Hanging Gardens Tower Proposed for Birmingham

The UK firm Architects of Invention has proposed the building of a tower, which was inspired by one of the Seven Wonders of the World, namely the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The tower will feature much greenery and lots of sustainable features, and will be built in Birmingham, UK should the proposal be accepted.

Garden Hill, as the project is called, will be made up of two towers that would each be 25 stories high. The two towers would be connected and would together have a total floorspace of 414,410 sq ft (38,500 sq m). There would be 500 residential units, 300 of which would be one-bedroom apartments, and the remaining 200 would be two-bedroom apartments. The apartments would measure 430 – 807 sq ft (40 – 75 sq m), and there would also be enough parking space for 100-200 cars around the complex.

As for the sustainable features, Garden Hill would be built using cross-laminated timber (CLT). The complex would also feature a solar panel array on the roof, which would provide both the electricity for the entire structure, as well as hot water. According to the proposal, they will also employ passive ventilation, while the building will have excellent insulation, though no specifics are given on how this will be achieved. The complex will also feature ample amounts of greenery, and will be placed into the built site in a way that will maximize its exposure to sunlight.

This project is still on the drawing board at this stage. Architects of Invention are currently discussing the realization of this proposal with a Chinese private equity fund, but there are as yet no plans to begin construction any time soon. They estimate that it would cost around $90 million (70 million GBP) to build.

[source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/jetson_green/~3/BloU0JQKnUQ/hanging-gardens-tower-proposed-for-birmingham.html]

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