The Striking iCentrum New Build Development

The striking iCentrum building incorporating Wetherby’s Epsicoat system is the first in a phase of new developments located in Birmingham. The 41,700sq ft. building is situated next to the Faraday Wharf and Aston University is due to deliver 400 high-value skilled tech jobs; generating £25m of GVA to the local economy per annum.

The £8 million project was designed in partnership by Acivico and successfully delivered by Midlands based company Thomas Vale Construction Ltd. Over the 60 week build programme the development site will be transformed into a state of the art facility for growing technology companies.

Wetherby’s Epsicoat system was incorporated onto a steel framework with an external skin of cement particle board. The Wetherby EWI system was installed by Complete Rendering Solutions using a range of EPS insulation thicknesses; 90mm, 120mm and 180mm increasing thermal efficiency as well as making it acoustically sound. Three shades of silicone render including; a fresh white and striking green and purple produced a focal point within Birmingham’s tech community. As an additional design feature, mesh louvered grills were installed off extended brackets to create a prominent ‘3D’ effect to the building. The iCentrum has been designed using this method of construction as it means large structures can be erected, made watertight and finished externally with unbelievable speed.

Craig Tatton, Managing Director at Thomas Vale said: “This project has been a great success for everyone. Not only have we delivered a fantastic facility that will drive the future of Birmingham’s digital economy, we have also delivered some great community initiatives.

Dr David Hardman MBE, CEO at Innovation Birmingham, said: “Delivering iCentrum to the Innovation Birmingham Campus marks another exciting milestone in the development plans for Innovation Birmingham and we are thrilled that the project has been completed both on-time and on-budget.

The building will perfectly complement our thriving Faraday Wharf building adding to our offering to Birmingham’s more digitally-orientated entrepreneurs and SMEs from across all key business sectors in the regional economy.”