This document proposes regenerating an area of Birmingham called Digbeth by creating a village-like area with narrow streets, small independently-owned shops and restaurants, and secret courtyards reminiscent of Greenwich Village in New York or Manchester's Northern Quarter. The plans include re-establishing the original street grid, creating a new central public space around the site of a former moat, and developing different types of blocks - including forum blocks near the central performance area, village blocks between it and the streets, and lower city blocks with terraced units. The goal is to attract independent retailers, residents, and creative/arts uses in a flexible development that integrates with the surrounding city.

1. V I L L A G E . B I R M I N G H A M
THE RE-DISCOVERY OF THE ORIGINAL VILLAGE AT DIGBETH (DUCKSBATH)
The regeneration of Birmingham
has taken a different route to
many other cities in the UK and
has hinged its regeneration
efforts on attracting large multi-
national ‘players’ to the
regeneration scene, and has as a
result developed only a small and
relatively unpublicised
‘bohemian’ arts scene, when
compared to cities such as
Manchester or Liverpool. This
provides an opportunity for the
creation of more relaxed,
informal and intimate spaces,
similar in character to Greenwich
Village in New York or
Manchester’s ‘Northern
Quarter’.
Greenwich Village is
characterised by its retention of
the early street pattern and
narrow neighborhood streets.
Many streets are lined with
shops, with a mixture of small
scale and independently owned
stores and restaurants, with
many secret courtyards and small
gardens nestled between
townhouses in the residential
blocks. In the UK, Manchester’s
‘Northern Quarter’ offers a
similar experience, and has
developed as an area renowned
for its up and coming music scene
and creative fashions, and is a
place where independent
retailers have thrived.
Our overarching aim is to create
a flexible and unique area of the
city which is attractive to
independent retailers, publicans
and residential developers, whilst
creating a development
framework which knits the area
back into the urban grain of the
city.
THE ROTUNDA, ST MARTIN’S & THE BULL RING SKYLINE TO THE NORTH OF THE SITE
THE MARKET QUARTER IN
UPPER DEAN STREET
EDGBASTON STREET
ANTICEDENTS; GREENWICH VILLAGE
HURST STREET
THE IMPENET
EXISTING MA
DECONSTRUCTION OF THE BLOCK FORM
BRINDLEY PLACE
MAILBOX
ST PHILLIPS SQUARE
ST PAUL’S SQUARE
CENTENARY SQUARE
CITY PARK
MILLENNIUM POINT
BEORMA PLACE
ST MARTIN’S
VICTORIA SQUARE
DIGBETH COACH
STATIONTHE ARCADIAN CENTRE
The first objective in setting out the blocks on the
site was to re-establish the grain from the blocks to
the south west and the south east of the site. We
determined that by using the blocks and the streets
between them we could create a natural movement
towards the central perfromance area (the Forum)
including the gradients necessary to rise up to the
concourse.
Although this was founded in sound urban design
principles it lacked some excitment and had no
reflection of the uses we would like to encourage in
terms of perfoming arts and creative skills. Inspired
by the images from the Hubble telescope we selected
Galaxy NGC 4603, HOME TO VARIABLE STARS which
we thought most appropriate and over laid an
abstraction from the image over the block layout to
generate the deconstruction that forms the
presentation.
Central Public Space
As part of the development of the area archaeological
investigation of the site of the former moat located in
the north eastern quarter of the site will take place.
Following this investigation a new public space will be
created, which will be sunken down to the level of
archaeological importance (circa 106m AOD) with a
stepped amphitheatre style space created around the
former moat.
Beorma (Burma) Square will be the new focus and help
to give identity to the area. The Square will be the
central meeting place for all types of people, ranging
from shoppers, employees, young people, children and
residents. Users of this space will be able to circulate
around the space, sit and relax on the steps, or relax
in cafes/bars shops created around the perimeter of
the space. Split level block design will allow active
frontages to be created at both 106m and circa 109m.
The potential use of the Square for events and
performances has also been considered as an integral
part of its design. With the ability to accommodate
new and exciting temporary exhibitions this
rediscovered public space will become a hub of activity
at all times of the day and night. This will be reinforced
by a creative lighting scheme that will play an important
role in illuminating the night scene.
PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT BLOCKS
PROPOSED HIGHWAYS
Blocks:
Permeable for foot, cycle and vehicle traffic
Adaptable size for present and future growth
Building floor plates flexible for uses
Streets:
Active frontages at street level on all sides
Ample pedestrian pavements
Minimal vehicle traffic at slow speeds
Lively, fresh with trees and plantings
Natural surveillance from upper floors
Buildings:
Flexible floor space on all levels
Ground floor entrances to shops and residences
Intimate courtyards for public or private use
Mix of uses and unit sizes (promotes diversity of residents)
Environmental:
Green roof gardens
Rain water collection for toilet flushing
Durable building materials
Materials from sustainable sources
Local / reused / sustainable materials where possible
Lime mortar used in masonry construction to allow for reuse of
bricks at a later date
Trees, greenspace and plantings to reduce hardscape runoff and
freshen air quality
Sun shading on buildings where appropriate
Solar panels incorporated where appropriate
Solar energy used to heat water / power lights
Sunspaces incorporated in buildings to capture solar heat
Permeable interior materials for efficient heat and cooling
distribution
Thermally massive, heat and cool retaining building materials
Recycled newspaper insulation where possible
Energy efficient appliances and lighting
Car club located in communal underground car park
Close to public transport and city centre
Close to national rail and coach services
THE FORUM @
BEORMA VILLAGE
Digbeth Place having transport
links and ramping up to the
forum concourse level. The
connection with routes to
Eastside.
1;1250 scale 50m0m

2. Street – Key roads through the area have been designed to approximately 18m wide.
The total carriageway width includes a 3m wide light well on inner streets and 2m wide
pedestrian footways containing linear runs of tree planting.
Streets have a wide and generous feeling of space which will identify this street as
significantly different from the majority of the other routes within the development.
Access to the plots will be taken directly from the carriageway into front and side
parking/garaging. Boundary treatments will be formed with street trees planted within
the curtilages of the buildings.
Lane – Lanes are an attempt to strike a balance between vehicular traffic and other road
users to create rich, attractive and versatile spaces and a vibrant living environment.
Together with the built form, Lanes have been integrated within the Masterplan for the
site to help enforce the slow passage of vehicles and create a safe environment for
pedestrians.
Lanes are formed from a 14 metre carriageway with 2 metre pavements that will have
some street trees in grilles where pavement is widest and on-street parking is provided
between these. It is envisaged that due to the character of the street the vehicle speeds
will be very low and will create a distinctive place of an intimate character.
Passage – A passage is formed by 7.5m wide link which will allow access to the frontages
of buildings, with vehicular access being taken at the rear. These routes will be intimate
in character with a high degree of enclosure. Planting will be used to emphasise the
character of these routes and provide interest to the street scene.
STREET ANTECEDENT; BROAD STREET
LANE ANTECEDENT; GAS STREET PASSAGE ANTECEDENT; CANNON STLANE ANTECEDENT; FLEET STREET
STREET&LANETYPOGRAPHIES
FOCUS
BUILDING
PERMIABLE EDGE TO THE
MAIN PUBLIC SPACE
VILLAGE
BLOCKS
FORUM
BLOCKS
VILLAGE
BLOCKS
CITY
BLOCKS
THRESHOLD
GLIMPSES THROUGH
TO THE HISTORIC
BUILDINGS ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF
DIGBETH
TRABLE PERIMETER WALL OF THE
ARKET COMPLEX
BUILDINGS FORMING THE
BLOCKS EXTENDING OUTWARDS
INTO THE IRISH QUARTER
THE FORUM BLOCK
THE VILLAGE BLOCK
THE CITY BLOCK
The principal blocks surrounding the Forum
have the largest ground floor units that are
most appropriate for national outlets. They
have below ground servicing and parking
and have frontages to the public squares
internally and the streets that define the
block. Although the over-riding idea is to
encourage local business and
estbalishments major space users will act
as anchors for the benefit of the local users
that are catered for in the surrounding
blocks. The vehicular access is via
Bromsgrove St
Where the Forum blocks interface with
the streets there are light wells allowing
the gradients to pass separately from the
floor levels of the undercroft and the
concourse. These gradients enable the
pedestrian to move up to the concourse
in the manner of many generic streets in
Birmingham to public spaces such as St
Phillip’s Square and St Paul’s. Examples
shown include Church St and Cannon St
which have been used as models for the
street typography
As the streets rise to the group of blocks
called the Forum blocks they converge at
‘Thresholds’ defined as their own, smaller
public spaces. These are not ‘gateways’ as
there are no walls or barriers but they give
a sense of arrival towards the top of the
slope before entering the Forum
The village blocks are the
interface btween the larger scale
of the public performance space
and the more intimate and
locally driven main space of the
scheme. The commercial units
are smaller and the undercroft
lower in height the servicing of
the streets is limited to
discourage HGV deliveries and
encorage local trucks and vans
The city block is lower still and
is formed of terraced units
with the potential for work
units or commercial outlets at
the ground level. There is no
raisd concourse and the
courtyard is for parking and
servicing of the family units.
These could be 6/7 bedrooms
with the flexibility associated
with the geogian terrace
There is a significant potential for an interplay
between the formal landscape of the streets and
lanes and the randomness of the nebula. This is
most apparent at the threshold where the
combination heightens the awareness of this
important space
MASSINGMODELS
1;500 scale 10m 20m 30m 40m 50m0m
Sketch looking away from the
Forum towards the squares and
quads of the village through the
perforate edge surrounding the
performance space and the main
public arena
Sketch looking from the east side
of Digbeth across the new public
space towards the Forum up a
gradient to the public performance
space. This is the connection with
the Metro and the bus service