![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-5-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=118&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=14ead4abfff008ad7d31a40f2dcbd8e0 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-5-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=236&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=58a307b35046d309231bede4c705ddb3 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-5-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=432&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=296f52535d516e2c2611c412526b290f 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-5-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=576&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=a460c6bab4b8f067da4b1207e4128ef8 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-5-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=788&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=def1a9d3226a5f17e138ebdd817f7e65 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-5-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=900&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=7fbd8ecb7ef169e14cafe453296bb6b9 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-5-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1080&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=1935367a4835a4c81a7ee432edf1f0e1 1920w)
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-4-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=140&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=e4189128a3ef8c897737fbec5c4c5994 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-4-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=162133d0651dddd692d5cfad6573389b 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-4-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=512&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=3cece8c7669d3114c2741824d1df4205 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-4-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=682&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=57db99515292e5b9a167245ef15a460c 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-4-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=933&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=dfbd44a94d8900b53cb6dc86f2d3014f 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-4-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1066&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=cfa51d9dd8f5fdbb15f722e43a928754 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-4-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=c404527691f6979c07de9a6e31405166 1920w)
Architect Richard Meddings said: “3 Arena Central sits at the centre of our Arena Central masterplan, acting as a backdrop to the Grade I-listed Midland Bank and HSBC’s new retail banking headquartersat 1 Centenary Square and framing the new public Bank Court square which will open next year. We’ve deliberately given it a distinctive facade made from anodised aluminium hexagonal panels that pick on up on the geometric angles of Richard Seifert’s neighbouring Alpha Tower.
“Sustainability is central to our architecture, and so whilst the cladding provides a strong aesthetic, it also delivers a primarily 50:50 solid-to-glazed ratio which helps mitigate the effects of solar gain and heat loss, whilst the deep soffits created by the hexagonal cladding hoods also ensure shading within the open floorplan.”
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=140&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=614c4558c282abbe5ec99e254bea7484 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=222eb331a18651ddac94e62740deaebc 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=512&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=264029b82ba5aa657916b2010c089a28 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=682&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=8eac3ec02eda303b4a38e6191f7f4d93 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=933&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=618d3f5ee8c328fae7f0a18053564ad4 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1066&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=0bf6f2b055ea43321b084700ab24a740 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2F3ArenaCentral-cMakeArchitects-9-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=3836c435fc3b62cea211bb01b5e9d305 1920w)
There are 1,521 hexagonal, anodised aluminium or glazed panels making up a 3m by 3m grid that covers the entire building. Different depths of gloss have been applied to the same base colour of silver aluminium to create a shimmering effect which will change the appearance of the building according to the time of day, weather and seasons.
Internally, floorplans are left open to allow for future flexibility, with a core positioned to the eastern elevation where the building neighbours a local hotel. The ground floor is split level, with a reception lobby to the north fronting the new Bank Court, and a tenant café space that sits on the lower level to the south.
Externally, at ground level the building steps back to create a colonnade that wraps the building to the north and west and echoes the neighbouring Grade II-listed Alpha Tower. This form defines the corner to the front of the building and draws pedestrians through to the new Bank Court public plaza that sits at the heart of the Arena Central masterplan.
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Leigh Thomas, managing director for Kier Property added: “We are delighted to handover this substantial regeneration project. This phase significantly enhances the overall development and our activities in the West Midlands. Our major masterplan for the wider site will see the development of 10 buildings consisting of offices, residential, hotels and a university research & business hub through to Q4 2026.”
HMRC expects to take up occupation in late 2021. The building is the second to be completed from the Make Architects masterplan, with the HSBC retail banking headquarters at 1 Centenary Square completed in 2018.
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Design team
Client: Kier Property
Contractor: Galliford Try
Project manager: Arcadis
Structural engineer: WSP
M&E engineer: Capita/Dodds
Landscape architects: Gillespies