GVA claims largest Birmingham office deal of the year
PROPERTY consultancy GVA has completed the acquisition of 28,000 sq ft for Birmingham City University (BCU), claiming it to be the city’s largest office transaction of the year.
The acquisition encompasses the top four floors of the New Technology Institute (NTI) building, located on Bartholomew Row in Eastside.
The building will now undergo a full refurbishment with the university set to take occupancy in 2014, ready for the new academic year. The building is to be renamed University House and will become the official headquarters of Birmingham City University.
NTI has a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for its environmental credentials and was previously a British Council for Offices (BCO) award winner.
BCU will be the sole occupier of the building.
GVA director Charles Toogood said: “This is a significant acquisition for the city and one that forms an integral part of BCU’s estates strategy, which has already seen the university expand into the city’s Eastside, with its recently completed Parkside building, on-going building development and additional space at Millennium Point.
“As well as being one of the most environmentally-friendly buildings in the city centre, NTI also carries an exceedingly high profile and there are few buildings in Birmingham that offer the right combination of flexibility and location.
Graham Rhodes, director of estates at Birmingham City University, said: “GVA entirely understood our requirements in seeking a new administrative facility and their identification and subsequent securing of NTI absolutely meets our needs.”
Kelvin Craddock of JLL acted for the Skills Funding Agency.
