Office of the Month: Colmore Plaza

SCOTT Rutherford, (below), head of the Birmingham office of Cushman and Wakefield, offers a tour of Colmore Plaza in Birmingham’s central business district for Office of the Month.

Give us a brief description of the office complex.

Colmore Plaza has a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, with ground, mezzanine and 12 upper floors providing innovative and flexible BCO-award winning space.

The building is extremely energy efficient and a team of dedicated planners are on-hand to meet tenants’ requirements for each space.

It also has 115 secure underground car parking spaces, with 24-hour security including CCTV and access control.

What’s the most interesting feature about the development?

Colmore Plaza is a landmark building and Birmingham’s largest ever speculative build and is able to provide 160,000 sq ft of column-free contiguous floor space.

What’s the history of the tower and what attracted the developers to it?

It was constructed on the site of the former Birmingham Post and Mail building which was demolished in 2005.

The building’s location, within the heart of the Colmore Business District and adjacent to Colmore Row, made it extremely attractive to developers, as did some of its existing features, including the large basements that were easily renovated to become subterranean car parks.

How much office space is occupied and how much is available?

We currently have companies including Amey, Williams de Broe, Davis Langdon, Orega and Aedas in occupancy across the first five floors and mezzanine, with a further 219,000 sq ft.

Who owns the building?

The building is owned by global investment firm the Carlyle Group.

What rents are you quoting?

Rents are £28.50 per sq ft.