KWB marks Commonwealth Games with marathon tour of Birmingham offices!
Commonwealth Games fever is upon us, and as Birmingham’s largest independent commercial property agency, we couldn’t be prouder of our city.
We’re celebrating in the best way we know how: by telling the marathon, one of the biggest events of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, in offices!
Kicking off at 7am on Saturday 30th July, the marathon represents a tour of the Second City. There will be four races (men’s, women’s, men’s para and women’s para) consisting of two 17.4 km laps of a South Birmingham course and a 7.4 km city centre loop at the finish.
Below you’ll see that city centre loop mapped out with some of the city’s most important office buildings.
Offices and office districts on the route include: Victoria Square House, Two Chamberlain Square, Centenary Square, The Jewellery Quarter, KWB HQ, Edmund Street and Colmore Row. It’s also worth mentioning Brindleyplace, which is not on the route. However, it’s where the team responsible for the Games is based, having taken 72,261 sq ft at One Brindleyplace in Q1 2019 and a further 28,267 sq ft at Six Brindleyplace in Q2 2021.
Malcolm Jones, Head of Office Agency at KWB, said: “With the eyes of the world on many of Birmingham’s landmarks, we’ve put together the key offices that feature on the marathon route. Whilst we’ve broken it down into several stops, we’re sure the runners themselves will try to avoid stopping!
“Our team is very excited for the games and KWB wishes all athletes for this year’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games the very best of luck!”
1 – Victoria Square House
The first office stop on the city centre loop for the Commonwealth Games 2022 marathon is Victoria Square House. In the past 12 months, Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has taken 37,284 sq ft here. The building stands opposite Birmingham Town Hall, which has seen the likes of Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and Charles Dickens – to name a few – grace its stage.
2 – Two Chamberlain Square
Commonwealth Games 2022 stop 2 is Two Chamberlain Square, part of the Paradise regeneration project. This brand-new office building has been popular since it came to market, with accountants, PWC taking a 76,000 sq ft pre-let in Q4 2017, and law firms Knights – taking 17,835 sq ft in Q3 2020 and DLA securing 40,277 sq ft in Q4 2019. This quarter, MEPC, Paradise’s development and asset management team, also took 3,001 sq ft here.
3 – Centenary Square
Stop 3 is just a little further on from Two Chamberlain. From Centenary Square, you’ll see One Centenary Way – currently under construction – which saw Arup take a 68,479 sq ft pre-let in Q3 2021, the iconic Baskerville House – which drew in British Transport Police Authority in 17,885 sq ft in Q2 2021 and, just over the road, 2 Arena Central – wholly occupied by HSBC.
4 – The Jewellery Quarter
The marathon route then heads into the Jewellery Quarter, filled with smaller offices – some of which are converted jewellery workshops. Key streets in the Jewellery Quarter include George Street, Frederick Street, Warstone Lane and Caroline Street, and the city centre loop will take in all of these.
5 – KWB HQ!
As the runners head up from the Jewellery Quarter and head towards Colmore, they’ll run along Great Charles Street Queensway and Newhall Street, which will take them past Lancaster House. KWB Commercial Property Agents have been based at the building since 2004. In that time, the business has grown from an office agency into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary commercial property practice.
6 – Edmund Street
For stop 6, this street behind Colmore Row is filled with many notable office buildings, such as 120 Edmund Street and Rutland House, but at its end is a building with a particularly impressive story – Cornerblock. Since the building’s extensive refurbishment, it has welcomed a wealth of occupiers and secured 19,071 sq ft across four lettings in 2021 alone.
7 – Colmore Row
And finally, the finish line, of this 26-mile race, is in Birmingham’s primary business district of Colmore. Colmore Row, specifically, has been a hive of activity in recent years, with investors and developers making significant commitments to the area. This can be seen in the renovation and refurbishment of 55 Colmore Row, now home to WeWork and Goldman Sachs and 103 Colmore Row – the latest office tower in the city.
For more information on the Birmingham office market or to discuss your requirement, please contact Malcolm Jones on 0121 233 2330 or email mjones@kwboffice.com.
