Two 25-story staggered towers sitting atop a plinth make up the design concept for Garden Hill, a Hanging Gardens of Babylon-inspired residential development in Birmingham, England’s second largest city.
Each 25-story tower will be covered in both public and private terraces from top to bottom. The buildings’ unique cascading form (the apexes are reduced to cut down their bulk) allows for the terraces and a public park to exist on top of the plinth. The southern tower’s terraces will be exposed to morning and early afternoon sun while the northern tower’s terraces will receive afternoon and evening sun.
The shared atrium will have plenty of natural daylight and will also be naturally ventilated. Solar panels will help to offset the building’s energy requirements
To further the sustainability of the project, the structure will be made entirely out of CLT as opposed to steel or concrete.
Rendering courtesy of Architects of Invention.
500 small residential units will be spread across the two tower project. 60% of the units will be one-bedroom apartments measuring between about 430 sf and 540 sf. The other 40% will have two bedrooms and provide between 680 sf and 810 sf. 120 to 200 parking spots will also be included.
While the units are small, the building provides large shared facilities for communal living and working. These facilities include music recording studios and small rental units for startups. Ground floor retail is planned on High Street Bordesley. The Garden Hill site is located in Digbeth, a ten-minute walk from the City Center.
Architects of Invention is the architect for the project, which is estimated to cost about $90 million.
Related Stories
| May 5, 2014
Toronto residential tower to feature drawer-like facade scheme
Some of the apartments in the new River City development will protrude from the building at different lengths, creating a drawer-like "push-pull" effect.
| May 2, 2014
Norwegian modular project set to be world's tallest timber-frame apartment building [slideshow]
A 14-story luxury apartment block in central Bergen, Norway, will be the world's tallest timber-framed multifamily project, at 49 meters (160 feet).
| May 1, 2014
Tight on space for multifamily? Check out this modular kitchen tower
The Clei Ecooking kitchen, recently rolled out at Milan's Salone de Mobile furniture fair, squeezes multiple appliances into a tiny footprint.
| Apr 30, 2014
Visiting Beijing's massive Chaoyang Park Plaza will be like 'moving through a urban forest'
Construction work has begun on the 120,000-sm mixed-use development, which was envisioned by MAD architects as a modern, urban forest.
| Apr 29, 2014
Best of Canada: 12 projects nab nation's top architectural prize [slideshow]
The conversion of a Mies van der Rohe-designed gas station and North Vancouver City Hall are among the recently completed projects to win the 2014 Governor General's Medal in Architecture.
| Apr 29, 2014
USGBC launches real-time green building data dashboard
The online data visualization resource highlights green building data for each state and Washington, D.C.
| Apr 23, 2014
Developers change gears at Atlantic Yards after high-rise modular proves difficult
At 32 stories, the B2 residential tower at Atlantic Yards has been widely lauded as a bellwether for modular construction. But only five floors have been completed in 18 months.
| Apr 17, 2014
Online mapping tool helps teams determine multifamily project tax credit eligibility
Accounting and advisory firm Baker Tilly has launched a new, interactive online mapping tool that helps users determine if a business or development project may qualify for the New Markets Tax Credit or Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.
| Apr 11, 2014
ULI report documents business case for building healthy projects
Sustainable and wellness-related design strategies embody a strong return on investment, according to a report by the Urban Land Institute.
| Apr 9, 2014
Steel decks: 11 tips for their proper use | BD+C
Building Teams have been using steel decks with proven success for 75 years. Building Design+Construction consulted with technical experts from the Steel Deck Institute and the deck manufacturing industry for their advice on how best to use steel decking.
