Dandara Living celebrated the last concrete being laid at its new Build to Rent scheme – Unity and Armouries – in a topping out ceremony held on Thursday 12 May 2022. Located in central Birmingham on Bromsgrove Street, Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council attended to mark the celebration.
The scheme is situated just south of Birmingham City Centre near the popular Gay Village and Chinese Quarter, home to a large number of vibrant restaurants, bars and other amenities. Unity and Armouries offers 162 one, two, and three bedroom apartments alongside co-working spaces, lounges and outdoor spaces for relaxation and socialising.
The development’s concrete construction reduces the building’s embodied energy and carbon footprint – by shortening the overall build programme and reducing the number of deliveries to site, saving transport miles. The development exceeds current building regulations by approximately 10%, and features energy efficient windows fitted throughout; dual flush toilets, flow reducing taps and shower heads to help reduce water usage; low energy lighting in all apartments and PIR motion sensor lighting in all communal areas to reduce energy usage.
“Dandara Living was born out of our ambition to deliver excellent places to live that reflect the way people want to live today, and Unity and Armouries perfectly embodies this.
“Birmingham is an ideal fit for us – as the UK’s second largest city, it is home to the largest number of start-ups outside of London, and a unique and exciting cultural offering which makes it one of the UK’s most popular places to live and work.
“Unity and Armouries will be a vibrant and inclusive community for residents to work, live and play and we look forward to welcoming residents to the development next year.”
Jim Davies, Managing Director BTR at Dandara Living
Part of Dandara Living’s work at the Unity and Armouries scheme involved giving a new lease of life to Unity House, a building dating back to the 19th century. The restored façade of Unity House will sit alongside the brand-new building, allowing Unity and Armouries to be a true combination of old and new. Construction of the concrete frame began in July 2021, with the development expected to be ready for resident occupation in Summer 2023.
“I’m delighted to see the scale of progress being made at Dandara Living’s landmark Unity and Armouries development. They are making great use of the Unity House site, which has been vacant for many years.
“The regeneration of this brownfield site contributes to the wider urban revival of the area. It represents a significant investment into Birmingham’s City Centre while offering a different choice for residents who are keen to live in purpose-built rented accommodation at the heart of a vibrant community. I look forward to seeing residents moving to the development next year.”
Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council
Unity and Armouries has environmental sustainability at its core. The former brownfield site has been fully remediated – effectively recycling the land and contributing to the delivery of new high-quality homes in Birmingham without the need to build on greenfield land elsewhere. From its Local Growth Fund programme, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) provided a £855,000 Unlocking Stalled Housing Sites grant for land remediation, arrangement, security and monitoring costs.
“Over the last 11 years, GBSLEP has supported local councils and businesses to unlock and revitalise commercial and residential development sites across the city-region. This has been critical to delivering our mission to deliver inclusive economic growth.
“This latest project is another example of how our triple helix structure of public, private and education partners is creating better places for our local communities to visit, work and importantly live in. Combining this with wider investments like our £8.7m Enterprise Zone funding, Southside is continuing to transform into a vibrant, welcoming area of our city.”
Henriette Breukelaar, Acting CEO, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP)
Unity and Armouries expands Dandara Living’s residential offer in Birmingham, which already includes Aston Place which completed in 2020. Looking ahead, Dandara Living’s emerging Warners Fields development will be one of the greenest neighbourhoods in Birmingham, comprising 3,000 homes with construction works scheduled to begin in 2023.
