Birmingham’s tallest office tower given the green light by city planners

A steel frame has been chosen for a 26-storey tower in Birmingham that will be the city’s tallest building.

Situated at 103 Colmore Row, the Doone Silver Architects designed structure will replace the site’s existing landmark NatWest Tower.

A replacement scheme was stalled earlier this year after councillors said they were worried that if the replacement tower falls through, they will be left with an open plot on a prominent city centre conservation area site.

“The project will use an existing basement so a lightweight framing material is required,” said Doone Silver Architects’ Chris Blow. “For this reason a steel-framed solution is the ideal choice.”

Peter Graham, construction director of Sterling Property Ventures, said: “We’re very pleased that Birmingham city council has acknowledged our unwavering commitment to this project and this great city.

“It means we can now move this project off the drawing board and onto site, replacing an outdated, inefficient building with a modern, landmark office development that Birmingham can be proud of.”

The majority of the building – 19 floors – will be used as office space with space for 2,000 workers. It also includes leisure space including a winter garden, a cafe and a restaurant and bar at the top of the building with a 360-degree view of the city. Work is due to be completed by 2018.