Designed by architect Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects, the Cube, a GBP100 million ($152.88 million) mixed-use building is inspired by the jewelry and engineering heritage of the city and is based on the concept of a jewelry box. The building has 23 floors comprising of flats, several suites of offices, shops, a hotel and Birmingham’s first ‘skyline’ restaurant with panoramic views of the city centre.
One of the notable aspects of the building is its glass clad roof which was constructed using 666 glass panels. The Cube also features an open atrium that twists as it rises to the height of 450,000 square feet building. A boutique hotel and residential apartments in the Cube will feature internal views over the twisting atrium. High specification Grade A office space is also planned with more exclusive retail and waterside restaurants at the base.
The façade of the building has been constructed and installed using curtain walling to provide a geometric blend of projecting gold, silver and bronze anodised aluminium panels and glass complemented by a decorative metallic fretwork screen. About 20,000 panels have been incorporated with three different depths, casting a variety of shadows to add texture to the external façade. These glazed unitised panels twist up through a central courtyard to lend an impression of ‘explosion’ at the top to crown the building.
The east and west cores of the Cube were constructed using Trio and Vario GT 24 wall formwork systems with RCS Rail Climbing System providing a scaffold cage around the building. Vario formwork was also used on columns that have been erected on the site.
The Cube is the final phase of the Mailbox development by the Birmingham Development Company (BDC). It is being constructed by BuildAbility Ltd., the subsidiary construction company of BDC, established especially for the construction of the Cube.
The first tenant to register in the building is – the Highways Agency – the government organization that looks after the UK’s road network, which relocated its biggest office complex to the Cube. The Cube project has been delayed due to funding issues.
