Birmingham's New Look Rotunda Revealed

May 13 2008

Following two and a half years of anticipation, Birmingham's most iconic building is being revealed in all of its new glory.

The first glimpse of the new-look Rotunda reveals a total transformation of the city's famous cylindrical tower into 234 breathtaking apartments.

Now officially complete, today marks the start of a new life for the former office block. Standing 265 feet tall, the Grade II listed building is now home to a range of one and two bed apartments, city pads, duplexes with terraces and penthouses.

Testament to the status of Rotunda was the three-hour sales frenzy in 2005 when every available apartment was sold.  Allocated on a first come first served basis, the queue of potential buyers stretched around the building. Many people slept out overnight in a bid to snap up a piece of the famous landmark.

A surprise addition to the development is the release of three duplex apartments, dubbed 'townhouses in the sky'.  Being made available for sale to coincide with the completion, each duplex spans the second and third floor. The three units boast ceilings up to six metres and their own private lawned gardens.

Having not been part of the original design, the duplexes were not available for sale in 2005. The duplexes were only made possible after Urban Splash found a way to utilise space in the building's former bank vaults during construction.

Welcoming residents will be a new double height lobby facing onto New Street. Suspended within the lobby is the chandelier wave, a unique illuminated structure that comprises several hundred LED lights.

Rotunda is uniquely located in the heart of Birmingham, and sits alongside one of Europe's busiest shopping centres.  Each apartment radiates from the natural curve of the building, creating a series of Trivial Pursuit-like wedges. Spectacular full height soundproofed glazing gives each apartment its own distinctive (and quiet!) view of the city.

The lifts and stairs are situated in the central core of the building, with the bathrooms and kitchens at the outer core.  Demonstrating the developer's commitment to delivering quality, after the apartments were sold, Urban Splash took the unusual decision to upgrade all apartments to cutting edge Poggenpohl kitchens.

The residents have the benefit of an urban lifestyle with a twist of rural living, as the design includes a communal garden area on the second floor.

Urban Splash has an established reputation as a pioneer in urban regeneration and an advocate of modern design. Prior to the reinvention of Rotunda, Urban Splash was well known for injecting life into Fort Dunlop, which has been transformed from an unused tyre warehouse to a vibrant, mixed-use commercial centre.

Nathan Cornish is managing director of Urban Splash Midlands, "Rotunda has featured in the city centre skyline for more than 40 years. Some felt the building should be knocked down, but we fell in love with its unusual character and form.

"Its cylindrical form has been a real challenge. The design exploits every one of the 360 degrees - I have walked the building a hundred times and I still don't know which view is best. Work is now complete and everyone involved with the project is delighted with the results."

The new look Rotunda was designed by Glenn Howells Architects, and built by Urban Splash Build. Rotunda has had a colourful history, including a bombing in 1974 and the threat of demolition in 1993. Two local artists have created a film called 21 Stories to document its history which is being released to coincide with the completion of the new-look Rotunda.

The multimedia project comprises a film and coffee table book of photography which focus on 21 people whose lives have shaped the existence of Rotunda. The film will be premiered at an invitation-only event on 20th May.Following this, the film and exhibition will be on tour, details of which can be found at www.newrotunda.co.uk.

For those who missed out on the chance to buy an apartment, hip serviced apartment operator, Staying Cool, offers 15 serviced apartments, including a penthouse suite spread across the top two floors of Rotunda.

Tracey Stephenson, director of Staying Cool says, "Our approach is to distinguish ourselves from the mass-market and the run of the mill.  We're fussy about the choice of our development, the interior design, the brand of coffee...everything is picked with care and attention to detail. Urban Splash shares this passion for great design and top quality service so it makes perfect sense for us to work together."

Those interested in enjoying their very own (temporary!) slice of Rotunda can find out more at www.stayingcool.com.

For further information about the duplex apartments or to arrange a viewing please call the sales team on 0121 747 8000. There are three duplexes for sales, one x one-bed apartment (870 sq ft) and two x two-bed apartments (1,055 sq ft and 1,170 sq ft).

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