Carbon neutral scheme revealed for Birmingham

Developer Woodbourne Group has unveiled plans for Birmingham’s tallest building, which will form part of the wider Curzon Wharf carbon-neutral development.

The scheme would include three towers all located a short distance from the new Curzon Street HS2 railway station.

Of the three towers, the tallest will be 172m-high with 500 apartments, standing above Birmingham’s current tallest structure, the BT Tower, which is 152m-tall.

The second 41-storey skyscraper of the project would have 732 flats for student accommodation, while the third tower would become a life sciences hub, with laboratories and research and development space.

According to Associated Architects, the £360M development will rejuvenate an under-utilised site and become the catalyst for future growth in the area and beyond.

“The net-zero carbon agenda is very much at the heart of our ethos and Curzon Wharf marks the next logical step for the practice as well as underlining its pedigree in designing low-energy buildings,” the company said.

Associated Architects are working with engineering consultancy Cundall, to take a whole building approach to achieve deep energy efficiency. The scheme will deliver an optimised thermal envelope in line with Passivhaus principles – super-insulated walls, floor and roof, minimisation of thermal bridging, triple glazing, maximisation of daylight, LED lighting and SMART controls. This will enable fossil fuels to be eliminated from the site, with heat pumps satisfying all heat demands