Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Harborne Road/Highfield Road, Birmingham, West Midlands
John Madin Design Group, 1958
Mural by John Piper
Unlisted

John Madin is possibly Birmingham’s most important post war architect. He designed a great number of large scale projects in the city: the Post and Mail Building, Birmingham Central Library (see separate article) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Madin’s works shape the modern face of Birmingham and add considerable North American elements to the cityscape.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry consists of two blocks that are arranged in T-shape, linked by a bridge. The curtain wall buildings display a cool elegance inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s seminal buildings in the United States. The taller building houses offices; the lower four storey block accommodates the Council Chamber and is the heart of the building. Not only can the room be divided, if necessary, by heavy timber screens, but Madin also designed an adaptable rosewood table whose size and shape can be adjusted to different uses. The higher building houses offices. The site surrounding the buildings is open green space and car parks – the architects were obliged to leave two-thirds of the land untouched.

Both blocks are fully used at present and rather well maintained. The interiors, defined by stone cladding of different material, exude an aura of elegance. The artistic highlight of the building is a mural by John Piper, one of Britain’s most influential post-war artists. Its abstract subject matter is typical of the period.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry won an RIBA bronze medal for the best building produced in the five counties surrounding Birmingham in five years. The current planning application proposes to demolish the existing building and erect new offices that would cover the entire site. Birmingham would lose a high quality piece of thoroughly designed 1950s architecture if these plans were granted permission.

Cordula Zeidler

Current Status
January 2006
The demolition of this fine building now seems inevitable, but we are continuing to fight for the preservation of the important John Piper ceramic mural in the main foyer. We were concerned that an initial proposal to relocate this to a nearby underpass would expose the mosaics to inappropriate wear and tear and vandalism. We enlisted the support and advice of the Sculpture Conservation team at the Tate Gallery who have endorsed this view and offered technical advice on the process of relocation. We are now negotiating with the Chamber of Commerce and hope to persuade them that this magnificent work by a major C20th artist would be an attractive asset for their new building—one they should be proud of.
Previously
On 15 September 2004 the Department of Culture, Media and Sport published a recommendation by English Heritage not to list the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Inspector’s report bases its assessment mainly on interior alterations and the dispersal of original fittings. Birmingham City Council has deferred the application to demolish the building for six months from 7 October 2004 to give the applicant time to secure a financial contribution towards public transport and secure the relocation of the John Piper Mural to an ‘appropriate location’. Once these conditions have been fulfilled the Council announces it will give favourable consideration to the application, i.e. grant permission for the replacement scheme. This would mean the end of the Chamber of Commerce.

Further reading
The Builder, 28 April 1961, pp 797-800

Contacts
Planning Department Direct line: 0121 303 1115

Image credits
Top: Original photograph
Others John Madin