Sherlock Quarter
Our Future City set out a tenacious ambition for Birmingham city centre to become a world leader in sustainable living and working by 2045 through redefining the city core, building new homes, and increasing residential density and green spaces. Fitting into this ambitious program, Sherlock Quarter is a new rental neighbourhood in the city centre’s emerging Southside district.
Rooted in place
Known as a cultural centre and for its night-time economy, Southside has undergone widespread regeneration over the last two decades, integrating homes and communities into this area of the city centre. In this vein, Sherlock Quarter follows our previous and neighbouring projects Bath House and Southside and crucially connects the area with two key areas of regeneration in the city: Smithfield and the Rea Valley Urban Quarter.
Historically, a place of workshops, yards and back-to-back terraces, the character of the area has degraded over time. Our proposals aim to revive that spirit with a dense, walkable urban grain. Eight buildings, from six to thirty storeys, are set around two courtyard gardens—Makers’ Yard and Hurst Gardens.
Community-led
At its heart, a new village square brings together residents with shared work and leisure amenities, including a gym and yoga studio. A rich landscape of courtyards, gardens, and rooftop terraces offers places to socialise, play, or unwind. Furthermore, the ground floor is activated with retail, leisure and commercial spaces, creating lively frontages and supporting a vibrant new community. Secure parking for cars and bikes, along with EV charging and ancillary spaces, is tucked away at ground level, ensuring a safe and pedestrian-friendly environment.
An industrial palette
Evoking the site’s industrial heritage, metalwork accents mark key moments across the building façades. The 30-storey marker building is clad in finely detailed, profiled terracotta, while shoulder buildings use rich red and earth-toned brickwork, referencing the robust simplicity of local warehouses. Sherlock Quarter will set a new standard for living in the Rea Valley Urban Quarter—connecting heritage with ambition, community with city life.
| Client | Watkin Jones; Get Living (operator) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Birmingham | ||
| Size | 1 hectare | ||
| Status | Completed 2025 | ||
| Homes | 551 built-to-rent apartments (47 affordable tenure) | ||
| Team |
|
|
|
