A design competition has been launched to find the architects for the next commercial building to be built at the £700 million Paradise Birmingham scheme.
Three Chamberlain Square will sit in a prominent location to the west of the Town Hall and front onto Paradise Street. A crucial site in the overall Paradise Masterplan, the building will become the fifth building to be built as part of the Paradise estate, with a planning application anticipated to be lodged during 2021.
Alongside the already completed One Chamberlain Square and Two Chamberlain Square, the 280,000 sq ft One Centenary Way is under construction and a 49-storey residential tower, Octagon, is currently progressing through the planning process.
Three Chamberlain Square will, along with a new 4-star hotel on the corner of Paradise Street and Ratcliff Square, complete Phase Two of Birmingham’s most important regeneration scheme and bring the total number of buildings on site to six.
Four leading architects’ practices have been shortlisted by development manager Argent who will now ask the practices’ involved to bring forward detailed design proposals to adhere to the Glenn Howells Architects’ masterplan principles. These will then be judged by a panel including representatives of the project’s public and private partners. It is envisaged that a winner will be revealed in October of this year. The shortlisted architects are:
- Associated Architects, Birmingham
- Shedkm, Liverpool
- FCB Studios, London
- Reiach and Hall, Edinburgh
The design competition mirrors a similar process that led to Eric Parry Architects being chosen to design the first building to complete at Paradise, One Chamberlain Square, in 2014.
Rob Groves, regional director with Argent, development managers of Paradise, said: “This is about more than just bringing forward another new building, it is also a huge vote of confidence in Birmingham and demonstrates that from a development perspective the city is well and truly open for business and pressing ahead with ambitious plans to regenerate itself.
“This competition will help us to create a landmark new building in one of the most important locations of the entire Paradise site. Sitting next to the Town Hall and opposite a range of other listed and historic buildings on Paradise Street, there is real potential here to create an extraordinary new building that pays homage to the past while setting new standards of modern design and sustainability.
“We see the design competition as an exciting route to find exemplary ways forward for both new and established architects and we look forward to making an announcement on the final design later in the year.”
PwC, the leading professional services firm, has already moved its 2,000-strong team to One Chamberlain Square, while global law firm DLA Piper has taken the top two floors of Two Chamberlain Square.
At almost 2 million square feet, Paradise will deliver up to ten new flagship buildings, offering offices, shops, bars, cafés, restaurants, a four star hotel and proposed plans for a 49 storey residential tower, across 17 acres in the heart of the city.
The Paradise redevelopment is being brought forward through Paradise Circus Limited Partnership (PCLP), a private-public joint venture with Birmingham City Council. The private sector funding is being managed by Federated Hermes. Argent is the development manager.
Paradise sits in the country’s largest city centre Enterprise Zone and has already benefited from investment by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) in enabling and infrastructure works.