's about time something could finally be built in Wolverhampton that is taller than a building from in the 1960s. :|

Much as love the Heath Town blocks (in a strange kind of a way), it's about time something could finally be built in Wolverhampton that is taller than a building from in the 1960s. :|

First ,The Triangle and now this .There may be others too .:)

Excellent stuff! Wolverhampton looks like the last city in the country to start developing a modern skyline, and it's going to have one to be proud of! Fantastic news! :)

nice turn up for the books for wolves... nice one

Well Wolverhampton is on the ball, I wonder if a third development will make an appearance along with this and the triangle, lets hope so. Maybe a 60 floor apartment tower, just kidding. I would love to see a 30 storey tower in wolves though.

I like :)

http://www.propnews.co.uk/editorial/midlands/midsplng16608.html

Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is the city of choice for a £37m Student Village.
Planning permission has been granted for Victoria Hall to develop a 225,000 sq ft scheme which will comprise four buildings and approx 750 units.
The development will be situated off the Wednesfield Road, within the city’s attractive Canal Quarter.
Acting as a beacon for the complex will be an iconic 25-storey tower, which will be one of the West Midlands’ tallest buildings.

So I was walking around Wolverhampton yesterday, minding my own business (as you do) and I noticed that...

...Wolverhampton's tallest building is under construction! :banana:

The site is a forest of cranes and cores. :happy:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/sdd.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/sw.gif

Diagram in relation to some of Wolverhampton's most prolific highrises.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/a-9.gif

Oh well thats just came out of no where, good news for Wolves! The site also looks immence!

It's looking grrrrreat! I might be able to get some veeeery long distance shots of it's impact on the skyline from the Black Country Urban Forest (Dudley/Sandwell border). :)

Good news! I'll look forward to it breaking the horizon when I look towards Wolves from Telford :happy:

What the? i thought this was proposed...
This should be in the Construction forum then
I hope to go to Wolverhampton Uni, I would like to be in tis student village, they will be commplete by the time I go to Uni. Look foward to seeing these rise.

Good news :)

Interesting article on skyscrapernews revealling some extra bits of info...

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=1727

Contractors are now on site with a mass of cranes and cores that will soon be rising. Adding a unique touch to the engineering is the pre-fabricated modular steel structure being built off site by Fleming Group. Once it is erected it will be the tallest such building in the world.

The interiors are also being constructed off site and will moved in by lorry with the lounge/kitchen and bedroom including an en suite shower room of the individual units inserted into the tower one at a time.

Slight concern about the quality of the buildings after learning that. Hopefully it'll be ok though. :)

Good grief, i can't believe this building is gonna be the tallest in the world to involve such a construction method, that's more of an international accolade than any tower in Birmingham can boast! Well done wolvo.

That should mean it will really shoot up then!

I'm excited! In fact, I'm in a very excited mood today. I need more of this sort of thing in my life. :D

"Pre-fabricated" is such an old fashioned word but I'm sure these days it's done in a more pleasant way. :yes:

"Assembled in factory conditions" is used in the industry :)

This should be in the Construction Forum

Well, we've gotta wait till Woody gets back. Let's save all the 'Someone move this thread to the Construction Forum PLEAAAAASE?!?!?' till he makes his presence known again. :)

I had a good look at the site today. There's a nice quiet lane running along the west of the site, a perfect place to take photos from.

From what I can tell, they are preparing the site for the 25 storey tower by driving piles into the ground. The cores are quickly rising on the 11 and 8 storey buildings and it's not yet clear how far progressed the 6 storey building is.

I'm looking forward to seeing this rise and I should be able to get weekly updates soon when I return to uni.

Here's a photo of the core of the 8 storey, building 3.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Core.jpg

Pre-fab like Masshouse I guess Van.

The cores of Building 2 and 3 have shot up since I was last in Wolverhampton.

The main building has progressed well too, however I just don't have the balls to take photos of the site as there are always a lot of builders around. :(

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/c-5.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/a-10.jpg

Nice photos VH, you can see the difference from your previous shots.

wow, they are fireing ahead with this.... yet more proof that in the current markets, the money to develop is soundly in the sectors of:

educations
health
private transport

Nice on-site photo of this on the E&S Construction paper site. Link (http://es.inewspaper.co.uk/spc/iViewerFrameset.asp?left=0&amp;right=0&amp;help=0&amp;pubdate=080922&amp;filename=<O>&amp;wordsearch=&amp;path=&amp;localind=W&amp;taste=T&amp;x=&amp;y=&amp;w=1000&amp;d=668.25&amp;i=JAX&amp;bannerfile=)

I'll try and get some more photos this week too.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/core-1.gif

this looks good for Wolves... probably register on the skyline from Brum somewhere high up like V-Tower or VTP 200 ;) and vice verse of course

Quick shot from today showing the good progress made on the core for Building 2 (right) and possibly the topping out of the core for Building 3.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Cores.jpg

Comparison with last weeks photo.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Cores2.jpg

New page required!

I saw some new cores today at the site of the 25-storey tower. There's a big one with a small one next to it, very similar to the cores of Snowhill hotel. Already the big building is almost as advanced as the Cube! There seems to be a major development everytime I go past, although photographing it is still very hard.

The 11 and 8-storey buildings are progressing well with work well advanced on the lower floors. I can see them being topped out by the end of the year the way they're going.

Can this one be moved into the construction forum and the thread title be updated please? It'll need moving to the completed forum soon. :wink2:


http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-19.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-21.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-14.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-10.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-7.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-19.jpg

I've never seen anything quite like that in Wolverhampton before - cores are more like the sort of thing you'd see in cities like Birmingham. :happy:

I wonder when it will be visible from Sedgley Beacon. :?

Go wolverhampton!

I have to say I am baffled by the lack of comments on this thread, especially now this has become the tallest U/C building in the Midlands.

There's 50-storeys worth of buildings under construction on this site, yet a 7-storey block in Brum (15 Andover Street) that isn't even approved yet has gained more comments. It's rather perplexing. :nuts:

Anyway, rant over!

The Low Level Station development in the Canalside Quarter has slowed because of the present credit crisis but building of the student village at Victoria Hall is going ahead. The Summer Row project is still set to start next spring while an application for outline planning permission for the Interchange and the identity of the main developer of the i54 technology park are both expected within the next three months.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/10/03/city-rebirth-will-not-be-hit/

vey6 impressive...... i need to move this as i will, but also can someone find out the exact height of this building?!?!?!

Thanks Woody! :cheers:

I've looked everywhere for info on the project but I can't find anything other then what has been posted. Wolvo council's planning site is crap compared to Brum's as with most cases you can't view the planning applications.

There's no decent renders, plans or other photo updates anywhere on the internet from what I can tell. I think the people of Wolverhampton will be shocked when this one rises.

It might inspire a surge of new Wolvo forumers! I was one of the wave of forumers who joined when we noticed HCT rising! :)

Thanks Woody! :cheers:

I've looked everywhere for info on the project but I can't find anything other then what has been posted. Wolvo council's planning site is crap compared to Brum's as with most cases you can't view the planning applications.

There's no decent renders, plans or other photo updates anywhere on the internet from what I can tell. I think the people of Wolverhampton will be shocked when this one rises.

Why not try badgering the developer for some info?

I think this gets fewer comments because not many people see Wolves day-to-day. As it rises I am sure interest will be piqued :)

I would like to see some better renders - are there none on the hoardings?

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/Pitty107/Image2.jpg
http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/Pitty107/Image4.jpg
http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/Pitty107/Image3.jpg

As if by magic!

Thanks Pitty and welcome :wave:

I do think this is clever - the buildings relate very well, and has anyone noticed in the tower - there is the ground flor, then a section of 2 floors, then a section of 3, then 4,5,6

Thanks a lot Pitty. :D How did you get them?

The back isn't how I expected it to be but I'm still very happy with it and those aerials/spires/poles will surely take this one way over 80m. :wink2:

yeah that spire! im looking forward to see how that turns out.

Hey and thanks Pitty! :hi:

That looks like a modern version of one of my favourite tower blocks in the country. I'm never sure if it is in Glasgow or London but I like it. And I like this tower too! :) Just be beware of night time renders...

The core for the big building is now peaking over the hoardings as seen below. Amazing progress since Thursday.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Core-2.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Core-3.gif

The core for the 11-storey building has also made good progress in the last week.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Progress.gif

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Core1.jpg

It's almost as if they're trying to finish it for the 2009/2010 academic year! :nuts:

opal leeds was pretty fast right?

I suppose I could go downstairs and find out, but I think the construction took about 2 years. Fitting out the inside took up 6 months.

It's almost as if they're trying to finish it for the 2009/2010 academic year! :nuts:

It should be finished in Aughust 09 ready for students to move in.

Did Opal get that world's largest window or whatever it was meant to be?

Come again? What's that about!?

I thought the window running down the blade was meant to be the world's longest or something like that. I don't think it was built though. :dunno:

I'll have a look later. I presume it's just a set of windows tbh, as the windows would be a lot cheaper to replace if a drunk threw something at them. I don't think anywhere in Leeds does spare 80x2m windows.

Update from yesterday (Thursday) showing a white frame. Thought it was a crane going up at first although I'm not sure now.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-20.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-22.gif

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-15.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-11.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-20.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-8.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-8.jpg

It looks like a tower crane base to me :)

Wow, I go away for a few weeks and this happens! Exciting times.

The one core has topped out now it would seem.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/111-1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/www.jpg

Thanks for the updates! Nice to seeing it coming along well. You're doing Wolvo proud! :)

yeah nice one van :okay:

van there's completely no sign of world's longest window on opal3! Sorry to disappoint!

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-24.gif

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-22.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-17.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-23.jpg

Nice one VH. I'll have to grab some cameraphone shots next time I'm on a Wolvo train.

Surely it's time for a tower crane?

Still no tower crane. :(

A lot of windows in the 8-storey block are in place and the building is almost topped out.

It's quite ugly at the moment with its concrete facades but the big windows look very promising.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-24.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-25.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/gff.gif

They're not messing around.

I can't believe they're trying to finish this by September '09. Plaza Tower across the road from me in Leeds is aiming for September '09 too and look how much of a head start it's got:


http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u7/Electric_City_photos/190_07112008_25pc.jpg

She's a big girl, that one in Leeds.

I can't believe they will get it done for Sept 09. They might get the first phase done by then though.

The first phase is almost done. :yes:

Remember the rooms for the big building are being prefabricated off site and will be inserted into the frame of the building when it is ready. The core is already at 7 floors.

Here are a few photos from today. There is already some red cladding going on the 8-storey building.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-13.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-24.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-27.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-26.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-19.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-27.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-20.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-28.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-14.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-10.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-25.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-10.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-7.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/9-8.jpg

Thanks for the update :)

Does this thread prove that the majority of people in Birmingham don't really care what goes on in Wolverhampton despite this being a MAJOR tall development in the so-called "Greater Birmingham" area? If this was within the city of Birmingham the thread would be incredibly busy!

If there's going to be this united Birminghamshire you Brummie guys have got to take more of an interest in that upcoming city in the north west of the conurbation. ;)

Are you talking to yourself Buttercups? :lol:

I think people will be more interested once cladding goes on and the tallest building makes some headway, but most people don't go to Wolves that often. I might re-post them on the Brum thread :)

I see it weekly with my own eyes so I don't feel the need to comment too much although I greatly appreciate Van's updates.

Does this thread prove that the majority of people in Birmingham don't really care what goes on in Wolverhampton despite this being a MAJOR tall development in the so-called "Greater Birmingham" area? If this was within the city of Birmingham the thread would be incredibly busy!

If there's going to be this united Birminghamshire you Brummie guys have got to take more of an interest in that upcoming city in the north west of the conurbation. ;)

:applause:

That's exactly what I was thinking about a week ago. I reckon this would have to be at least 150m+ before it got the usual number of replies.

My prediction is that this thread will rack up around 250 posts by the time it's completed in September next year. Most of those posts being photo updates from myself and people who feel they have to say thanks for those photo updates so not to appear ungrateful. ;)

It will be interesting to see how many posts the Aston Uni student block thread will get. It has as many as this one and has barely started constuction.

Anyway, I suspect not many people in Wolverhampton know about this building. However, plenty of people stare up at the cores as they drive or walk past and so when it gets to a height where it appears huge, people may come on the web trying to find out what it is.

People in Wolverhampton should know about it as it's been in the Express & Star a few times - or at least it has in the Dudley edition that we get. As you say, interest should grow once it gets to an unusual-for-Wolverhampton height and will be seen from miles around. Also, people from all around the country going past on the trains will see it (like T-man has) which will mean everyone will soon get to know it!

If it helps I always make sure I tell whoever I'm with what is going on. This week I was explaining how the rooms are being built off site and slotted into the structure. Sadly its usually the same guy so he knows how much of a geek I am.

Finally the tower crane is rising.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-29.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-28.jpg

Exciting, so this is joint first with Snowhill phase 2 as the tallest currently under construction in the West Midlands? Quite an accolade me thinks, well done Wolverhampton and god bless students and their ever increasing need for accomodation.

Unusual looking tower crane!

Exciting, so this is joint first with Snowhill phase 2 as the tallest currently under construction in the West Midlands?

Yes although this one has masts/poles/aerials that add about 10m to the height.

Some photos from today. The quality of the 8-storey block is worrying but hopefully it will turn out ok.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-21.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-29.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-30.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-26.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-15.jpg

Also... :ohno:

Just been on Victoria Hall's updated website and there is a different design for the tower. The shorter buildings are the same but the tall one is totally different. What a disappointment!

It looks awful in comparison. The first design was strong and iconic, this is just crap. :(

The quality of the 8-storey block is worrying but hopefully it will turn out ok.

You're right to be concerned. They look like friggin' portacabins! Colour is needed asap!

Also... :ohno:

Just been on Victoria Hall's updated website and there is a different design for the tower. The shorter buildings are the same but the tall one is totally different. What a disappointment!

It looks awful in comparison. The first design was strong and iconic, this is just crap. :(


It's mainly bad news because the tower is hidden in the renders. It's as if the architects had no confidence in the design to chose to hide it. The new one looks similar to Plaza in Leeds, from what I can see of it...

On closer inspection it seems that they are the same building, just from different angles. I'm now very worried about this one.

You're right to be concerned. They look like friggin' portacabins! Colour is needed asap!

Absolutely. They're building it like it was lego.

Reminds me of this from the Brum forum: :( http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Construction%204/Birmingham2910200729.jpg

Also... :ohno:

Just been on Victoria Hall's updated website and there is a different design for the tower. The shorter buildings are the same but the tall one is totally different. What a disappointment!

It looks awful in comparison. The first design was strong and iconic, this is just crap. :(

http://www.victoriahall.com/wolverhampton/

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-31.gif

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-27.gif

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-30.gif

Is that wood paneling? That may end up looking nice. I'm disappointed that its no longer black, I thought once you went black... ya know?

I'm disappointed that its no longer black, I thought once you went black... ya know?

That's about the third time I've heard that saying from you this week. :| ...Although I have found said phrase to be correct. :shifty:

I doubt those portacabin-looking things are the finished product, surely they'll be unwrapped/have a splash of colour at a later date? :sly: To be honest, and controversial it may be, I don't care how it all looks as long as I can see it from miles away on the horizon. :happy:

That's about the third time I've heard that saying from you this week. :| ...Although I have found said phrase to be correct. :shifty:

You heard different phrases, this time it was "you'll never go back" but last time it was "your gonna need a wheelchair". Sheesh Butters, can't you tell? :ohno:

I agree that the wrapping will come off, I was just looking forward to all the blackness and now its all lightly coloured which saddens me somewhat.

You heard different phrases, this time it was "you'll never go back" but last time it was "your gonna need a wheelchair". Sheesh Butters, can't you tell? :ohno:

Grrrr. :evil: I DID hear you say a third version of that saying the other day, but I think it was during a private conversation. :gossip:

Also... :ohno:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-27.gif

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-30.gif

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/Pitty107/Image2.jpg

The last image there was rather simple but it looks like a cheap render above. I must say I thought it was going to be a terracotta tile instead of timber but it still doesn't look realistic - try not to worry too much.

it's not timber

The crane is up and it looks superb!

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-28.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-31.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-32.jpg

That's a really unusual crane! One to add to the update :)

The core is just over half way now.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-32.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-33.jpg

Wooo hooo, it's looking good. has any cladding been put on the low rise blocks yet?

The rooms are pods:
they have walls, floor, roof, insulation & windows already fitted
its all done in a factory, so its out of the elements, & if done properly, you actually get a better product.

Once their all assembled around the core, the cladding is then added.


Quite unusual tower crane as well, bit like the spindly ones you see on the continent sometimes.

The core is rocketing up! Very exciting, but I'm never in Wolvo so It'll probably be ages til I even see this.

I've just been in Bridgnorthshire and on the way back on the country roads towards Wolverhampton at Shipley I think I saw the tower crane and maybe the core too lurking on the horizon!
:banana:

Although I've just worked out that that's only just over 6 miles. :(

If you go down the Birmingham New Road towards Wolverhampton, as soon as you pass McDonalds in Coseley you see the tower and crane dead in front of you on the horizon. A good 4 miles away.

It's coming on nicely :)

The core is at 17-storeys now. 8 more to go. :)

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-22.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-16.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-11.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-34.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-29.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-33.jpg

Ahh, no cladding yet then.

Love the final shot with the hazy view of the crane! Great updates - let's hope the building does your updates justice! ;)

Nice pics VH. Thanks for all the updates :)

Last update of 2008!

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/13-4.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-8.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-17.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-30.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-34.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-35.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-12.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-23.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-11.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/9-9.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/12-4.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/10-7.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/11-4.jpg

Wow, thanks Van. It really is like a stack of portacabins when these things go up!

Is this the biggest thing in Wolvo?

Is this the biggest thing in Wolvo?
Yes, next two is Alder House and Brockfield House which are both 62m in height.

Looking impressive! Doesn't look like there is much regeneration happening in Wolverhampton at the moment, this really is going to set precedent for the future.

The crane is 93m tall and was previously used for Terminal 5 at Heathrow.

The 750 accomodation pods weigh 32 tonnes each.

http://www.wolverhamptondev.co.uk/news-updates/victoria-hall-crane.aspx

And a small image.

http://www.victoriahall.com/images/wolverhampton.jpg

http://www.victoriahall.com/index.html

It's huge isn't it?

so do we know the official height of this building????

I'm afraid not! I'd love to know myself.

Couple of photos from today.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-35.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-36.jpg

That's tall and slender for a single core, unstabilised. I hope it's strong enough!

Some info from Contract Journal - bit slow off the mark but good info & visuals:

http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2009/01/05/63355/vision-modular-strctures-wins-24m-student-accommodation-job-photos.html

Vision Modular Strctures wins £24m student accommodation job - PHOTOS
11:40 05 Jan 2009
By Neil Gerrard

Vision Modular Structures (VMS) has won a contract to manufacture and install modular units as part of a £24m student accommocation job in partnership with main contractor and parent company Fleming Developments.

VMS will install 805 modules over 27 weeks at the site in Wolverhampton for client Victoria Hall.

The project is set for completion in September 2009.

Iain Thayne, chief executive of VMS UK said: "The deliverability and speed of construction are the clear benefits of modular techniques and in these difficult market conditions we are pleased to have proven our commercial credentials.

"We are continuing to develop our offering across a wider base and along with the delivery of residential and student accommodation we expect to announce our first UK hotel scheme shortly."

VMS operates in the UK from its offices in Southampton. It manufactures the modules at its factory base in Cork, Ireland.

http://www.contractjournal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=68009690
http://www.contractjournal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=68009691
http://www.contractjournal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=68009692

And here:

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/News/2009/01/fleming_uses_modular_construction_for_student_accommodation.html

Fleming uses modular construction for student accommodation
Published: 05 January 2009 11:11 Author: Myles Burke More by this Author Last Updated: 05 January 2009 11:23

Fleming Developments is using modular units for delivery of a £24 million student accommodation scheme in Wolverhampton

Increase image
View all images
Irish construction group Fleming Developments is using modular units for delivery of a £24 million student accommodation scheme in Wolverhampton.
Its subsidiary, Vision Modular Structures, will install a total of 805 modules over 27 weeks.

Delivery of the completed scheme will take 13 months, finished before the student intake at the start of the academic year in September 2009.

Designed by O'Connell East Architects of Manchester, the scheme features a 24 storey block – qualifying it a Europe's tallest modular building – and will provide 657 student bedrooms plus 142 post-graduate student apartments.

O'Connell East Architect's Jenny Hayes said: "Modular construction was identified early on as key to the successful and timely delivery of this scheme. As a 'turn-key' manufacturer, the VMS system helps reduce the amount of time spent on-site [due] to rapid-assembly and a streamlined supply chain from the factory."

The terracotta pannels I think will be like the ones on the new Pop Art Gallery on Wulfruna Street.

Thanks Bio. I think the lowrise buildings will turn out satisfactory. Not sure about the big one though. I'm relieved there are no big areas of ugly black panneling like on Opal Leeds.

:blahblah: Article from the Chronical slating Europe's tallest :blahblah:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Student.jpg

:llama:

Wolves doesn't really have a skyline per se, and I think this guy needs to realise it is a post-industrial city and not a sleepy village :yes:

Ugh, I hate people who write letters like that. Some people just don't like tall buildings evev when they are very well designed.

It will block views of the church from one direction. It's not like it is a circular wall wrapping around the church or a cluster of these things in various locations around it. Next he'll be saying it's 'too vertical'. ;)

The church isn't that exciting anyway is it or particularly dominant on the horizon? :dunno:

Wolverhampton is a big industiral town/city - it can cope with a big tall (and slightly brutal :D) building!

This future impression proves just how ridiculous the claim is.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Skyline-Render-2.jpg

ha yeah!

After seeing that mock up, all I can think is "Oh my goodness! It has completely destroyed the skyline and now I can't see the church as clearly as I used to! :cry:"

;)

I think they think they need to object to something tall... :bash:


Only £24 million build cost? Do we know how much (on average) the flats in this will cost per week?

To put it into perspective, the stunning Opal Tower in Leeds has 550 apartments averaging £100 a week (I'm paying a lot less than average for standard room), so that works out as the building getting a year's (42 weeks in this case) revenue of £2.31 million. Let's set aside the 0.31 million p/a for staff wages and fixing broken stuff, the place is making £2m a year.

If the Tallest Building in Europe (;)) manages an average of £90 a week (student flats must be cheaper in Wolverhampton) then 657x90x42= £2.48million a year. So I'll guess that the Student City in Wolverhampton will have covered build costs and be making profit in about 12 years. About. Ish. I'd imagine this gives a great deal of confidence to Wolverhampton University :)

An income of £2mil a year on an investment of £24mil is a yield of 8.33% which is pretty good but not quite the same as the building having paid for itself after 12 years as you have to subtract the cost of servicing the loan which will have been raised to finance/construct it (maybe 5% as a long term average).

Chances are the University / Student City or whomever has built the thing has had to borrow the money so they will still get a healthy return on the investment but closer to 3.3% pa after loan interest repayments or about £800,000 per year in todays money to either pay off the capital value of the loan or to invest elsewhere, or realistically a mixture of both. The income raised will obviously rise over time while the cost of servicing the debt will fall in real terms as both inflation and repayments reduce the cost. I should imagine this worksout closer to a 20-25 year loan repayment period to me, very similar to a typical mortgage but at that point the building would then hopefully still have a good life span left at which point all after expenses income would be pure profit.

Sorry, i don't think that mockup of the skyline is correct. In my opinion, from the perspective of the photo, the scheme would be postioned between the spire of St Georges Church and the incinerator.

Sorry, i don't think that mockup of the skyline is correct. In my opinion, from the perspective of the photo, the scheme would be postioned between the spire of St Georges Church and the incinerator.

This image shows that the location is correct with lines to St. Peter's, the incinerator, St. George's, Student Village (circled) and Dixons.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Map.gif

Update from today, still not at 25 floors.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-38.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-37.jpg

fair enough, but it certainly appears a lot further from the centre than I imagined.

Has anyone mentioned yet that this building looks a council block from the 1960's? It’s hardly an inspiring design and I totally understand people complaining about such a building going up. I'm actually shocked how it has been passed through planning to be honest. Just because it’s tall, does not mean it’s exempt from criticism.

Not all council blocks were bad designs. This bears a resemblence to Harlech Tower on the Lyndhurst estate - winner of the 1961 Civic Award. Just because the poor quality of the tower blocks that were churned out in the mid-to-late 1960s, we seem to paint all tower blocks with a bad brush when recent years have shown that there are still good looking tower blocks.

Yes this does have a resemblence to a postwar tower block, but it looks nothing like the horrible ones which blighted the overspill estates. This is a good quality design employing unusual features and material combinations.

Most of the complaints have mainly been about the positioning of the building. No one here has suggested that it should be exempt from criticism.

How pathetic that article is about people complaining about this 'destroying Wolverhamptons Skyline'. Wolverhampton doesn't even have a skyline, even London does not, as yet, have a proper city skyline. This isnt even tall, its a mid rise =\
I wish we could send all these anti modern people back to the 19th Century, they'd be over joyed!

i got sent this additional image by the architect on friday -

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5671Building1_pic2.jpg

Too much grey, even the early teracotta renders would be better than that.

I absolutely love it and I'm proud that this is being built in my city of birth. :D

Looks horrible in that one. The renders seem very inconsistant.

I really like it in that render but I know there's a part of me that would usually hate that...

This seems like it's a real wait-and-see job. I can't seem to get any kind of good idea what it's actually going to look like!

I think if it was being built in central Birmingham it would look a bit weird, but this is Wolverhampton, currently losing out to small-town neighbour Cannock in terms of amount of 'skyscrapers' so surely anything is welcome. :|

I quite like it, looking forward to seeing its skin.

its got a spire :D

Anyone know where the photos are?

Students in double bed dreamland

Here is the first glimpse inside Wolverhampton’s towering new £40 million student village – and each room comes kitted out with a double bed.

Gone are the days when students in the city have to accept single beds after developers behind the new accommodation off Wednesfield Road admitted they thought that would be “uncool”.

The development, made up of more than 720 rooms, is already starting to leave its neighbours in the shade after being pieced together room by room with the help of a 300ft crane.

Individual flats already fully kitted out with kitchens and bathrooms, weighing 32 tons each, have been created off-site and are now being craned in one by one.

These snapshots inside show the clean white bathroom fittings and kitchen areas starting to take shape around the double beds. Bob Crompton, chief executive of Victoria Hall Ltd, which is behind the development, said today: “I can’t imagine many of the students would have single beds at home and so we thought it would be uncool if we didn’t put double beds in.”

The development comes complete with satellite television, broadband internet access, en-suite bedrooms, gym and communal areas.

The neighbouring Royal Mail depot, Low Level station and hotel development are dwarfed by the student village. But not everybody is a fan, including Frank Sharman of Wolverhampton History & Heritage Society, who has branded it a “monstrosity”.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/01/20/students-in-double-bed-dreamland/

i have to put up with a single bed lol

I've only got a single bed too! Does that make me uncool? :(

Do the individual flats really weigh 32 tons each? Seems a lot

I saw the crane on the horizon all the way from Kinver Edge this afternoon, which according to my calculations is 11 and a half miles away as the crow flies! :banana:

How much taller/shorter than the crane will the actual building be? This really is gonna be a mega landmark.

apparently there are only three types of people in wolverhampton, greying men called steve, black men with leather jackets, and prostitutes.

^^ Ohh kay :weird:

24 floors completed, 1 more to go, possibly 3 more to go as it looks as if the core extends 2 floors above the roof.

The middle building has gone up quickly with only a few more pods needing to be added.

The smallest one of the 3 is beginning to look a lot neater.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-40.gif

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-39.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-32.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-24.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-18.jpg

impressive

I WANT CLADDING!

Your very demanding today arn't you ILC?

well those lowrise blocks have been stood there like that for over a month, i want to get an impression of what the cladding on the tower will look like in real life.

The more chadding, the better. ;)

The core looks very impressive there, you almost expect it to snap with a little gust of wind!

A few from today from some new angles. It would be nice to have some blue sky for once!

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-33.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-40.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-25.jpg

The rates for this have been announced at £81 per week and up, which as expected is quite low compared to other cities. Victoria Hall will still make a massive profit on it though.

Link to compare: http://www.victoriahall.com/rates.html

And a nice photo from Ingleman (http://www.flickr.com/photos/13799564@N04/3238870463/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3431/3238870463_935ea6287b.jpg?v=0

A snowy update from today. The core is at 25 floors now so we should start to see some pods going up soon. This is probably the best it will look until completion...

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/9-10.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-13.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-19.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-26.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-34.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-41.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-41.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/10-8.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-12.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-9.jpg

Cheers for the updates Van :)

Thanks for the thanks. :)

20 seems far too low to me.

Student village to have only 20 parking spaces

A new £40 million student village will have just 20 car parking spaces – despite housing hundreds of young people, it emerged today.

A 25-storey complex taking shape off Wednesfield Road, Wolverhampton, is due to take new students in September.

Today developers said they would offer limited parking spaces to encourage students to walk or use public transport.

Bob Crompton, Victoria Halls chief executive, which is behind the development, said: “There will be 20 spaces because we don’t want to encourage all of the people who will be staying there to have cars.

“If every one of the 500 or so students had a car it could become a bit of a nightmare.

“The development is located within walking distance to the university and also very close to the bus station, Metro and railway station.” It is expected spaces will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Images released days ago gave a first glimpse inside flats being assembled with the aid of a 300ft crane – one of the biggest in Europe that was previously used to help create Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/02/02/student-village-to-have-only-20-parking-spaces/

And a picture from the site.

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/wd3205334snow-7-gd-02.jpg

Screw parking spaces. I can't stand that its such a big deal in planning. Car parks are fugly and do nothing but reinforce the domnance of the car on our streets especially surface ones :puke:

Yep my student halls in the centre of Newcastle had 0 parking spaces. It's unnecessary in a city centre (although I would have some sympathies for people who need cars for p/t jobs e.g. pizza delivery).

Students in a city centre university and city centre accommodation shouldn't need a car.

More from today. I almost cut my leg off on barbed wire taking the last one.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-35.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-42.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-27.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-14.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-20.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-42.jpg

^^ That's commitment! I'm designing a pre-fab house/pod in university at the moment so am always keeping my eyes open on this tower for (dare I say it) inspiration...

I'm thinking of going to Wolverhampton Uni. I drive but don't intend on taking a car, theres no point. As for the £81 a week, I don't think that is too bad.

Where can I find the pictures of the interior of the apartments?

Just think, Snowhill phase 2 core will be this tall too.

Bird’s eye view of snow-covered city

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/image-cache/2009/02/06/346x181-wd3209729crane-snow.jpg

This is a winter wonderland view of Wolverhampton as you have never seen it before.

Captured from the top of a crane towering 300ft above the city, the stunning scene of the city’s rail and road network was taken by construction worker and amateur photographer Paul Toth.

Full article: http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/02/06/birds-eye-view-of-snow-covered-city/


Where can I find the pictures of the interior of the apartments?

They were in the E&S newspaper the other week but unfortunately not online.

Nice, I wish I could see a full size version.

Scan from the paper. I would love to go up there and take some photos.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/sasas.gif

And a great night photo from essitam / Steph Jennings (http://www.flickr.com/photos/essitam/3258361447/sizes/m/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3508/3258361447_c0e17d69e6.jpg

On that photo, Wolverhampton looks like an historical and circular walled city. :happy:

The core is now finished and the pods are being put in place.

The pod below is coded A1-03 so building A, pod number 3.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-44.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-37.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-44.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-28.jpg

Update from today. It was great to see some blue sky for once!

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/11-5.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-38.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/9-11.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-45.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-45.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/10-9.jpg

More...

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-15.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-21.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-29.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/14-3.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/13-5.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/12-5.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-13.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-10.jpg

Some great angles there Van, you'll have to remember them when the skin starts to be revealed.

Gotta say van, I admire your commitment to updating this! Most well documented construction in the forum at the mo! :)

Thanks. :) This might be the only semi-skyscraper Wolverhampton ever gets so it is important I take lots of photos.

Update from this morning including a short video...

dzxFvwJo27E

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-30.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-46.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-46.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-11.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-16.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-14.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/9-12.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/10-10.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-22.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-39.jpg

Interesting last photo from on the Penn Road - wow! :eek: I don't think you can see it when driving into Wolverhampton from Sedgley, unlike the Heath Town tower blocks which are unmissable.

I'm going to have a drive round the area perhaps next week to have a look at what's going on seeing as I haven't as yet. Whether there'll be any photos from my expedition is anyone's guess....

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-39.jpg

:nono: Taking photos while driving. I hope you're doing 30 and not 70 ;)

I got pulled over by a Traffic cop on a motor bike for taking photos of the first Masshouse block while driving :whoops:

By the looks of the positioning of the steering wheel, me thinks he's only doing backseat driving. :)

That and the left hand on the steering wheel. lol

Big progress since Thursday.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-12.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-15.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-47.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-40.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-31.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-17.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/9-13.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/10-11.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-23.jpg

Some absolute speed going on with construction here! Despite being the most updated project on this forum, it needs more! ;)

OOOOOOO some sort of panelling is being added to those lowrise blocks, PREPARATION FOR CLADDING!? *excited*

I concur with the above ^^ The speed of this thing is well exciting :happy:

http://i41.tinypic.com/2isuz6a.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/20k6fls.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/hvdp1v.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/4ruw4h.jpg

They're not messing about :eek:

Yay! Cladding!

they look like builders cabins stacked on top of each other

Here's my little take on the situation. :D All taken from the car. some whilst driving


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8835/1031242ef3.jpg


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9998/1031247tq8.jpg


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6155/1031251jm3.jpg


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6944/1031253vd0.jpg

This must be a first, I've never known Butterfield to provide photo updates! :eek:

Cheers though! :okay:

I know. I'll be doing a construction and planning course at university next. :|

Nice camera work Butters, mine always blur when I'm on the move. Actually they do that anyway.

Update from today. The first 2 are from near Pattingham. I'm delighted with its impact on the skyline from this angle. Wolvo looks pretty good I think.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-24.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-32.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-48.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-41.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-49.jpg

Here's my little take on the situation. :D All taken from the car. some whilst driving

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8835/1031242ef3.jpg


Thanks Butterfield, I drove down that road the other day and thought it would be a good angle for a photo. The city looks very 'highrise' from there.

This is starting to look very dominant on the wolverhampton skyline, i havnt been passed the site in a few months but cant wait to see the progress in person. Hopefully this will be joined by a few other towers of similar height and bulk up the growing skyline.

apologises if its already been asked, but do we think birminghams BT tower will be visible from this?

Yer most definitely. 10 Holloway Circus and the BT tower can be seen from the nearby multi-storey carpark which is only 4 levels high. It's very far away though.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/q-3.gif

wow thanks van, never realised it was that visible!

on clear nights looks like it will be a prettty awesome view from this tower then!

Im suprised how clear the BT tower is in that picture!, and thats only 150m!

You should be more surprised HCT is in the picture, that's even shorter and on lower ground in comparison to the BT Tower. Both of them are really very visible from good distances.

http://i42.tinypic.com/14oca5t.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2vi2vf5.jpg

Thanks for those Seedece. It looks better then I thought it might. It's nice and crisp.

Apparently the show flat is open now so I'm going to check it out one day soon.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-33.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-42.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-50.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-49.jpg

this is moving so fast, only seemed like it started yesterday

I'm disappointed in you Frank! :blahblah:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/aa-1.jpg

thats a bit of an exagerated argument i think...i dont think its casting a shadow over much. if it were being built in lichfield city centre then yeah i could see the point but its in wolverhampton and not even in the centre for that matter

Apparently the show flat is open now so I'm going to check it out one day soon.

The show flats are open for Plaza Tower in Leeds so let's get snaps and compare :D

As flying tackle said, I could see a problem if this was being built in Lichfield, or Shrewsbury or somewhere similar, but this is Wolverhampton, hardly famous for its beauty and it surely needs anything new it can get its hands on. There's some towns and cities that need big changes and Wolverhampton is one of them.

If Wolverhampton is to ever be taken seriously as a city, then people like Frank Sharmen need to open there mind and think like city folks do.

Its only small minded, small town folks who get scared or offended by any change.

i mean, he talks in that article as if Wolverhampton was a village in the cotswolds.

What heritage is being destroyed by this project? And why does a Church need to be the centre of the skyline. ITS NOT EVEN A CATHEDRAL!

I spend a lot of time in Wolves, have done for a few years, and although its a fairly pleasent enough place, It feels like a town. There's nothing special about the place. And it certainly has nothing that makes you feel like your in a city.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-16.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-13.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-18.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-25.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-50.jpg

You can just make out the grey cladding in these two photos. It looks ok I think.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-51.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-43.jpg

Thanks for the pics, I think we'll have to wait and see with the cladding. On such a big building, any problems get amplified. Stuff that would look ok on something smaller might look terrible on a 75m tower.

So far thats looking horrid fucking hell!!

You haven't even seen the cladding, how the hell can you pass judgement on the bare bones of structure?! It's like saying the Rotunda was looking horrid when they stripped it back to the central column and floorplates... :ohno:

It was rather elegant actually :)

A photo taken this morning by my dad. The pods on this side are at full height now I think. Something I like about this building is that the windows appear to be quite large, especially in the photo below. I'm feeling a bit more confident now that this will look good.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/DSC00088.jpg

Good pic :)

My arse has got more character than this.

One I forgot to post the other day. Shame there's some sort of film on the glass up there as it spoils the view out.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/RIMG1026-1.jpg

I love how we can see the Bloxwich tower blocks inbetwixt the Heath Town blocks on the left!

Welcome to the 21st C Wolvo lol!

isnt it walsall in the background?

I cycled to Wolvo today. Why? Cos I'm hardcore. It'd be a shame not to take snaps of its greatest attraction whilst there:

http://www.trainonthebrain.plus.com/0803wv1.jpg

http://www.trainonthebrain.plus.com/0803wv2.jpg

http://www.trainonthebrain.plus.com/0803wv3.jpg

Thanks for stopping by. :D

That stretch of canal up to the city centre is dereliction at its best but there's so much potential there. They were talking about building an arena close by that would rival the NIA and I love the look of that factory on the left of the first photo. Could look great converted to apartments.

Anyway, I hope you don't mind but I've made a future render of the first photo.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/Render-1.gif

Nice render on that bottom pic van heckler :) Will look good if they get it right.

The speed in which it's going up is amazing.

i was asleep on the train back to manchester and looked up and saw this, was too late to get a better picture

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3635/3338573977_43a02e9bae_b.jpg

^^

Interesting angle, thanks.

Earlier today I saw 2 girls waiting to be shown around the market suite and I decided to tag along. :D

The standard flat looked really good. It was nice and bright, very spacious and looked well furnished. The delux flat was the same only a bit bigger. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos so you'll have to take my word for it.

The kitchen area also looked quite nice although it wasn't very bright in there. Again the furnishings looked great but the walls were painted light yellow which I didn't like. See the photos below.

Overall I was very impressed with what I saw and if I could afford £81 a week I would definitely move in, but I can't. :( Also, those pods are a lot bigger then I thought they were.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-52.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/3-44.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/2-51.jpg

Wow not bad. Puts my student digs to shame. Would be good to have one of those flats on the top floor.

Nice future render ^^ too :)

those sofa's look so comfy, wish i had those :(

81 quid aswell!

I'm sure they won't look that nice after 6 months of students living in them!

Little bit strange everyone having to eat down the same side of the table, but it does look well furnished.

breakfast bars, modern student thing as we don't use tables or something...looks far better than my rubbish place

I'm a student and I eat at a table...

More photos from earlier. Apparantly there's going to be a basketball court on the other side of the fencing.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/5-26.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-14.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/7-17.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/10-12.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/4-34.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/6-19.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/9-14.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/13-6.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/14-4.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/11-6.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/12-6.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-53.gif

Brilliant, that second from last picture is a great example of how a few buildings can add a huge blob of density to a city, what's going on with the low level station now? Did they find anyone to do something with it since the casino plan fell through?

it is going to be painted right?

Painted!?

Of course not, it's going to be fully cladded. Jeez, what do you think this is? The dark ages?

It'll be rendered and clad. Some of the turquoise cladding (possibly copper) has been put up but it's covered in plastic sheeting at the moment.

Did they find anyone to do something with it since the casino plan fell through?

The last I heard was that it was going to become a Chinese restaurant.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/8-14.jpg


=

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/wjfox2005/London_general/city_of_london/heron.jpg


Clad her now!!! :banana:

That render of Heron Tower makes me even more excited that she is beginning to make her mark on the London Skyline!

Painted!?

Of course not, it's going to be fully cladded. Jeez, what do you think this is? The dark ages?

no, wolverhampton (sorry van)

hahahah wow that was funny flying

no, wolverhampton (sorry van)

http://www.wolverhamptonhistory.org.uk/assets/userfiles/wolverhampton_history/local_government/002283.jpg