Enterprise Wharf will be a tech-enabled environment to support the evolution of the workplace and the changing needs of employees
Location: Birmingham, UK
Project team: Bruntwood SciTech, Graham
Completion: 2022
Last month, Bruntwood SciTech announced that it had selected Graham as the main contractor on its latest development, Enterprise Wharf.
Located at Innovation Birmingham, next to Aston and Birmingham City Universities and in the heart of the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, the 10-storey, 120,000 sq ft Enterprise Wharf, which is due for completion in 2022, will feature a large, open plan reception and collaboration space, cycle storage with kit drying room, space for electric vehicle charging, showers and a roof garden with stunning views over the city. New external landscaping will also create a pleasant green space for the campus, providing direct, much improved access to the adjacent Birmingham and Fazeley Canal for occupants to take advantage of.
Addressing the workplace evolution
In a pioneering first for the city, Enterprise Wharf will be Birmingham’s first smart-enabled building, developed to address the workplace evolution currently underway across the world, seen in places such as Dubai and Chicago.
A combination of increased mobile connectivity and flexible working practices mean that many companies are realising the value of their physical workplace and want more from their workspace to meet the complex needs of their employees. While many of us already rely on mobile connectivity to receive business information, transport updates and delivery notifications outside the office, in future, we’ll all be looking to have the same availability of real-time, location-aware services inside the office. An effective, modern workplace needs to enable and support these changes in expectation – and this is where smart-enabled buildings come in.
Here in the UK, we are also seeing the introduction of buildings with smart tech. The Crystal in London was designed by Siemens and is held up as one of the world’s most sustainable buildings. 100% electric, with solar roof panels to generate a portion of its power. This combined with smart monitoring of power usage means its carbon emissions are approximately 70% lower than comparable office buildings in the UK.
An innately tech-enabled building
In Birmingham, Enterprise Wharf will provide an innately tech-enabled building, with the latest, safest and most sustainable technology available to enhance the health, welfare, livability and productivity of its occupants.
Developed with a steel frame with precast concrete plank slab construction, lift cores and stairs in precast concrete, the building will be embedded with smart, Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Enterprise Wharf will collect and have the ability to monitor data from the Building Management System, HVAC, lighting and CCTV.
The building will include an A-rated EPC together with solar power and highly efficient heating, heat recovery and cooling. The exterior of the building will also be optimised to provide high thermal efficiency, minimising internal artificial lighting requirements.
Data from a range of sensors will be displayed in a purpose-built dashboard, allowing air quality, lighting and energy consumption to be managed and optimised, creating a healthy, productive and sustainable workplace.
Developed to provide grow-on space to support the growth and expansion of large digital and tech companies from across the region and beyond, Enterprise Wharf is expected to be a major pull for employers looking to attract and retain the very best tech talent.
Its position within the West Midlands’ leading digital tech campus – Innovation Birmingham, offers an unrivalled opportunity to co-locate among a cluster of more than 150 businesses working in high growth areas such as fintech, prop tech, ed tech, 5G and VR and connect with the most innovative and disruptive tech minds.
Bruntwood SciTech
Tel: +44 (0)800 731 0300
Twitter: @BW_SciTech
LinkedIn: Bruntwood SciTech
YouTube: Bruntwood SciTech
Instagram: @BruntwoodSciTech
