The Associated Architects-designed Enterprise Wharf, one of Birmingham’s only SMART buildings, reaches completion, marking a major milestone for the developer Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s leading property provider dedicated to the growth of the science and technology sector. The building sits in a highly visible site on the A38 Aston Expressway, with around 90,000 vehicles entering or leaving the city via this route each day. It is also prominent in approach views from the nearby universities and surrounding streets which provide good pedestrian links to the city centre, and the canal which adjoins the site.
Enterprise Wharf comprises a single 10-storey building of 11,150sq.m net, designed not to fill the entire site to allow for future development. The new building provides the next stage of growth space for the next-door incubator building by offering flexible floorplates of up to 1,115sq.m net to cater to different business sizes, with the potential to deliver up to four tenants per floor. Entrances to these are all have equal prominence, accessed directly from the main lift lobby.
The EPC A rated building has been developed for innovative tech companies to offer an innately tech enabled environment to occupiers. The embedded SMART building infrastructure will optimise workers’ experience and wellbeing, reduce emissions and lower operational costs. Innovative new technologies, such as ‘Internet of Things’ sensors, will be embedded throughout the building, forming a ‘central nervous system’ that will provide insights into its energy usage. Businesses can then harness the data to optimise heating, lighting, and air quality, ultimately creating an enhanced workplace experience for employees.
Businesses taking advantage of Enterprise Wharf SMART, Grade A workspace will also benefit from its position within the existing Innovation Birmingham campus, a vibrant tech ecosystem which provides coworking, office space and business support to digital and tech businesses to form, scale and grow. The completion opens new opportunities for businesses with the area already home to a number of start-ups, scale-ups and global corporates operating across tech and digital subsectors.
Enterprise Wharf forms part of the Birmingham Innovation Quarter masterplan and is a short walk from HS2’s Curzon Wharf station which is at the heart of the Knowledge Quarter regeneration area. The design and project delivery team were John Graham and Son, Couch Perry Wilkes, Arup, Vanti, Turley. MGAC and BoothKing
James Hall, Director Associated Architects said:
“We’re very proud of the completed Enterprise Wharf and tenants will be drawn to Innovation Birmingham’s ever-growing community. Already innovative businesses are located there making it the UK’s largest dedicated digital tech campus of entrepreneurs, start-ups, scale ups and large corporates working in high growth.”
