new
opening
The building exterior is designed to represent an ‘enchanting jewellery box’
HIP
TO BE SQUARE
KIRSTYN MACRANDAL REPORTS ON THE CUBE, BIRMINGHAM’S NEW MULTI-USE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH INCLUDES A SPACIOUS, TOP-END HEALTH CLUB AND SPA
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ominating the skyline of Birmingham, The Cube is designed to be an inspiring and vibrant destination
for business, leisure and living. The 25-floor, £87m development – which opened in January – offers private homes, city apartments, office space, restaurants, retail, a boutique hotel and health club/spa all under one roof. The building is designed to actively
draw people into the heart of the development. On entering at the atrium, visitors are met by two fl oors of restaurants and retail outlets, ranging from exclusive shops and waterside café bars to the award-winning Adee Phelan
hair salon. Set on the lower ground level beneath the atrium is The Club and Spa. Working up the building, a further
six levels provide 10,310sq m (111,000sq ft) of offi ce space. The Cube is attracting prominent businesses and is already home to the Highways Agency – the fi rst company to invest in the development – which pre-let 50 per cent of the available space. Beyond the retail and work space, The
Cube incorporates a stylish residential area with a total of 244 apartments. These include studios, one- and two- bedroom apartments and a series of duplexes. In addition, Hotel Indigo – a contemporary four-star, boutique hotel – is located on the 23rd and 24th fl oors of the development. Part of the InterContinental Hotel Group, the hotel offers 52 bedrooms and suites with views over the Birmingham skyline. At the top of the development is
Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse Bar and Grill. The restaurant – which offers 360° panoramic city views – is the Michelin-starred chef’s newest venture and also includes the UK’s fi rst Laurent Perrier Champagne Bar outside London.
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
JEWELLERY DESIGN Inspired by the vision of award-winning architect Ken Shuttleworth, The Cube was designed to pay homage to the city’s jewellery heritage. Shuttleworth and his team at Make Architects created three sections – the base, the jewel and the crown – which were brought together in the overall design to represent an enchanting jewellery box. The exterior façade of the new
building is designed to bring life to the surrounding canal-side: it’s formed of a network of intricate, glowing tessellations made from more than 2,100 gold-colour anodised aluminium panels. The building twists upwards, creating an asymmetrical light-well at the centre of the public space. Terracing on the upper levels embraces a courtyard area, with the internal courtyard spaces lined with glass. Birmingham-born Shuttleworth is
renowned for his involvement in world famous architecture such as 55 Baker Street, as well as London’s Swiss Re building – ‘The Gherkin’ – and Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (both while at Foster + Partners). He says: “The
may 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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