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New 'vertical village' for Birmingham as city's tallest residential tower approved

2one2 Broad Street was approved unanimously by Birmingham City Council in twelve minutes

• Apartments built and managed for rent by one firm
• Digitally-enabled homes will connect renters via app
• Ambition is to create new way of urban living

Digital-ready apartments, wellbeing areas and a 24 hour concierge are some of the things renters can look forward to in the centre of Birmingham after the council gave consent to the city’s tallest ever residential building.

Moda, a developer and operator of homes for rent, has secured planning permission for a 42 storey skyscraper on Broad Street. The 481-apartment build-to-rent scheme has been designed exclusively for rent – with Moda managing the entire building and offering residents a host of add-ons.

A 200 metre outdoor running track - the UK's first in a residential building - will cater to today’s fitness-mad generation while the front desk will collect Amazon parcels, help book cleaning and ironing while ensuring residents are safe and secure.

2one2 Broad Street will offer a range of apartment sizes - from studios to three-beds - alongside a host of amenity spaces spread across the building. Family-friendly tenancies will offer residents the chance to sign up for three or even five years – helping reduce the perception of renters being transient.

The £183m project will transform the former Clicks nightclub into one of Birmingham’s tallest buildings, underpinning regeneration around Broad Street.

Award-winning Birmingham-based Glenn Howells Architects have designed 2one2 Broad Street to encourage renters to treat the whole building – not just the apartment – as their home.

Some of 2one2 Broad Street’s features will include:

• Over 30,000 sq ft (equivalent to over 10 tennis courts) of dedicated communal space including residents’ lounge, health and wellness zone and Dining club with demonstration kitchen
• Additional 35,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space will be provided in a three-storey podium
• A 200metre running circuit will sit outside on the podium roof, offering panoramic views of the Birmingham skyline – perfect for a morning jog or evening run
• Smart lifts that know when you have entered the building and are ready to take you to your apartment as soon as you’ve walked in
• Great connections via the extension of Birmingham’s tram network and the pedestrianisation of the surrounding area

Moda wants to revolutionise the way people rent by offering great service and well-designed spaces to share. By allowing people to make friends in the building and create a genuine society within its walls, the company believes it can turn renting from tenure of last-resort into a genuine lifestyle choice.

Moda’s future customers will also be able to organise their daily lives through the bespoke MyModa app – allowing them to control smart thermostats, report any problems by snapping a photo and even welcome guests through a virtual Skype-style door buzzer.

After being the first UK housing developer to partner with Uber, the world’s largest ride-sharing platform, Moda is also in discussion with a number of other leading technology companies to help make its customers’ lives easier.

Tony Brooks, managing director at Moda, said: 

“We’re delighted Birmingham City Council has consented such an ambitious scheme and we’re confident high quality rental housing will further boost the city’s fight for talent and investment as companies realise the huge potential the Midlands has to offer. Renters have been poorly served by the housing market and the aim of build to rent is to change that by providing everything people need - from workspace to wellbeing – with a mix of community, security and great service. People are time-poor but value experience, which is why we want to take the hassle out of city living through plug-and-play wi-fi, an integrated mobile app and a concierge who’s on-hand to collect Amazon parcels to avoid those dreaded red cards from the postman.”

Damien Holdstock, associate director at Turley, said: 

"2one2 Broad Street is an important part of the ongoing regeneration of Birmingham, providing a striking addition to the city’s skyline and contributing to the delivery of much needed high quality homes for rent.”

Dav Bansal, director at Glen Howells Architects, said:

"Birmingham’s new addition to the skyline is an important western marker for the city. The simple composition with its elegant proportion creates a contemporary and confident design at a key intersection on Broad Street, helping to regenerate this important part of the city. The bronze metal veil over the composed facade of the tower sits on a welcoming podium that embraces high-quality retail, managed workspace, a cycle hub and the main entrance for the residents. We are delighted to be working with Moda on this exciting opportunity to raise the aspirations of quality housing in the city centre."

The development lies directly opposite Brindley Place, Argent’s award-winning 1.2m sq ft mixed-use commercial scheme, and is within five minutes’ walk of Centenary Square, and the new Paradise Circus and Arena Central developments delivering 3m sq ft of new mixed use commercial space. 

Backed by Apache Capital Partners, Moda Living has a £1.5bn pipeline of 6,000 rent-only apartments in high profile city centre sites across the UK. Other schemes are currently underway in Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Images courtesy of Moda

21 December 2017