Application: S/07235/07/FUL
Developer: Calthorpe Estates
Architect: Online Architects Ltd
Completion date: December 2009

Addition of 968sqm office space in an extra storey (sixth floor), complete recladding and re-glazing of existing elevations, new front entrance feature and erection of rear external staircase.

http://i41.tinypic.com/5odr9k.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/izasdu.jpg

Gleeds begins role on new Birmingham office project

Gleeds, the International Management and Construction Consultancy, has begun work as Quantity Surveyor and CDM Co-ordinator on the £6.5m redevelopment of 100 Hagley Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham on behalf of Calthorpe Estates. The office building will be completely stripped back to its original structure with the top storey removed in order to create two new levels of modern office space which will see the total area increase from 35,000 to 50,000sq ft.

The new façade design will provide a high quality aluminum curtain walling system with insulated render panels in order to create a contemporary facility more befitting of its location in the newly regenerated area of the city. The project also incorporates many sustainable design features, such as a biomass boiler, and aims to achieve BREEAM excellent 2008.

Commenting on the project, Stuart Senior, Managing Partner of Gleeds Nottingham said “We are delighted that our experience of working in the commercial property sector is being recognised by the prestigious, Calthorpe Estates. At a time when the market is proving to be challenging, projects like these are exciting, rewarding and increasingly rare.” Work recently began on site and is expected to reach completion in October 2009.

http://www.cpbsonline.eu/pressrelease/pressrelease.aspx?companyname=Gleeds&title=Gleeds+begins+role+on+new+Birmingham+office+project


New Property for Intellectual Property Firm Barker Brettell
September 2008

Calthorpe Estates’ long-standing commitment to building strong relationships and providing the highest quality customer service has been further demonstrated by another recent letting on its prestigious Edgbaston Estate.

Full-service intellectual property firm Barker Brettell LLP, has exchanged an agreement to relocate from two locations on the Calthorpe Estate to four floors of office space, totalling 28,000 sq ft, in one single location at 100 Hagley Road.

“Barker Brettell has been a client on the Estate for over 50 years, and I am delighted that they have chosen to stay with us in the future” explains Jayne Herritty, sales and marketing director for Calthorpe Estates.

“This letting demonstrates the importance of developing strong relationships with our client and listening to them. With a greater understanding of Barker Brettell’s needs we were able to work with them, not only to help them stay on the estate but also to also provide them with a product more suitable to their changing needs.”

The move will consolidate Barker Brettell’s Birmingham operations in a single location, with extra space accommodating existing and future growth. The firm will also benefit from the more efficient and flexible Grade A office space 100 Hagley Road will offer as a result of a £12m reinvention of the building.

The existing premises, which are a mix of ground floor retail and upper floor office space, will be extended from the current 30,000 sq ft to 42,000 sq ft with the expansion of the building from its current five storeys to six. The structure will be stripped back to its core with significant structural work, including the top storey being removed and replaced by two new levels to create additional office accommodation.

Internally, there will be a complete refurbishment to provide more occupier-friendly open plan spaces that will allow greater flexibility in how the space is used with enhancements such as zoned heating and cooling facilities.

The external appearance will also be transformed with the replacement of all windows and brickwork façade, to create a contemporary look more fitting for its high-profile location on a major route into the City Centre.

Commenting on the move, Geoff Lomas, senior partner at Barker Brettell, said: “Edgbaston provides an unrivalled location for businesses, especially expanding and successful ones like ours. We have been located at 138 Hagley Road for 33 years, as well as 100 Hagley Road for the past four years. We moved into 138 Hagley Road in 1974, when it was newly built by Calthorpe, and were pleased that they up-rated it in 1999. We have always appreciated their attention over the years to meeting our changing requirements.

“We have worked with the team at Calthorpe Estates to find this solution to our latest needs, which will cater for our expansion programme over the coming years. A temporary move to offices at Harborne Court has ensured we could stay on the Estate while we vacated 100 Hagley Road, in order that the exciting redevelopment can be undertaken.

“We are looking forward to moving to our new premises, which will provide a much-enhanced working environment for our staff, both in terms of appearance and functionality.”

Work on 100 Hagley Road starts later this year, with the new building scheduled for completion by December 2009.

Jemmett Manley & Associates acted on behalf of Barker Brettell LLP. DTZ have been instructed as letting agents for both the office and retail elements of the scheme by Calthorpe Estates.

http://www.calthorpe.co.uk/news/04_sep_2008.aspx

Round windows yuck.

It'll still be a 60's block surrounded by a surface car park no matter how "snazzy" the cladding.

It's still an improvement and that's something all plain existing buildings should experience!

Big improvement :)

The upper two floors are very overpowering. They look very similar to the floors that were added to the top of Baskerville House during it's refurb but those ones look so much better in comparison to this. It's the fact that they are so close to the front of the facade, so not that recessed, and also due to the fact that the lower section of the building is just not that big in comparison.

As for the round windows, :puke:.

As for that... bleh.

Very circa 1989.

A striking similarity to Aston Science Park

I think the circular windows might be some kind of strange attempt to be art deco, the stepped shape of the roof seems to give the same impression. God knows why the architects thought art deco was a good style to graft onto a 1960's office block.

an improvement but have to agree does seem slightly art deco ish, strange ,not sure what look they wanted to achieve.

Looks great to me.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/1-48.gif

I used to work on the 4th floor! And I believe it's (most of the 4th floor) been empty since we moved out in 1992!

I guess some of my cabling was still insitu until recently

an improvement but have to agree does seem slightly art deco ish, strange ,not sure what look they wanted to achieve.

Maybe to relate a little to the surrounding buildings? It looks that way to me.

The use of the copper for the entrance feature seems to relate to the roofs of the oratory and the big building next door to it while the deco reference may be a nod to the 5 large residential blocks making up Kenilworth Court on the other side of Chad Road.

It's not the greatest but it is a vast improvement. Just a bit of a shame it's not a little more contemporary and more in-line with 19 & 54 George Road. Yes, it's a bit safe but I'm guessing Barker Brettell would have also had some say in the final design. At least it's better than the light refurb done to the other office block next door. Maybe that will the next phase?

http://i39.tinypic.com/2rmpaja.jpg

http://www.12hk.com/area/Central/JardineHouse_PHOT0284.jpg

Looks like a giant connect4 game.

Hagley Road is fast becoming a hive for bad commercial and office architecture. Such a shame considering its prominence as a gateway.

:?

That's a rash statement for you Erebus! It's definitely an improvement so what's wrong?

It's definitely an improvement so what's wrong?

Polishing turd doesn't create a good environment, yes this is an improvement, but it is a very minor improvement in the grand scheme of things. This extends the life of a badly designed building that detracts from the streetscape for god knows how long.

The piecemeal "improvements" we're seeing on the Hagley road aren't going to make it a good place, they're simply going to make it a bit less shit and pro-long the status quo of crappy 60's buildings and surface car parks.

:?

That's a rash statement for you Erebus! It's definitely an improvement so what's wrong?

Yes, it is an improvement but this proposal is shoddy and terrible still. This area is lacking in quality office architecture. It all seems to be very tacky or severely compromised. I can think of only one office development that I can say that I am very pleased with and that is Fifty4 Hagley Road. All these modern builds in this area are a let down - from Calthorpe House to TriGate.

It's by no means terrible but not as good as it could be. You're right that there is a lot of dross along Hagley Road (thanks Calthorpe) but 54 is very nice, and so it No 1. Cobalt Square is fine and Edgbaston House (?) and the reclad of the one by the Plough & Harrow is a nice job too :)

I like the black glass box which is Neville House :drool:

Neville House is one of my favourite buildings in Birmingham

Polishing turd doesn't create a good environment, yes this is an improvement, but it is a very minor improvement in the grand scheme of things. This extends the life of a badly designed building that detracts from the streetscape for god knows how long.

The piecemeal "improvements" we're seeing on the Hagley road aren't going to make it a good place, they're simply going to make it a bit less shit and pro-long the status quo of crappy 60's buildings and surface car parks.

Every time the same complaints; the building's in a prominent location, a gateway to the city...you could argue that for everywhere in the city centre! It's not an intelligent idea building tall grand architecturally masterful buildings on every site in the city cause it would price most firms out of it. The way I see it is that the city would miss out on 1000's of jobs, the market needs variety.

I like the black glass box which is Neville House :drool:

:?

Yeah, you know the square glass box that looks a bit bang and olufsen. It sits behind 54 Hagley Road. I've googled but can't find a photo

Ah yes :yes:

Every time the same complaints; the building's in a prominent location, a gateway to the city...you could argue that for everywhere in the city centre! It's not an intelligent idea building tall grand architecturally masterful buildings on every site in the city cause it would price most firms out of it. The way I see it is that the city would miss out on 1000's of jobs, the market needs variety.

I never said anything about tall grand architecturally masterful buildings. I was talking about DECENT buildings that are not merely better than what there is but are good buildings outright.

I don't ask for a row of Norman Foster designed hyper-amazingly-snazzy buildings along the Hagley road, I simply want buildings that make a coherrent streetscape, e.g. are built upto the pavement, have underground parking not hideous surface car parks and involve the use of some interesting shapes and features rather than square 1960's blocks. There should be a masterplan for this area so that everytime a new site comes up for redevelopment the new building can be built in line with it.

I mean Calthorpe House has turned out shit, which destroys any faith I have left in Edgbaston Galleries, and then there is the Chamber of Commerce building which if it does ever get built will be such an architecturally out of date lump that we may as well keep what we have there now.

Where is the consistency in design? Where is the quality? I can stand dull architecture so long as the windows aren't grey, the roofplant doesn't look like a shed and the materials are of a decent quality.

Neville House is the only decent building around there, and even that has been made to suffer by successive generations of crap window replacements that don't match the originals.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/babba.jpg

It's not great but its the best Neville House picture I have.

There's a lowrise one next to it which is quite pleasing too.

What's so brilliant about Neville House?!!

The only good thing in the picture is the Beemer convertible !!!

Neville House is a wonderful example of modernist/international style architecture, possibly the best example in Birmingham, at a time when most offices in Brum were being thrown up with exposed concrete here, there and everywhere this was an example of restrained elegant beauty with cladding of a quality not really found anywhere else in Birmingham (until 11 Brindleyplace). It's just a shame it is in such an awkward position and surrounded by car parks.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/zz01.jpg

Thanks for the update ILC . In fact that looks like a some kind of render .

If the facade is going to look like those covers, then I am really very worried about how this will turn out. It looks so disproportionate.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say, they're erecting a crane for this currently too.

Steel work up for the additional floor.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/h2-1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/h3-1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/van_heckler/h1-1.jpg

That's pretty smart! Cheers for the pics.

The structure is finished now, they're adding the supports in preparation for cladding.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/bb01.jpg

I didn't realise this was right next to those lovely properties!!! Oh my god, this is a disaster...

It will look better than it's previous tired 60's office block incarnation

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=srbqrmgv56xh&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=7446946&where1=birmingham&encType=1

The good thing about the previous building, it didn't really try to make a statement or make itself known. This one is going to be sticking out like a sore thumb. I'm hoping this is a temporary job...

The wraps are coming off the top of this now, looks very nice :)

Hey guys, i'm new here :) been a local on this site for a while now but just thought to sign up! I got some pictures from last week, sorry about the quality of them! Building is coming on very good now that we can finally see a bit of it, the cladding don't look like it is finished yet.

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/ReissOmari/DSC00576.jpg
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/ReissOmari/DSC00577.jpg

Thanks for those.

The scaffolding has come down considerably further over the last couple of days so it is worth anyone going for another photo trip sometime this week.

Some pictures from last week, got some quick ones as my bus was coming! Cladding still didn't look finished

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/ReissOmari/DSC00688.jpg
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/ReissOmari/DSC006892.jpg
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/ReissOmari/DSC00690.jpg

That looks utterly repulsive. :ohno:

Thanks for the shots though! :okay:

Always makes me laugh, when even the ugliest developments are surrounded by hoardings with the happiest looking people you've ever seen! :lol:

I dont think theres anything repulsive about this whatsoever. Decent building, helping to mass out the area

This looks good in person even if it looks a bit weird in these photos

It looks great, especially when comparing it to how it used to look.

I'd also say that it looks better then the majority of new builds of a similar size.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH

*POURS ACID IN EYES*

^^ :lol:

Maybe a slight overreaction there.

So when's the picture coming off the side so we can see it? :runaway:

I quite like this in a strange way. It's like someone dropped a simplified cruise liner on Hagley Road.

Better than what was there before :yes:

Looks fine to me really like this.

I'm with i_l_c on this. It just looks horribly unbalanced and out of proportion. Saying that, yes it was better than what is there before (I reckon i-l-c would disagree with me here), but that is a sorry excuse for a refurb.

far worse than wha was there before, what was there before was unpretentious, honest and pretty un-noticeable, this thing is huge, wallowing and about as in your face as a fat ugly drunk woman on broad street at 2am on saturday morning

PLUS in its previous incarnation it was only a few years away from total demolition, with this refurb it's got another 20 years left in it, i hope never to have the trauma of seeing it in real life.

I had a look yesterday and it looks really nice.

OMG the roof is awful....

Thanks for the pictures ReissOmari, and welcome :wave:

Your photo's have certainly kicked off a bit off a debate :lol:

I really like this !! I passed by in the car today and love the black/white and circular "ports".

Thumbs up from me !!

Also went past today and it looks worse than in the pictures! It looked like a large building in the shots but it looks smaller than I thought and the whole big office effect they were going for just doesn't work for me. The roof and upper 2 floors which are fully glazed are supposed to act like the crown for the building, sort of like a penthouse, but they it all looks ridiculous when there's only like 3 floors below. It's not even set back so it is just mundane block. The proportions are completely out and it just looks unbalanced/ top heavy.

I'm reserving judgement on the cladding until it's properly completed although the outlook isn't bright. The porthole windows look OK but look a bit tacky - almost as if they were deliberately added to make people think it's a bit wacky.
:down:

Well if it doesn't get Erebus's thumbs up then it must be ok lol! I think it's ok, better than what was there before and adds much needed large floorplates to the city.

OH GOD I JUST HAD THE TRAUMA OF SEEING THIS IN REAL LIFE

Twenty years ago it would have been novel, but it already looks so dated I don't even know what the hell I could even say to put across how bad I think it is.

Oh that's right. SHIT

:rofl:

complete sack of cack

The top floor is illuminated at night with electric blue lighting, maybe it's the only time this poor refurbishment looks any good:ohno:

How on earth can anyone say this is a poor refurbishment??? Ok - there's no ugly plant roof on top, there's lots of smooth tinted glazing, a limited amount of clean light coloured (NOT GREY!!!) cladding, a nice lighting scheme at night and it offers lots of extra office space that must be cheaper than at Snowhill.
What's the problem??

im happy enough

What's the problem??

It looks shit.

it doesnt

the roof does but i like the rest

Early design as I can't see the porthole-style windows? Or maybe they are hidden behind the vertical fin.

http://www.proprt.co.uk/cms/thesite/public/uploads/uploadsbank/XML_images/main1255442299-118.WALSGRAVE.ROAD.JPG

MegaBump.

Got a few pictures today on my phone, was in the bus sheler and the bus come down so couldn't get many sorry

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4388416202_678641ecb4_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4387655855_06f47b10ff_b.jpg

As you can see, theres a new shop at the base called GuitarGuitar, looks nice in there :) i'll try and get some more pictures when i go up there again next week, also the long strip going down this building has lights in it, looks good at night :)

Doesn't look as bad as I thought it would be, those round windows looks quite good actually. :)

Me no likey, still!

how can you not like?!?!?! .... 1960's concrete tat.... to this!!!! lovely job im my eyes

have changed my mind on this one, it actually looks quite good

how can you not like?!?!?! .... 1960's concrete tat.... to this!!!! lovely job im my eyes

1960s tat to 2000s tat. :|

1960s tat to 2000s tat. :|

Hmm I dunno, if they sorted out the building next door to the right it might look a little less out of place.

Why on earth did Calthorpe (or whoever) not refurb the building the knocked down for the Edgbaston Galleries? They should have kept that up, and knocked down the shopping centre only ...:ohno:

Thanks for the pics RO .I wasn't too keen on this but it looks OK in those photos .

Looks a great improvement since I last worked there (1992 - Top Floor for Novar Computing). Guitar shop? Seems odd, probably an improvement on Matthews Office Furniture that was there for many years.

Wonder if they repaired all the holes I drilled in that place?

A few from this lovely day :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2804/4406347159_e1d0fea999_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4407114920_df7cb5a407_b.jpg

Sorry about the van in this on.. My phone took the photo faster than i thought lol
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4406351307_840ec9cca0_b.jpg

I'm sure this is complete now Woody

Here some failed shot i tried to get of the lighting scheme at night, looks really nice with the blue roof aswell, Orion effect :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5068398170_d7ff3dffd2_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/5068400102_2a7e1cbf9e_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5067793335_4818c7f8c7_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5068391210_44b5b2b11a_b.jpg

Wow, this is what started me off on this forum!
This is way overdue to be in the Completed section Woody

I took a photo of it on Friday, now with both retail units let!

Here is what it used to look like, and how it looks now :)

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1081/hagleyroad.png

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/2360/imag2697stitch.jpg

I pass it often. IMO it looks a bit like a cruiseliner.

i think it represents a decent refurb... is it illuminated at night?

scrap that, if i just scroll up, i can see the answer lol