Created in Birmingham reports for us:

Here’s the “outline design” for the new BIAD campus in Eastside, as revealed on Simon Howes’ Eastside blog. Millennium Point is in the foreground and the red blob is Curzon St Station. Simon also has a top down map which pleasingly shows how much open space they’re planning to leave, which is nice as I like the amount of green currently there.

Lovely blog post (click here) from Simon Felton about the possibilities of the new excavation taking place next to the newly refurbed offices at Baskerville House, to study the archaeology before work begins on a new central library.

He has dug out the map above which shows now lost canals and tells us the dig aims to

to look for the remains remains of an old canal wharf, the Union Mill and the house of John Baskerville – one of the city’s 18th century printing pioneers on the site of what will be the new Library of Birmingham.

How fantastic to ncover the site of Baskerville’s house. What font should we use to describe what is found?

This afternoon both the Telegraph and the BBC are reporting the purchase of Evans brothers by English Heritage. To quote the BBC:

Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive, said its loss “would not just be a blow for Birmingham but for the world”.

He explained: “We now need to secure its long term future both as a business and as somewhere people can learn about the source of goods with which Birmingham supplied the Empire.”

The Jewellery Quarter has a network of 19th and early 20th Century terraces with workshops built in the back gardens.

The JW Evans building was described as “unique as the most complete repository of the traditional craft skills, industrial processes, tools, machinery and archive materials that epitomise this important facet of our industrial past”.

The city council said English Heritage’s commitment builds upon “great work” already under way to preserve and enhance the area.

Birmingham Conservation Trust has been working on finding the best route forward for the remarkable buildings and the history they hold. This is complex problem to unravel but it’s great news to know that JW Evans is secured.

A surprising piece by Paul Dale on the Birmingham Post blog (link here) about how the council views the possibility of the current Central Library (above) being listed. It seems Clive Dutton the director of regeneration would demolish it regardless of whether it was listed or not.
Paul Dale reports…

An interesting intervention from city council regeneration director Clive Dutton when addressing a meeting of the seven architects shortlisted for the £193 million Birmingham library project.
….Dutton rose to put all those present straight over the matter of the Central Library in Paradise Forum.
The 1970s building would be demolished come what may, even if campaigners succeed in having it listed, Dutton said. “Whether or not that building is listed it will come down,” he added for good measure.
…Whatever he says publicly, Dutton cannot know for certain that the council would succeed in obtaining permission to demolish the library if the building is listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
If we rule out the likelihood of a midnight raid by bulldozers, with Dutton at the head of the demolition crews, the best that the council could do would be to ask the DCMS for permission to flatten the building.

Photo Credit: Martin Hartland

Pete over at the Custard Factory blog points us to a visit to Birmingham from Tate Modern’s own blogger Tom. Tom called Birmingham the “Warm Heart of England” and writes:

the most successful design elements of Birmingham are where the old and the new come together, creating a sense of somewhere that shouldn’t work, but does. Battered old pubs and markets squashed next to new civic icons; the weight of Dickensian industry alongside relics of the Sixties. This is what I think of when I think of Birmingham, and it warms the heart.

This Birmingham exists despite the planners best efforts. It seems the most inspirational spaces are there by happy accident. Maybe the best way to design the best spaces is to let it all happen naturally? To re-use buildings that already exist, rather than always ripping them out and starting again.

That is exactly what I think every time is see the back to backs nestling among Bimringham’s new build apartment blocks.

The US Library of Congress knows how to share. It is steadily adding hundreds of extraordinary photos to its bit (link)the picture sharing website flickr. They are using the site because i allows the public to add to the significance of the pictures. We can use keywords to describe them, add extra details or information about the people or places in the comments and even use google maps and other website to mark where the photo was taken. It is such a simple idea. So, does Birmingham have a photostash which ought to be seen and catalogued by crowd? Hat tip Peter Bradwell at Demos.

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Free entry and drinks to a series of debates/talks about architects and how they might make Birmingham a better place. For more see the Birmingham Architectural Association. Hat tip to Rob.

The BBC, Arts Council, Audiences Central and others has launched a hugely ambitious arts project for the West Midlands - one which you can join. I know from the Birmingham Flickr group how many people are passionate about taking pictures of buildings in the city. The Big Picture allows you to add you pictures (of anything or anyone in the West Midlands) as part of a bid to make the biggest photo montage yet created.

It has the added advantage of using photography, which is one of the most accessible art forms. Anyone with a mobile phone and some sort of internet access can join this project - and lets home they do! It’s not the first time the BBC has used flickr - Picture of Britain was also tied into the enormously popular photo sharing social-network. However there a little more to this project.

I just want to mention a couple of individuals working on the Big Picture. Jon Bounds has been helping to keep this website going for almost two years now (thank you Jon). Stef Lewandowski is (amongst other things) a key member of the Birmingham Flickr Group of photographers (both professional and amateur - all talented and passionate about this city). Congrats both.

English Heritage will be be featuring Highbury Park in a new publication on Pulhamite. I tell you this because we all need to enrich our lives with a better understanding of Pulhamite - so please have a look at the excellent site run by the Friends of Highbury Park.

You never know - it could be the answer to a million pound question.

Martin Mullaney has popped up the city council report on the listed swimming baths on Moseley Road. Rather than aim to keep both pools working the recommendation is

to re-open the larger pool (currently closed) and to use the other space for an alternative use, potentially training, health and for the local community. These other uses would have the benefit of providing an income which could help support swimming and also open the building up to members of the local community that currently do not use it.

Hat tip upyerbrum