2014 Vacation: UK – Birmingham – Selfridges Building

Above Image: Selfridges Building in Birmingham, UK

Wikipedia informs.. click here..
The Selfridges Building is a landmark building in Birmingham, England. The building is part of the Bullring Shopping Centre and houses Selfridges Department Store. The building was completed in 2003 at a cost of £60 million and designed by architecture firm Future Systems. It has a steel framework with sprayed concrete facade. Since its construction the building has become an iconic architectural landmark and seen as a major contribution to the regeneration of Birmingham. The facade comprises 15,000 anodised aluminium discs mounted on a blue background.

Photo Gallery: Selfridges Building, Birmingham, UK.

Selfridges Building, Birmingham, UK. / The building is attached to the Bullring Shopping Center, seen here on the left.

Selfridge’s then chief executive, Vittorio Radice appointed architecture firm Future Systems to design only the third store outside London. As seen in the above image, Selfridges was physically integrated with the Bullring Shopping Centre. But the architectural firm wanted a distinct design approach which would set the store apart from the rest of the development and become an instantly recognizable signpost for the brand. The facade comprises 15,000 anodised aluminium discs mounted on a blue background.

This architectural style is known as Blobitecture. Blob architecture or Blobitecture are terms for a movement in architecture in which buildings have an organic amoeba-shaped form.