Three Chamberlain Square is a new office building within Paradise, a major mixed-use regeneration project at the heart of Birmingham city centre, West Midlands, England. The wider Paradise Birmingham masterplan is a £1.2-billion redevelopment of a 17-acre site spanning Centenary Square, Chamberlain Square, and Paradise Street, introducing new commercial, civic, and cultural spaces alongside public squares and pedestrian routes. Three Chamberlain Square has achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating and a five-star NABERS UK rating, the first such NABERS rating awarded in the West Midlands.
As part of Birmingham’s Enterprise Zone, the masterplan will deliver up to ten buildings, including Grade A office space, retail and leisure uses, a hotel, and residential accommodation. It is intended to reconnect the city’s historic civic core, remove long-standing physical barriers, and support long-term urban growth.
Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBStudios) for client MEPC, the project’s developer, Three Chamberlain Square provides approximately 189,000 square feet of office space across ten storeys. The project was conceived during the Covid-19 pandemic, at a moment when working practices were undergoing rapid change, and responds to this context by rethinking the role and character of the contemporary workplace.
Located beside the Grade I-listed Birmingham Town Hall and within a network of conservation areas, the building occupies a prominent civic position within the Paradise estate.
“Our aim was to design a building that feels deeply connected to its surroundings while setting a new standard for the future of the workplace,” said Alina White, Partner at FCBStudios. “Three Chamberlain Square is more than just an office, it’s a catalyst for change. Sustainable, inclusive, beautifully crafted, and unapologetically urban, it’s a place the city can truly be proud of.”
Facade design and fabrication
Three Chamberlain Square was conceived with the intention of being firmly rooted in its context. The building’s design draws from Birmingham’s tradition of ornamented masonry architecture while expressing a contemporary language shaped by rhythm, craft, and proportion. The facade comprises more than 8,000 bespoke red fluted terracotta panels and approximately 3,000 windows. The fluted ribs reference the Corinthian columns of the neighbouring Town Hall and shape the building’s inclined upper facades, giving the elevations a strong vertical rhythm and sculptural profile.
The facade was delivered by Inasus. “The facade system was bespoke-designed for the project, rather than being an off-the-shelf product,” said Bartolomé Varela, UK Director at Inasus. “It is a custom unitised facade system, fully engineered and fabricated by Inasus at its facility in Lalín, Spain.”
The terracotta elements were manufactured by Palagio in Florence, Italy, and produced specifically for Three Chamberlain Square. “Inasus designed the dies based on the project drawings and Palagio worked to ensure their technical feasibility during production,” said Varela. Two terracotta profiles were coordinated on a supporting framework by Inasus, using extrusions supplied by Palagio, before being integrated into the unitised facade system and craned into position on site. Curved elements were extruded and subsequently placed in moulds to achieve their curvature, while key terracotta junction (node) sections were produced using ram-pressed techniques.
Window openings are set within the terracotta framework, with solid metal panels below contributing to energy performance. At street level, sculptural metal ogee arches form piers that rise into the soffit of the overhang, adding depth and articulation while drawing on decorative motifs found in nearby civic buildings such as the Birmingham School of Art and Queen’s College Chambers.
A two-storey base is set back beneath cantilevers, with glazed shopfronts and defined entrances addressing Radcliffe Passage, Radcliffe Square, and Paradise Street, and supporting active ground-level uses.
Above, descending terracotta ribs form inclined rooflines that echo the pitched forms of surrounding historic buildings, including the Town Hall and the Birmingham and Midland Institute. A continuous decorative motif crowns the building, unifying its silhouette while concealing rooftop planting and workspaces.
Workplace and well-being
Three Chamberlain Square responds to the changing nature of work by prioritising flexibility, inclusivity, and access to daylight and fresh air. Open floorplates of up to 22,500 square feet are designed to support hybrid working, while shared amenity and wellness spaces encourage interaction and collaboration.
The floorplates incorporate “soft spots” along the facade, allowing for future interconnection between levels. Opening windows are provided on all floors, alongside generous glazing on all elevations, reinforcing a consistent relationship with the outside. A ninth-floor terrace offers views across the city and provides outdoor space within the working environment.
Inclusive, gender-neutral restrooms are provided on every floor, supporting accessibility and comfort for all users.
At ground level, the main building volume is lifted to allow the public realm to flow through retail and entrance spaces, increasing permeability and reinforcing key civic routes through the site.
Internally, the spatial organisation frames views across Chamberlain Square, Birmingham Town Hall, and the wider city, situating daily working life within the civic landscape.
Material continuity and urban contribution
The building draws on Birmingham’s legacy of Victorian craftsmanship and material expression, reintroducing terracotta tones, fine detailing, and ornamental references that once characterised the Paradise area. These elements are reinterpreted through contemporary fabrication and performance-led design.
Rather than acting as a replica of its neighbours, the terracotta facade establishes continuity through material, scale, and rhythm, while accommodating modern requirements for energy performance and adaptability.
Developed by MEPC, Three Chamberlain Square forms part of a wider ambition to create a walkable, mixed-use, and connected city centre. Together with the broader Paradise estate, it contributes office, retail, leisure, and public realm spaces that reconnect Birmingham’s historic civic quarter with new patterns of activity, access, and use.
