[FLD]

I think I would swallow my priciples Bio, if Birmingham were to get a tower of this quality on Colmore Row, I much prefer it to the Commerzbank tower which is a monster of a building, well built but too brutalist.

 

[Erebus555]

The Multiplex Tower is beautiful. It's for the Elephant and Castle area isn't it?

I think we can garantee a high quality building here as I didn't see the name Crosby mentioned in any of the news articles here...

 

[FLD]

Thank the Lord for that!

 

[Guest]

Why would Crosby do an Office building anyway? :nuts:

 

[Guest]

Nice little map of Crosby developments however on that note

 

[Bachy Soletanche]

Never noticed just how Big Southside was before...

 

[Engels]

Anybody got any pics of I-land then? Haven't been down there in ages. Steel work is up isn't it?

 

[feltip]

I was near I-land other day. Yes some steelwork up now so pics would be good.

Any news on the Armouries and unity house opp. They really need to keep the old frontage on unity house development.

 

[woodhousen]

lol dont know what you guys are thinking but crosby are an amazng company and (until orion) have had nthing but top quality developments... there are FAR worse hous builders out ther to be scared of... i for one would love crosby to stay a loyal client!

ps the armeries got rejected (rightly so) when the planning app was sumbitted, aint hard from crosby since on this one!

 

[Bachy Soletanche]

Any news on the Armouries and unity house opp. They really need to keep the old frontage on unity house development.

Last time I heard they were def. going to keep the Victorian front. Just suprised it hasn't been burnt down, in mysterious circumstances, you know, like the other ones.

 

[feltip]

Yeah Woody knew it was rejected just hoping a similar scheme is built.

Stephen I hope no-one does that as its one of the nicest bits in the entire south-side/gay quarter.

Anyway, back to Natwest. I hope the replacement doesnt leave the entrance to the adjoining block on Newhall street and the back of the office as visible as it is at present. I know there needs to be an entrance for deliveries but it looks ghastly exposing the rear of the building.

 

[flying tackle]

theres a few 8-12 floor office buildings around that area of birmingham which are very modern, but built on old buildings as bases. edmund street is the only example i can think of right now..

so in natwest's case, one step further than a reclad - remove the dark bricks from the top , keep half of those concrete windows but give them a new look, and then build a more modern extension on top. Keeping a souvenir of that era of architecture

 

[Erebus555]

134 Edmund Street is a great looking building.

 

[flying tackle]

^^ aye, my uncle works there for anthony collins soliciters...the view from the balcony deck on the nineth floor is great! they let you up there aswell

 

[U475 Foxtrot]

I sometimes work for the company who did the fit-out. Here's the view from the Anthony Collins reception

Not bad eh?

 

[FLD]

What a great angle, very rarely seen ... great pictures!

 

[U475 Foxtrot]

Didn't know this was another Madin building too. Found this in Pevsner.

The National Westminster Bank development by the John Madin Design Group, 1973-4. The most important Brutalist commercial building in the city, disastrous in context but with its own tremendous integrity. Low banking hall to the corner of Newhall Street, tower behind stepping up from sixteen to twenty-one storeys with horns on top, and originally a five-storey block to Colmore Row.

The first designs of 1964 show influence from Louis Kahn's University of Pittsburgh. The layout as built draws on the Smithsons' Economist development in St James's, London. Rough concrete aggregate and plum coloured Staffordshire bricks: industrial, romantic materials. Canted corners to the banking hall, the original metal doors with an abstract pattern of triangles.

The Colmore Row block re-clad and heightened to eight storeys in 1996-7 by the Seymour Harris Partnership, in an attempt, sponsored by city planners, to recreate the lost streetscape of Colmore Row. Well intentioned, but it makes nonsense of Madin's design.

Not a million miles away from the Economist Building

 

[U475 Foxtrot]

 

[Biosonic]

Well, the news is I am hearing something in the order of....


100m


:banana:

 

[Guest]

Thought it would be reasonably tall, I just hope its a unique design or at least something with a spire to make it a tad more recognisable. Its such a prominant position.