The Pressworks – Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

4 storey apartment development

16 week installation programme

System installer: -

Bringing an historic structure back to life with a steel frame solution

Historic renovations can often be sensitive projects, with many elements needing to be considered before the work can start, and throughout construction. The Pressworks was no different, and with a city centre location, construction required precision planning.

A build with history

Within the heart of Birmingham lies the prestigious Jewellery Quarter, home to Grade II listed building, The Pressworks, and set within close proximity of the famous St. Paul’s Square, Colmore Row Business District and Birmingham City Centre. With its open-plan floor plates, high ceilings and creative layouts, The Pressworks preserves the heritage of the existing structure, while adding new build elements and creating a modern and desirable place to live.

Intrastack was tasked with delivering a steel frame that wrapped around the original historic building structure. The development comprised two apartment blocks, both blocks were constructed to contain three and four storeys. The overall build consisted of 48 apartments, and was brick-clad, ensuring the style of the original structure has been maintained.

Challenges and timelines

Due to constraints caused by wrapping around the existing structure, as well as the central location of the build, storage space on-site was limited. With these constrictions, Intrastack had to time deliveries perfectly, so when they arrived at the site, they were ready to be erected straight away.

All delivery loads had to be broken down into manageable sizes to suit the limited size of the site. This level of flexibility and planning from Intrastack allowed for a smooth construction process and kept the project moving forward without delays.

Intrastack’s steel solution helps to seamlessly blend the building’s heritage with modern living, and despite challenges, the team ensured a smooth project completion in just 16 weeks. The final project resulted in a stunning structure that encompasses the historic style of the building, while adding value through the provision of new apartment blocks.

Matthew Grant, Technical Project Manager at Intrastack, discusses the project:

“The Pressworks project was an interesting one to tackle, as we were tasked with providing a steel frame that wrapped around an existing structure. The space available was very limited, so we had to ensure deliveries were precision-timed and broken down into small enough batches to be immediately constructed, rather than held on-site. We were able to meet the customer’s requirements for the project, and delivered a cost-effective solution that was scheduled to meet their needs.”

Benefits of introducing steel

Steel offers a myriad of benefits within the construction industry, making it a preferred material for a wide range of projects, and an ideal choice for The Pressworks build. The benefits of using the Intrastack system include strength, versatility, durability, safety, and environmental sustainability through waste management, making it an ideal construction solution.