Blowdown Marks Dawn of a New Era for Edgbaston
March 2008
The transformation of the area continues as the latest milestone for Edgbaston Galleries is reached
The blowdown of a 17 storey tower today (Sunday 9th March) marked a major milestone in the largest regeneration project of a key Birmingham gateway.
In the culmination of a seven month demolition schedule, specialist contractors managed the explosion and collapse of the old Calthorpe House, the 52 metre tall office tower of the 1960s Edgbaston Shopping Centre near Five Ways in Edgbaston.
A new £110 million retail and leisure development – ‘Edgbaston Galleries’ - will replace the old and outdated office and retail facilities with a new range of shops and amenities, including hotel accommodation, a foodstore, new Grade A offices and 800 car parking spaces.
On an adjacent site, a new Calthorpe House is already being built – a prime example of sustainable regeneration with old, inefficient office stock being replaced by new, Grade A, BREEAM* Excellent rated space. The new Calthorpe House is designed to meet the demands and expectations of the next generation of occupiers.
The detonation of the redundant tower was triggered by eleven year old Carla Clarke of Woodview School in Edgbaston, alongside Sir Euan Calthorpe of Calthorpe Estates. Carla won the opportunity as part of her first place prize in an art competition that challenged year six pupils of local schools to create their vision of Edgbaston.
David Povall, commercial director of Calthorpe Estates commented: “With over 43,000 vehicles passing the site on the Hagley Road every day and 345,000 residents and 175,000 office workers in the area, Edgbaston Galleries is located in a prime, strategic location.
“Calthorpe Estates is committed to actively regenerating the Estate with the vision of providing a diverse mix of facilities for the area. The blowdown brings us a step closer to achieving this.
“Edgbaston Galleries will enhance the area by creating a vibrant, quality environment for work and leisure whilst contributing to the wider continued urban renaissance of Birmingham.”
Construction of Edgbaston Galleries is scheduled to commence later this year, with the first phase due for completion in 2010.
Demolition was managed by Coleman & Company with specialist operatives including explosive engineers and structural engineers. Approx 90kg of explosives was used in the blowdown, creating around 10,000 tonnes of debris, 96% of which will be recycled.
James Howard, strategic development manager for Coleman & Company, commented: “Every demolition project poses its own individual challenges. In this instance, the site is surrounded by main trunk roads into the city centre and large prestigious buildings, including an operational hotel which the exclusion zone ran through.
“We have worked in close partnership with Calthorpe Estates, who have been extremely proactive and fully co-operative throughout the process. This joint approach has allowed us to successfully manage the project, including keeping the hotel operational, which is a significant achievement.
“The blowdown marks the culmination of months of preparation and planning to make way for the next stage in Calthorpe Estates’ impressive plans for the site.”
*BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) is the world's most widely used means of reviewing the environmental performance of buildings and is regarded as the measure of best practice in environmental design and management.
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