Millennium Point
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Millennium Point is a complex in Birmingham, situated in the developing Eastside of the city centre. It is a Millennium Commission project. Designed by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners, construction is estimated to have cost £114 million. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on July 2, 2002.
The building as a whole is home to Birmingham Thinktank Science Museum; the Technology Innovation Centre and Birmingham School of Acting, both parts of Birmingham City University; the University of the First Age; the Young People's Parliament; an Imax cinema; and commercial leisure, retail and office space around a public mall - the "hub". There is also a licensed bar and Pastico Café.
The building is constructed as a massive box like creation with a rotund offshoot which glows different colours at night.
The front fascia is covered in long slats with Millennium Point revealed behind.
The front car park of the building was converted into the T-mobile Fan Park which housed a large screen which would air football matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. On July 19, the screen was subject to strong winds and workers lowered the supporting tubes into the slots further than usual so that the screen could withstand this. However, the screen continued to sway and the area around it was evacuated. Not long after, the screen collapsed backwards which was part of the design if it were to fall, so that none of the LED cubes which made the screen would smash. The screen was not repaired and re-erected in time for England's football match with Sweden. Several thousand football fans arrived and as a result, a smaller screen was erected to show the football match. [1]
Over a period of two days, 20,107 people drew around their feet on A4 pieces of paper and placed them outside Millennium Point to create the longest display of footprints.[2]
Millennium Point is set to become the "hub" of the Ventureast development. The front car park will be transformed in to the City Park and a replacement multi storey car park will be built to the rear of the building fronting Jennens Road. The area at the side used as a car park will be built on as part of the development and the area immediately behind the building will be turned into a social square known as "Exchange Square".
[edit] References
- ^ World Cup big screen blown over. BBC News (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-20.
- ^ Giant footprint stamped on Perth. The Birmingham Post (2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-24.
[edit] External links
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