Arup moves into Birmingham office at Paradise scheme

Arup has moved into new offices in the centre of Birmingham on the site of architect John Madin’s Central Library it originally worked on in 1968.

The brutalist library was opened in 1974 and, despite a campaign to save it, was demolished in 2016 to make way for Argent’s Paradise scheme. Argent sold the development in 2021 to MEPC, owned by Federated Hermes.

Arup’s new office takes 69,000 sq ft of One Centenary Way, a 12-storey, 265,000 sq ft commercial building positioned directly over the dual carriageway Queensway Tunnel. The building was designed by local architect Howells with engineering input from Arup.

It was built by Sir Robert McAlpine as part of the £700m Paradise Birmingham project to transform a parcel of land in the middle of the city by 2028.

Overbury began fit out work in January and 1,000 staff from Arup’s Solihull Midlands Campus have now been relocated to the new office.

This office has all-electric heating, a suite of smart sensors for energy usage and was built to achieve WELL Building Platinum Certification.

The fit out includes a cafe for staff, bike storage, lockers and shower facilities.

An open-plan gallery ground floor space will also give Arup a shop window to the public, director Mark Jones said who added: “Our office will be at ‘street level’, showcasing our work.”