Completion of The Octagon

The Octagon, Birmingham’s tallest building and the world’s first pure octagonal residential skyscraper, has marked its practical completion. Rising 49 storeys and 155 metres above the city, it offers 370 homes with uninterrupted views in every direction.

Our innovative design offers homes of individuality, with each apartment enjoying a generous 13-metre facet of the Octagon and a much larger-than-average outlook, bringing ample daylight into the ‘radial’ arrangement of the internal spaces. It offers spatial quality in homes for rent as part of an overall mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

A prefabricated façade, finished in a subtle two-tone paint, animates the tower as light moves across its surfaces. This play of tone and shadow gives The Octagon a sense of depth and refinement, while ensuring consistency and efficiency in construction.

The octagonal plan also delivers significant efficiencies in construction: a lower wall-to-floor ratio, centralised core for stability, and shorter service routes create a structure that is both elegant and resource-conscious —a ‘less is more’ philosophy expressed at scale.

The £110 million Built to Rent building is backed by global real estate investor, City Developments Ltd of Singapore (CDL), and developed by MEPC, the specialist development management arm of Federated Hermes, working with main contractor and high-rise specialist Midgard, part of the JRL Group, to deliver the building.

The Octagon is a key part of the £1.2 billion Paradise estate being brought forward by development and asset manager MEPC, masterplanned by Howells, to deliver 10 new buildings and three new public squares as well as new pedestrian connections and thousands of new jobs in the very heart of the city.

Partner Dav Bansal said: “This milestone moment for The Octagon underscores the building’s journey from just a bold idea that challenged the norm to becoming a superlative new home for hundreds of people in the civic heart of Birmingham. We are incredibly proud of the meticulous work we have put into this building and every innovation that has gone into delivering it. Paradise is about adding to the life and vitality of the city centre, and by providing 370 new healthy and spacious homes, we’re making the most of what the city has to offer.”