Birmingham's Centenary Square is to be officially opened this week!
Centenary Square to be officially opened this week having been completely redeveloped. Take our post for great insight and a great gallery. Written by Stephen with photos by Daniel - enjoy!
The design of the square is unlike any other. The most distinctive and radical feature is the ‘Hall of Columns’, which is a grid of 43 slender columns, each 25 metres tall and poke above the Library terrace level.
Thanks to the columns the square has a three-dimensional feel, to sit within a defined area with a light granite surface and have point lights at the very tip, creating a fantastic ‘constellation of lights’ at night.
They extend to the other side of Broad Street, with one row being located on the pavement right outside HSBC and Municipal Bank, while another row is right in the middle of soon-to-be Broad Street tram corridor.
“Unity, coherence and uniqueness”
This gives the whole area a sense of unity, coherence and uniqueness, a sense of it being one great civic space for everyone to enjoy, and one that sets Birmingham apart from every other city in Britain.
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Next to the Symphony Hall and opposite The Rep theatre, there is a large reflection pool, with three rows of water jets for children, animals and adults alike to play with in the summer.
The pool can be drained when large scale events take place on the square. With a number of places to sit, formally or informally, and benches acting as a security barrier, the area will become a destination in itself.
What is great about the new square is the trees. There are lot of them!
They are arranged in groves, and these form a series of pocket parks across the square, with benches placed in or around them. Each grove is formed of a single species, bringing a unique atmosphere and colour to its part of the square.
These species include Birch, Maple, Gingko and Flowering Cherry.
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All the public artwork taken away and put into storage before the revamp of the square began, are set to return to the square, although some will be located elsewhere.
The ‘Golden Boys’ statue of Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch, will be placed against the backdrop of the Cherry Orchard, near Symphony Hall.
The statue of King Edward VII will remain in its place, while the ‘Industry and Genius’ sculpture is going to be moved closer to the Baskerville House and made symmetrical to its entrance.
A ‘Real Birmingham Family’ statue has been relocated next to the Ginkgo trees grove.
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This development is a vital cog in the ongoing regeneration and resurrection of Birmingham as a major international centre of culture, which fits with the Big City Plan.