Corstorphine + Wright delivers second phase of YMCA project

ARCHITECTS Corstorphine + Wright has delivered the second phase of its development for Birmingham YMCA in Erdington.

Eden, the coffee shop which opened today, is part of the public face of the development, while the extension to the Reservoir Road facility has provided 34 additional one and two bedroom flats. Other community facilities include a multi-use hall and meeting rooms.

Corstorphine + Wright first began working with Birmingham YMCA 2006. It was appointed to the £10m first phase of works at Reservoir Road – which saw the creation of 83 self-contained flats around a courtyard space to replace an existing building.

The work was acclaimed for its ambition to improve the quality of facilities and for working with disadvantaged young people. It has since been imitated across the country.

This latest phase reinforces the first, providing additional accommodation for residents together with communal facilities serving both residents and the wider community.

Residents are also encouraged to tend the allotments, thereby promoting the YMCA’s Healthy Living Agenda.

Terry Bolton, director at Corstorphine + Wright said: “This has been a brilliant project to be part of, promoting sustainable living and development both from a construction point of view and also from a lifestyle point of view with the scheme itself assisting in teaching skills that will benefit residents in their life and careers.”

Alan Fraser, CEO of YMCA Birmingham added: “The first phase was itself a triumph, with public and private sector organisations from across the country coming to learn from what we have achieved here. It is great to have now delivered these next stages of development which will continue the theme of improving quality and standards for our residents.”

In a similar vein, Corstorphine + Wright has also completed a refurbishment and extension of the Samaritans Headquarters in Stratford.