Bruntwood’s Cornerblock building wins Centenary Renaissance Award

Cornerblock, in the heart of Birmingham’s Colmore Business District (CBD), has been chosen to receive a Renaissance Award from the Birmingham Civic Society.

The awards, which recognise the most successful conservation and refurbishment projects across the city, celebrate buildings which have been given a new lease of life and brought back into use.

Considerations include the structure or space’s condition before works started, the level of restoration work involved, how much of the original has been retained and what impact the completed project has had on the community, both in the immediate vicinity and city-wide.

Previously called Two Cornwall Street, Bruntwood, in partnership with award-winning Glenn Howells Architects, carried out a £14 million redevelopment of the nine-storey, 110,000 sq. ft. 1980s building, which resulted in it becoming the first building in Birmingham officially to achieve an ‘A rated’ EPC.

Raising the bar for workspace in the city, the building is already fully let less than 12 months after completion, with customers including design consultancy firm Arcadis, law firm Slater and Gordon and HS2 contractors Fusion JV. Its features include floor to ceiling glazing, a gym and a fully Wi-Fi enabled private roof terrace – the largest in Birmingham.

Rob Valentine, Director of Bruntwood in Birmingham, said: “This highly welcome award is testament to the collaborative approach we took with Glenn Howells to redevelop an obsolescent building into something of which we and the city can be rightly proud.

“Together we have created an innovative high quality working environment which gives our customers room for flexibility and mobility without compromising the well-being of their staff.

“At Bruntwood we take time to think how we can make a difference in all aspects of our work, including the impact we can have on both the physical and social fabric in the cities and communities in which we have a stake. The success and appeal of Cornerblock is evidence of this because within a year of completion the building is fully let and contributing to a dynamic and vibrant business district in what is a very important time for Birmingham.”

Glenn Howell’s Architect’s Studio Director Sandeep Shambi added: “We are thrilled to have been given this award by the Birmingham Civic Society. This 1980s building had been disused for many years despite its prime location, but it was clear that it offered an excellent opportunity to provide modern flexible workspace right in the heart of the CBD. Working closely with the client team at Bruntwood we were able to exceed the client’s vision and transform this building into a grade A modern workspace with tenant well-being facilities at the heart of the scheme.”

For more information about Bruntwood’s properties in Birmingham visit our Birmingham office space page.