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I
Walking around a crowded city, we rarley look at the surrounding buildings. This magazine is devoted to the old and new architecture around Birmingham. Throughout this magazine we will focus on three main themes; reflections, decay and merging. We hope you enjoy the visual delights included in this issue.
Contentspage 1
2-3
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
19
20-21
22-23
26-27
28-29
30-31
16-17
24-25
18
4-5
6-7
new and exciting architecture greets our skylines. As the old buildings crumble and fade into long distant memories, new
reflections
adventures and memories are built and developed.
reflections
e
The modern buildings of Birmingham sit amongst the old. As the city is constantly redeveloping, more and more
Just how many of us remember Birmingham Canal Navigation Office?
Paradise Row? Chances are very few; the building was demolished in 1912.
Over 1,900 buildings are listed as protected in Birmingham. Yet many more are scheduled for demolition as part of rejuvenation projects. These ‘lost’ buildings will never be experienced again.
1
P
Perspectives
erspec
Perspectives
As we walk around
Birmingham, it’s not often we will look up and take in the scenery. More often than not, we are ushered along, travelling with the crowd. To look at a window what do we see? Ourselves, the shop’s display or the surrounding buildings mimicked on its surface?
The details in the
architecture of the older buildings are warped and distorted by the reflections in the new buildings windows. Revealing unique perspective.
2
Perspecti
ctives
ives
With meticulous curves
and ornate detail, these
older styles have plenty
of features that you could
spend hours looking at.
The twisted and distorted
version reflected in slightly
irregular new windows,
reveals a unique viewpoint.
Looking into these mirrored
surfaces we can see
another world. A parallel
universe in reverse to
what we are used to.
3
Wa t e
r
water
r
a t e
It’s not only windows that play with sunlight.
Shadows are created with solid and semi-trans-
parent objects. And not all light comes from
the sun, at night; the city takes on a different atmosphere, where fluorescents and neon’s dominate.
Modern windows are uniform
size and shape, often rectangular in or square. They also reflect the colours of the sky and its surrounding buildings, creating a symmetrical second city.
Light
10
Dark
The lunar society got its name from attending meetings only in a full moon. There were no street lights, only the moon to guide them home at night.
Glass was hard to
manufacture in large sheets. Old style win dows are composed of many smaller panes. of glass were varying of glass were varying in thickness.
With advances in technology,
modern building are able to be built taller, and the glass larger. These large panes of glass reflect forgotten sunlight to shaded areas.
7
With advances in technology and
more materials at our usage, more
unique and intriguing ways of
decorating surfaces of windows and
buildings have developed. The stun-
ning textures we can see on these
windows can reflect a true likeness
of the building opposite, enrich a
monuments maturity, or add
texture to a concrete structure
Looking
thr
It’s not just the reflec
tions of windows that
add appealing detail
to our view. Textures
are added with cur-
atains and transfers.
When looking at a
rough
window we immedi-
ately see the surface
pattern, when we look
at it in more detail ,
we see the transforma
tion of the reflection.
Glass
10
11
D
igbeth
H
enry Bradford, who owned land on Bradford Street, played a large role in this. In 1767, he donated land to anyone who wanted to trade there. In order to cater for all the workers on Bradford Street, there were over 20 public houses, with only three still remaining. There were a number of well-known industrial companies that set up home in Digbeth, such as the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company. In 1876, the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company moved from Digbeth to Selly Oak. The Typhoo Tea Company was also settled in Digbeth’s S Rose and Co building from 1896 until 1978. Despite being used a warehouse after 1978, the old factory is currently vacant. In 1860, Bonser and Co, an iron merchant firm, also had a warehouse built in Digbeth, Bird’s custard factory was also located here. It was founded by Alfred Frederick, and became a popular custard company because they produced custard that didn’t include eggs. Even after the factory closed down, it was still used for other purposes. Part of the building was turned into a library. It opened in 1866, on October 26th, and now Deritend Library is now the oldest library building in Birmingham, and is the only surviving library from the city’s original five free libraries. The custard factory is also now used as a conference centre, as well as an art exhibition space, holding events such as the clothing vintage fair. Even though a lot of the old factories and warehouses are no longer in use, there is still a lot of industrial activity in Digbeth. Over the next few years, due to the Big City Plan, this area of Birmingham will undergo a lot of redevelopment, converting the vacant buildings into more exhibition spaces, apartments, offices retail premises. Byand Astra Wheeler
13
Digbeth
Curzon Street Sta
16
Curzon Station is an old train station located near the city centre of Birmingham. Today, only the entrance way still exists, after the train station was closed down in 1966. The entrance is grade 1 listed building, and is the oldest surviving railway building in the world. The station was built in 1838, and designed by architect Philip Hardwick, who also designed the original Euston Station. His architectural design was inspired by Roman architecture, which is evident through its four tall pillars at the front of the entrance, as well as a further four at the back of the building and the architectural details attaching the pillars to the roof. When the station was in use, is contained a booking room, stone staircase, refreshment room and offices. Curzon Station was originally used as a terminus for the Birmingham and London railway, and the Grand Junction Railway, connecting Birmingham to London, Manchester and Liverpool. The first train arrived to this station arrived on September 17th 1838, leaving from London. It was originally known as Birmingham Station, but was changed to Birmingham Curzon Street Station in November 1852.In 1854, New Street station, currently one of the biggest train station’s in Birmingham, was completed and shared the Midlands railway with Curzon Station. As there is only half a mile between the two stations, New Street became more popular, and was being used instead of Curzon Street, which is why by 1854, Curzon Street station stopped transporting passengers on long journeys, and was used as a goods station instead. However, it continued to run short journeys for passengers until 1893. It also stopped being a goods station in 1966, when Curzon station closed its doors for good.
ation
17
Curzon Street Station
The Co-op The old CO-OP furniture factory is located near Digbeth, Curzon Street station and Aston University. It was and old Victorian building that Birmingham City council was trying to save. They planned to do this by redeveloping the old factory. However, this all changed on January 11th 2007,
when it burnt down on what was believed to be an arson attack. It took 40 fire-fighters and 11 fire engines to put the fire out. Even though the outside and
most of the structure survived the fire, the roof collapsed on itself
Factory due to the structure being weakened by strong winds.
The co-op Factory
22
23
This
Clashes of designs, colours, textures, geometry, landscapes
Watch
Adds a historical counter
Th
The constant development of architechtural structures in Birmingham
Clashes of the Modern and the Classical buildings standing right next to each
his
Developing into its former industrial town, becoming a world class retail city
Thi
rpoints against its dramatic neighbour
endless number of builds and renovations today
This
This
Space
h other, standing a road away, a path way yet are centuries apart in terms of creation
Different
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28
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rome, lass, ch d sky g e iv t c n try, refle LED lighting a 5,000 geome , f2 m o luminiu vers an area ppers spun a o s . It c s of ho trial f d o n o r a s e u plan indus g tho former ; guzzlin s e r h e t t e g m shin tion. y: refre per da he modernisa st t ving co city into eet station ha Str Moore
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. . t r a p A s e i r u t n e 29
Amongst thedo
is the b
Birmingha 30
oom & gloom
bright and Blue
am
Throughout Birmingham we are able to notice a very repetitive, muse, of the colour blue streaming through the architecture, football team logo, university logos, blue brick railways etc. Although there are the yellow, red brick and concrete buildings up today we can see that the bold blue colour has run through the classical builds to the modern structures up today; showing a distinctive as-
sociation of the colour blue and Birmingham throughout the eras. From the elaborate detailing of blue flooring around Victoria square, to the bolder, compulsive blockings of blue on the Radisson, the Cube building and several other structures sitting around Birmingham. Is it getting to the point
where it is becoming an obsessive characteristic; with the all the modern buildings created in the colour and run-down buildings being rejuvenated with blue tinted glass? Or is it considered as the soul of Birmingham? It’s not until you look around to realise the obsessive blue which we are surrounded with in Birmingham‌ Are we living in a blue planet?
By
Lyndsey Hale Astra Wheeler Khushbu Patel