One Centenary Way

By Howells

Client MEPC / Federated Hermes

Awards RIBA West Midlands Award 2025 and RIBA West Midlands Project Architect of the Year 2025

The award winner tells us, "One Centenary Way is a new landmark for Birmingham that defines the next generation of sustainable workspace, and another significant chapter in the city’s transformation into a lively, mixed-use metropolis.

The 13-storey building sits above the A38 Queensway Tunnel, negotiating a challenging, split-level site connecting two of the city’s most important civic spaces – Chamberlain Square and Centenary Square. It is the first completed building of phase two of Howells’ Paradise Masterplan and provides workspace for 3,500 people, along with hospitality, outdoor terrace, and communal amenities at ground-floor level."

Extract from the RIBA Awards Jury citation, "One Centenary Way has turned a constraint into an opportunity. The architects, steel fabricator and structural engineers worked closely together from early on, assessing numerous options to meet the demanding site constraints: a structure that can only bear down on a few specific spots, keeps the load to the perimeter, is long span and has a non-loadbearing core.

The solution arrived at was a lightweight steel Vierendeel truss perimeter frame supported by long-span trusses bridging the tunnel. The steel was fabricated off-site and delivered by lorry; the largest trusses were 38 metres long and weighed approximately 120 tonnes. The jury enjoyed the virtually column-free expansive internal office space, an unexpected benefit of the long-span perimeter structure and exoskeleton."

Read the full citation from the RIBA Awards Jury on RIBA Journal

Contractor Sir Robert McAlpine

Delivery architect Weedon Architects

Environmental/M&E engineer Arup

Project management Quantem

Quantity surveyor/cost consultant Quantem

Delivery engineer Ramboll

Facade consultant Wintech

M&E subcontractor Briggs & Forrester

Gross internal area 35,517m²