Global law firm DLA Piper set to make most of its move to Paradise
Leading global law firm, DLA Piper, will set new standards for the workplace environment when it completes its move to Two Chamberlain Square at Paradise Birmingham later this year.
The Birmingham office of the international law firm, which is located in more than 40 countries around the world, will move into the top two floors of the brand new Two Chamberlain Square building facing into the civic heart of the city. It will occupy 40,000 sq ft of space which includes a stunning roof terrace on the sixth floor overlooking the transformed Chamberlain Square.
The £700 million Paradise redevelopment is being brought forward through a private-public joint venture with Birmingham City Council. The private sector funding is being managed by the international business of Federated Hermes which has partnered with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) on the first phase of the development, while Argent is the development manager.
With 200 lawyers and staff, DLA Piper’s new office will have ample space for client meeting rooms, break out zones and dedicated staff welfare areas.
The six-month fit out, which is being carried out by national fit-out and refurbishment specialist Overbury, began last month and will complete by the summer of 2021. The office will comprise a number of cutting-edge amenities and features, including an internal staircase linking the two floors together, a dedicated staff welfare space and a lounge area named ‘the Garrison,’ after the Small Heath pub featured in the Peaky Blinders TV drama.
DLA Piper’s Birmingham staff have been consulted and involved in the design of the new offices over the past year. Following the events of the last twelve months, the design will incorporate shared and flexible working spaces as well as ample space for circulation, collaboration and communication.
Designed by award winning, Birmingham-based Glenn Howells Architects, Two Chamberlain Square is an eight storey, 183,000 sq ft commercial building in the very heart of Paradise with active ground floors dedicated to leisure, restaurant and retail usage.
The building is part of the now complete Phase One of Paradise which includes 350,000 sq ft of office space, retail and leisure units, and the new regional home of PwC at One Chamberlain Square, as well as Two Chamberlain Square and new public realm at Congreve Street, Centenary Way and Chamberlain Square.
At almost 2 million square feet, Paradise is delivering up to 10 new flagship buildings, offering offices, shops, bars, cafés, restaurants and a hotel across 17 acres in the heart of the city, together with the proposed 49 storey Octagon residential building.
Trevor Ivory, Managing Partner of DLA Piper’s Birmingham office, said:
“Our new offices at Two Chamberlain Square will really set a new standard for the corporate workplace in the city.
As well as being safe and bright, welcoming and comfortable for both clients and staff, our new space will crucially be aligned to new ways of working in the post-Covid world, where the key principles of circulation, collaboration and communication in and around the workplace will be paramount.”
Rob Groves, Regional Director of Argent, Development Managers for Paradise, said:
“The plans for DLA Piper’s new office space on the top floors of Two Chamberlain Square are truly exciting and truly cutting edge.
This fit out will lay down the benchmark for years to come of what the future office can look like. By using their imagination, insight into the world of work, and by consulting with their own people, the firm is bringing forward something that will be unique in Birmingham. We can’t wait to see the end results. This approach also sums up what Paradise is all about – a part of the city where innovation, collaboration, insight and new ideas can be freely exchanged and given an environment in which they can flourish.”
Neil Rami, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company – the region’s official investment promotion agency – said:
“DLA Piper’s ongoing investment to develop the very best workplace at the heart of the West Midlands is testament to the strength and desirability of the region’s established legal and professional services sector. These latest plans heighten the strategic significance of the Paradise development for attracting investment in the post-Covid era, and further demonstrate the region’s credentials as a dynamic and flexible destination of choice for the new world of work we are about to embark on.”
Chris Taylor, CEO of Real Estate at the international business of Federated Hermes, said:
“The Paradise development establishes a new benchmark for commercial buildings in Birmingham and the design of this space fully reflects the forward-thinking ethos that is at the heart of everything we do as a business.
It is exciting to see this project continuing to take shape in what will be an important step forward for the city, its economy and the people living within the wider region.”