Living reshaped

Birmingham is a city shaped by bold ideas and innovation. The Octagon reflects this tradition. Sitting on the city’s central ridge and rising to 49 storeys, the distinct and smart structure adds a striking new form to the skyline, clearly marking the northern gateway to the city’s commercial core and civic centre, Paradise.

Working within the confines of an apex-shaped site prompted an exploration of unconventional geometries, leading us to the “pure” octagonal plan. The highly efficient plan delivers significant savings when compared to similar residential high-rises, with a reduced façade area relative to the floorplate, lower wall-to-floor ratios, and lower embodied carbon.

The project’s clarity extends to its construction, with prefabricated and precast solutions allowing the building to be built with efficiency and speed. This logic is most visible in the façade: a unitised curtain wall system of folded aluminium panels assembled in six parts around each facet.

Internally, natural materials such as cork and timber are complemented by soft colour palettes and tall planting, creating interiors that feel both welcoming and restorative.

At ground level, an elegant triple-height volume forms the social heart of the building. Here, residents are welcomed by a 24/7 concierge and have access to a suite of amenities designed to support contemporary city living. This shared space combines scale with intimacy, setting the tone for this unique residential community.

The radial plan brings generous daylight into a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, including tenure-blind affordable homes. With eight apartments per floor, each enjoys a full 13-metre facet of the octagon, opening interiors to light and expansive outlooks. The result is a sense of individuality and scale rarely found in city living.

The crown of The Octagon completes the building with a finely detailed pleated design. Carefully integrated lighting accentuates its form at night with a soft glow, allowing the tower to act as a beacon for Birmingham, ensuring the building is as distinctive and recognisable on the evening skyline as it is in the daylight.

The Octagon is a marker of its city’s growth and ambition. Not only was the project the world’s tallest ‘pure’ octagonal building, but its funding was the largest residential property investment outside of London, by a foreign investor in the UK.

Paradise developer, MEPC’s, Regional Director, Rob Groves, said of the building, “Our ambition with The Octagon was simple—to build one of the finest apartment schemes ever seen in the UK. Everything about the building is a first.”

Visible from across the city and beyond, The Octagon reinforces Paradise as the place where Birmingham meets, celebrates, and looks to the future.