• Source: List of tallest buildings and structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area, West Midlands

This list of the tallest buildings and structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area, West Midlands ranks buildings and free-standing structures by height, based on standard height measurements that include spires and architectural details but exclude extraneous elements added after completion of the building.
The tallest building in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area is Octagon, a 49-storey, 155-metre (509 ft) residential tower which forms part of the Paradise development in Birmingham city centre. Octagon surpassed Birmingham's tallest structure, the 140-metre (458 ft) BT Tower, and previous tallest residential building, the 132-metre (433 ft) Mercian tower, in September 2024.




Birmingham Metropolitan Area



The Birmingham Metropolitan Area is an urban agglomeration located in the West Midlands region of England with a population of around 4.3 million people, making it the second largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. It comprises the three cities (Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton) and four metropolitan boroughs (Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall) which make up the Metropolitan county of the West Midlands, along with its commuter zones, which extend into the neighbouring district authorities of Bromsgrove and Redditch in Worcestershire; Cannock Chase, Lichfield, South Staffordshire and Tamworth in Staffordshire; and all five district authorities of Warwickshire, including the towns of Bedworth, Coleshill, Nuneaton, Royal Leamington Spa, and Warwick itself. Each of these authorities has at least one high-rise, or tall building or structure ≥35 metres in height.
A number of sizeable settlements fall outside the morphological boundaries of the Birmingham Metropolitan Area but still form part of its economic and infrastructural hinterland. Amongst these, the cathedral city of Lichfield, the towns of Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley in Staffordshire, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, and Kidderminster in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire. For completeness, the tall buildings and structures in these places are included in the listings below but, for accuracy, are not designated a metropolitan area ranking.
Like other regional conurbations in the United Kingdom, the Birmingham Metropolitan Area is polycentric, with several primary urban areas and satellite towns overlaying traditional market towns and civil parishes, separated by areas of protected green space. This is reflected in a diverse urban landscape characterised by examples of Medieval, Tudor, Jacobean, English Baroque, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Modern, Postmodern and Contemporary architecture. Each of these architectural periods is represented by at least one tall building or structure.
All of the listings on this page are colour coded according to the authority in which they are located, based on the map of the Birmingham Metropolitan Area. The map can be used to find the authority for each entry and, where the building or structure is not located in a city centre, its district, town or parish.




City of Birmingham


Birmingham has more than 400 tall buildings within its city boundaries, making it the most built-up city in the United Kingdom outside of London. It is home to the majority of the tallest buildings and structures in the West Midlands region.
The city currently has ten structures completed at a height of 100 metres or more and a further five under construction, with thirteen of these being habitable. This is the third highest number of completed or under construction tall buildings or structures (≥100m) of any city in the United Kingdom.




= History

=
The first structure to reach a height of 100 metres was the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, constructed in 1908 and located in the Edgbaston area of the city. It remains the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.
High-rise construction in Birmingham did not begin until the post war redevelopment of the 1960s and 1970s, when more than 25 commercial buildings taller than 50 metres were erected within the city centre and westwards along Broad Street to Five Ways and Hagley Road. Two further structures over 100 metres were built during this period – the 152-metre BT Tower, which remains the tallest non-building structure in Birmingham, albeit at a reduced height, and the 100-metre, Grade II listed Alpha Tower. Other notable high-rise office buildings included Quayside Tower and Metropolitan House, both designed by John Madin and since refurbished. This era also saw more than 150 residential tower blocks of between 12 and 32 storeys built in clusters around the periphery of the city centre and throughout its suburbs. The majority of these Brutalist buildings were of limited architectural merit and have since been demolished, although some examples remain.
High-rise development slowed during the 1980s and 1990s, with few significant proposals emerging, but the turn of the 21st century saw a renewed interest in constructing tall buildings in central Birmingham. Completed in 2006, the 122-metre 10 Holloway Circus became the tallest habitable building in the city, while the Brindleyplace canalside development yielded a cluster of high-rise office buildings adjacent to the International Convention Centre and Birmingham Indoor Arena.
However, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, regulations imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Birmingham City Council's own 'High Places' planning policy framework restricted new buildings to a maximum height of around 120 metres, stymieing a number of appreciably taller proposals. These included the 245-metre Arena Central Tower, which at the time was set to become the tallest skyscraper in the United Kingdom. A number of subsequent proposals, including revised plans for a 152-metre V-shaped building at Arena Central, the 201-metre Regal Tower, and the 130-metre twin towers proposed for the New Street Station Gateway Plus project, succumbed to the global financial crisis and were either scaled back or scrapped.
Consequently, Birmingham's most iconic 21st century buildings, including the Selfridges Building, Grand Central Station and the Library of Birmingham, are under 100 metres tall.




= Present and future developments

=
In recent years, the City Council has sought to encourage large-scale development, and a raft of tall buildings have been approved for construction across the City Core and all six of Birmingham's City Centre Quarters – Eastside, Digbeth, Westside and Ladywood, Southside and Highgate, the Jewellery Quarter and St George and St Chad. These developments will form a number of tall clusters across the city centre.
Home to some of Birmingham's tallest buildings, the City Core includes the 155-metre Octagon tower at the Paradise redevelopment site in the city's civic heart. Octagon, which is the tallest octagonally-shaped residential building in the world, is set to be joined by 148-metre Centenary Tower and 110-metre Cambrian Wharf, both of which have been approved for construction. In the neighbouring Historic Colmore Business District stands 103 Colmore Row (108 metres) which, on its completion in 2022, became the tallest dedicated office building to be constructed outside of London since Alpha Tower in 1973. Further to the east, in the Snow Hill Commercial District, plans have been submitted for 2 Snowhill Plaza, a 48-storey residential-led tower which is set to become one of the largest Build to Rent (BTR) schemes in the United Kingdom.
In Westside and Ladywood, Moda Living's 132-metre Mercian residential tower was completed in 2022 and is currently the tallest of a cluster of high rise buildings around Broad Street and Brindleyplace. Other significant residential schemes in this area include 111-metre Cortland Broad Street, 102-metre Bank Tower II and the approved 100 Broad Street (103m). All are set to be surpassed another residential tower, the 145-metre Essington, which was approved for construction in 2024.
The Eastside district will become home to One Eastside, a 155-metre residential skyscraper which is due for completion in 2025 and will form part of the gateway to Birmingham's new HS2 railway station at Curzon Street. This tower will join 111-metre Exchange Square, and another 124-metre tower at Glasswater Locks which is currently under construction. Extending outwards from Birmingham's Knowledge Quarter, the £360m Curzon Wharf masterplan, intended to be the world's first net zero carbon mixed-use development, includes approval for two more tall buildings, one of which is a skyscraper rising to 172 metres.
To the South East of the City Core, swathes of Digbeth are scheduled to be redeveloped, with 113-metre Boerma Tower currently under construction and others including the 146-metre Tower Leaf, 122-metre Garrison Circus tower, 108-metre Clyde Street tower and 102-metre Upper Trinity Street tower also approved. A 32-storey mixed-use tower is planned to anchor the vast Smithfield site, which will link Digbeth to the Southside and Highgate district, and another cluster of approved high-rises in and around the city's Gay Village and Chinese Quarter. For nearby Smallbrook Queensway, plans have been submitted for a series of three towers up to 180-metres in height, with up to seven more tall buildings expected to transform the area between here and Holloway Circus in the forthcoming years.
Meanwhile, to the north west of the City Core, Moda Living's 126-metre residential tower on Great Charles Street, which is under construction, will form a gateway to St Paul's Square and the Jewellery Quarter, while at the same time marking the beginning of a high-rise convergence with the Snow Hill Commercial District.
In future, if all approved, proposed and emergent projects come to fruition, Birmingham's skyline will comprise more than 550 tall buildings and structures, including nine skyscrapers above 150 metres and a further 33 habitable towers above 100 metres.




Wider area






Existing






= ≥100 metres

=
This list ranks all complete and topped out buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that stand at least 100 metres (328 ft) tall, based on standard height measurements. An equals sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. Buildings that have been demolished are not included.
Updated: August 2024




= 50–99 metres

=
This list ranks all complete and topped out buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that stand between 50 metres (164 ft) and 99 metres (325 ft) tall, based on standard height measurements. An equals sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. Buildings that have been demolished are not included.
Updated January 2023




= 35–49 metres

=
This list ranks selected buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that stand between 35 metres (115 ft) and 49 metres (161 ft) tall, based on standard height measurements. An equals sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings.
Updated July 2024




= Other tall buildings and structures

=
This is a list of selected buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that are likely to stand at least 35 metres (115 ft) tall but for which no height-specific documentation or reliable supporting reference is currently available. The buildings are not ranked but are instead listed in alphabetical order by metropolitan or regional authority.
Currently updating




Under construction


This list ranks all under-construction buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that will stand at least 35 metres (115 ft) tall, based on standard height measurements.
Updated July 2024




Approved, proposed and emergent






= Approved

=
This list ranks all buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that have been granted full planning permission and will stand at least 35 metres (115 ft) tall when completed.
Updated: August 2024

This list ranks all buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that have received outline planning permission and will stand at least 35 metres (115 ft) tall when full planning permission is sought and granted.
Updated May 2024




= Proposed

=
This list ranks all buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that will stand at least 35 metres (115 ft) tall, for which planning permission has been sought but not yet granted.
Updated July 2024




= Emergent

=
This list ranks pre-applications and emergent proposals for buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that will stand at least 35 metres (115 ft) tall, if full planning permission is sought and granted. Please note that the data for each structure may not be complete.
Updated July 2024




Unbuilt


This list ranks proposals for the construction of buildings and free-standing structures in Birmingham that were planned to rise at least 100 metres (328 ft), for which planning permission was rejected or which were otherwise withdrawn.




Demolished


This list ranks buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area that are undergoing demolition or have been demolished since the year 2000, having stood at least 50 metres (164 ft) in height.




Timeline of the tallest


This is a list of the tallest surviving buildings and free-standing structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area constructed during each of the UK's major architectural periods, listed in chronological order. Buildings are only included where their existing highest point was built during the period and in the architectural style stated.




Gallery






= Birmingham

=




See also


List of tallest buildings in Europe
List of tallest buildings in the United Kingdom
List of tallest structures in the United Kingdom
List of tallest buildings by United Kingdom settlement
List of tallest buildings and structures in the United Kingdom by usage
List of tallest church buildings in the United Kingdom
Architecture of Birmingham
History of Birmingham
History of Coventry




Notes






References






External links



Skyscrapernews Birmingham Database Archived 1 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
Emporis Birmingham Database[usurped]

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• List of tallest buildings and structures in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area, West Midlands
• The McLaren Building
• Birmingham
• Octagon, Birmingham
• List of tallest structures by country
• West Midlands (region)
• Architecture of Birmingham
• One Eastside
• Quayside Tower
• Metropolitan House