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Buro Happold
CREATING
THE WOW!
The Cube, Birmingham, UK
Drawing inspiration from its location in Birmingham’s
traditional jewellery district, The Cube is an intricately
patterned jewel-box, soaring 50m into the air and holding
40,000m 2 of high quality retail, office, residential and hotel
accommodation. An angular skyline restaurant sits on top
of the building, affording spectacular panoramic views of
the city.
Gold aluminium cladding on three sides ensures that
The Cube will gleam day and night, while bronze-tinted
anodised metal panels, selected for their durability, add
depth to the facade. A complex filligram screen optically
closes the fourth side, allowing daylight to play on
residential terraces, while light streams into the building’s
full height atrium. Panels are independently replaceable,
in case of damage during the life of the building and the
gigantic jigsaw pieces defy conformity, creating angles
and drama through their positioning. Inside the building,
a regular grid of columns supports the floor plate, stepping
back at each residential level, to create terraces offering
stunning views across the city from all apartments.
Designed to be a multi-use space where people can live,
work and relax, The Cube has been described as ‘a city
within a city’. The abstract glistening facade rises up in
the urban landscape and provides the home of a 24/7
community and is set to become a destination in its
own right.
Client Birmingham Development Company
Architect Make
Image Zander Olsen / Make
Daylight enters through
filligram screen which optically
‘closes’ one side of building
THE CUBE
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