Paradise View

Paradise View is a £25m development in central Birmingham comprising 159 build-to-rent apartments, co-working space, bike parking, a 24-hour gym and rooftop terrace, alongside 5,000sq ft of retail space. Managed by BAM Construction for clients Topland and Colico Living, the refurbishment project was completed in February 2024, with the first residents moving in shortly after. 

SBS Cladding supplied Equitone fibre cement cladding to the development, alongside colour matched rivets, the cladding framing system, insulation and fire barriers. These products were installed by Sage Building Envelope Contractors Ltd.

Previously home to retail units, office space, a restaurant and a nightclub, the concept of this project was to breathe new life into the former ‘Beneficial House’, which had sat unoccupied for 13 years. Originally built in the early 1960s, the seven-storey building was firstly clad in concrete, before being overclad with aluminium cladding in 2001. 

Since the installation of the aluminium cladding, there had been issues with the panel's durability. Therefore, the decision was made during the planning of the building’s refurbishment, that the rainscreen system would be replaced with an alternative product. 

The original product put forward for the over clad was Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) cladding, however further down the line this was replaced by Equitone fibre cement cladding. Equitone was able to offer a lighter facade weight, whilst giving a similar appearance to GRC cladding due to its composition of cement, cellulose fibres and mineral additives. 

With panels selected from two different ranges of Equitone, [linea] and [natura], the panels were installed vertically on the facade to give a nod towards the original installation of both the concrete and aluminium cladding which came before. The [linea] panels were chosen in a light grey colour, ‘Pebble’, and installed in a vertical stepped pattern to the six storeys of one face of the building. [natura] panels in a darker ‘Anthracite’ grey were then installed on the newly created eighth and ninth floor, to create a contrast with the lighter panels below and the red brickwork on the ground floor. 

Alongside supplying the Equitone cladding, we were pleased to supply colour matched rivets, a Plastestrip framing system, Kingspan K-roc rainscreen slab insulation and PFC Corofil cavity barriers. These products were able to offer a much-needed revitalisation of the building’s appearance, as well as improved fire safety. 

To find out more about Equitone fibre cement cladding, click here.