POSSESSING the title of Birmingham city centre’s tallest office building, Alpha Tower is an imposing structure peering down on Broad Street and Paradise Circus. TheBusinessDesk.com takes a tour and admires the view from on high.

KNOWN to most as Alpha Tower, and to others as the US Embassy and Dosh 4 U call centre in BBC show Hustle, one thing you can’t do is miss it.

With its polished white exterior glistening over 27 storeys, Alpha competes with the Radisson Blu hotel either side of the A38 for some neck craning as pedestrians and motorists pass through the city centre.

There is plenty of room inside for tenants but with agents quoting rents of around £15 per sq ft, it’s decidedly cheaper than what’s on offer a short walk away in the city core or Brindleyplace.

Alpha Tower was bought in 2008 by London-based asset managers Catalyst Capital from Arena Central Developments, a joint venture between Edinburgh firm Miller Developments and Bridgehouse Capital.

Catalyst is now running through an ongoing refurbishment programme following the exodus of around 1,700 Birmingham City Council staff last year.

Current estimates suggest the company has spent around £2.5m renovating and polishing up office space and two retail units, one of which is now occupied by WHSmith, as well installing a new reception area and six new lifts.

Other tenants include Click Travel, Victim Support, Network Rail and Jaguar Land Rover’s parent company Tata. GVA is managing agent on the building while Knight Frank and Savills are joint letting agents.

Savills associate Jonathan Ottewell said: “When Catalyst bought it, it was in good condition but it was a 10-year-old refurbishment which had been well worn by 2,000 people a day.

“The building is listed so Catalyst has got limited ability to change it. They could have bought the building, left it for another 10 years, not done very much with it and it wouldn’t have been very exciting.

“Or they could have taken a proactive stance and spend quite a significant amount of cash on it, which they have done, and are now beginning to reap rewards.”

It is Catalyst‘s only current investment in the city, having previously owned Edmund House, Victoria Square House and 123-127 Hagley Road.

Originally built in the 1960s by architect Richard Seifert, Alpha sits in the middle of the proposed 7.5-acre Arena Central development which, according to recent reports, is still in the pipeline in some form or another.

The infamous, proposed 50-storey V-building next door may never happen but the former ITV studios are ready and waiting for some much needed refurbishment. If the Arena Central scheme goes ahead, Alpha will take centre stage.

The bird’s eye view from the lofty 25th floor also gives a great perspective of the site of another planned redevelopment – the eight-acre mixed-use Paradise Circus next to Central Library.

These are, potentially, exciting times in this part of Birmingham city centre, particularly with the proposed new Enterprise Zone and the 20-year vision that is the Big City Plan.

Mr Ottewell said: “This end of the city, with the new library, New Street Station, Arena Central and Paradise Forum, is probably the most viable for redevelopment over the next 10 years.

“Obviously, there’s 2 Snowhill coming out the other end of Colmore Row but other than that, the main sites are at this end.

“Within one minute of the front door of this building, you can name probably 10 of Birmingham’s most iconic, landmark buildings. It’s a good selling point once people realise where it is.”