A redeveloped office in central Birmingham was officially opened this week completed 20 weeks ahead of schedule, saving £340,000.

The £23 million refurbishment of 1 Lancaster Circus by Wates Construction was completed in 72 weeks and saw the council building increase employee occupancy from 800 to 2,000.

Working alongside Birmingham City Council's Urban Design and Property Services divisions, Wates was able to achieve this early completion by rescheduling the project to be meticulously restored in two phases as opposed to three.


The five-storey building remained in use throughout the construction programme.

The building has now become the location for one of the UK's largest ever chilled beam installations with 179 on each floor.

Phil Harrison, Wates Construction Managing Director for the North and Midlands said: "This was a challenging project for us given the building’s city location and the innovative construction methods that were required to ensure minimal impact upon the building's occupants. The fact that we were able to accommodate these constraints and still complete the project under budget and ahead of schedule is a fantastic achievement and even better that our presence proved to be beneficial to the local economy."

The 1 Lancaster Circus project was undertaken as part of Birmingham City Council’s Working for the Future programme, one of nine Business Transformation programmes being delivered in partnership with Service Birmingham.

(CD/GK)