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Turley takes on the vertical mile challenge as Birmingham’s tallest building ‘Tops Out’

The Octagon, Birmingham’s tallest building, the city’s first official skyscraper and newest landmark with a world-first design, has ‘topped out’, marking the highest point of construction.

The Octagon is a stunning addition to the city’s skyline and the world’s tallest pure octagonal residential tower reaching 49 floors and 155 metres. It will offer residents unparalleled views across the city when the first Build to Rent (BTR) apartments become available in late summer 2025 after a three-year build programme.

We are providing expert Planning, EIA, Heritage & Townscape, Economics and Development Viability advisory for the scheme.

Backed by global real estate investor, City Developments Ltd of Singapore (CDL), the construction of the £110 million project has been undertaken by high-rise construction specialist Midgard, part of the JRL Group, and has been designed by the team at Birmingham architects Howells.

The building is an integral part of the city’s £1.2 billion Paradise estate being brought forward by development and asset manager MEPC, which is delivering up to 10 new buildings and three new public squares as well as new pedestrian connections and thousands of new jobs in the very heart of the city. 

The Topping Out ceremony brought together the building’s principal partners CDL, MEPC and Midgard along with project team members and further stakeholders with celebrations at the very top of the building.  

This included an early morning visit from winners of the ‘lucky eight golden tickets’ which were available to the general public, as well as a ‘Vertical Mile’ charity run with the project team which took place prior to the Topping Out ceremony itself and raised over £4,500 for local charity Acorns Children’s Hospice with support from CDL, Midgard, MEPC, Howells, Turley, Arup, Quantem, JRL Ark, SOM, OFR, Design MEP, Thompson AV, D Line, Spray Plaster Specialists Ltd and Flick Lighting who all helped to assemble teams with 70 runners. The winning Team was Howells.

Ross Fittall, Commercial Development Director at Paradise asset and development manager MEPC, said:

“The topping out of The Octagon is a key moment not just for Paradise, but for the whole city which can rightly take pride in this new landmark.  It is a celebration of what has been an excellent collaborative effort between the design, delivery and construction teams and an exemplary build contract undertaken with care and commitment by Midgard, its staff, and sub-contractors, which has led us to hold today’s event.

“We’re delivering a highly recognisable landmark for our city that will build on Birmingham’s growing reputation both at home and abroad, and provide hundreds of much-needed new homes for the city. The Octagon is an integral piece of the next phase of Paradise that is also delivering new commercial buildings and public realm and which underlines the true mixed-use offer of Paradise as a place to live, work and visit all year round."

The pair of tower cranes on site reached their final height of 189 metres earlier this year – more than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Paradise has already completed phase one of the development with One & Two Chamberlain Square and the reopening of the square itself, together with the completion of One Centenary Way last year, the first phase two building. There are over 6,000 people already working at Paradise which is also home to a growing roster of leisure operators including Albert’s Schloss, Dishoom, F1®Arcade, Rosa’s Thai and Yorks Cafe along with the soon to open Cow & Sow and La Bellezza from Big Mamma Group.

Further progress on The Octagon can be viewed on the live time-lapse camera at www.paradisebirmingham.co.uk

20 September 2024