Selfridges Birmingham

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Wikipedia

Selfridges Building
View from Park St car park
Interactive map of Selfridges Building
General information
TypeDepartment Store
Architectural styleBlobitecture
LocationPark Street, Birmingham, England
Coordinates52°28′40.02″N 1°53′32.13″W / 52.4777833°N 1.8922583°W / 52.4777833; -1.8922583
Construction started1999
CompletedSeptember 2003 (2003-09)
Cost£60 million
OwnerSelfridges & Co.
Technical details
Structural systemSteel framework with sprayed concrete facade
Floor count6
Floor area14,864m² (160,000sq ft)
Design and construction
ArchitectsJan Kaplický, Amanda Levete
Architecture firmFuture Systems
Structural engineerOve Arup & Partners
Services engineerOve Arup & Partners
Main contractorLaing O'Rourke

The Selfridges Building is a building in Birmingham, England. The building is part of the Bullring Shopping Centre and houses Selfridges Department Store. The building was completed in 2003 at a cost of £60 million[1] and designed by the architecture firm Future Systems. It has a steel framework with sprayed concrete facade.[2] It is one of the backgrounds as part of the Architecture theme in Windows 7.

Architecture

The architecture firm Future Systems were appointed by Selfridge's then chief executive, Vittorio Radice, to design only the third store outside London. Although Selfridges was physically integrated with the Bullring Shopping Centre the client wanted a distinct design approach which would set the store apart from the rest of the development and become an instantly recognisable signpost for the brand.[1] The building's facade is curved, wrapping around the corner of Moor Street and Park Street. The facade comprises 15,000 anodised aluminium discs mounted on a blue background, in an architectural form which has become known as Blobitecture.[3]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 Flatman, Ben (2008), Birmingham: Shaping the City, RIBA Publishing, p. 147, ISBN 978-1-85946-245-4
  2. ↑ Selfridges Structural Frame, Steel Construction.org, archived from the original on 24 October 2010
  3. ↑ Brinkhof, Tim (27 August 2024). "Artcore: When Buildings Became Blobs". Artnet News. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  4. ↑ "Structural Steel Design Awards 1969 – 2011". Steel Construction Info. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  • Media related to Selfridges Building, Birmingham at Wikimedia Commons