First impressions of England's Second City are about to change - thanks to the development of Fort Dunlop, Birmingham's latest landmark. Visitors to the city travelling northbound on the M6 will soon be greeted with Birmingham's newest icon, instead of the concrete jungle that is Spaghetti Junction. Fort Dunlop, finally being redeveloped thanks to regeneration developers Urban Splash and managed by project managers Faithful & Gould, will provide prestigious office space and a hotel. There has already been considerable interest in the high-quality offices that will satisfy businesses' conflicting need for a Birmingham presence with the need to reduce commuting time by avoiding the city centre. Fort Dunlop's location alongside the M6 is also ideal for Travelodge, the development's anchor tenant. Birmingham's new iconic building is leading the way for regeneration outside Birmingham's city centre. In recent years, the city has undergone drastic change yet first impressions of the Birmingham do not portray its new vibrancy - New Street station is in major need of redevelopment and the journey up the M6 is uninviting. The multi-million pound regeneration of Fort Dunlop is another step to improve Birmingham's profile, making this prestigious development the first glimpse of Birmingham for many. Bringing this building back to life after 20 years is Liverpool-based developer Urban Splash. Already renowned in Liverpool and Manchester for its prestigious, high-profile developments such as The Tea Factory, The Collegiate and Smithfield Building, Urban Splash is now turning its focus to Birmingham and the redevelopment of Fort Dunlop. It has employed construction consultants Faithful & Gould as project managers and planning supervisors for the project. Faithful & Gould has been integral to the regeneration of Birmingham to date, having worked on projects such as Brindleyplace, Mailbox and most recently Selfridges' impressive new Bullring store. Ken Hodgett, project manager on the scheme, is enthusiastic about this alliance. "Urban Splash is a leading developer in its field," he says. "Their decision to come into the Midlands highlights the potential of the region and indeed Birmingham's opportunities for further regeneration. "We feel that Faithful & Gould's expertise, coupled with Urban Splash's track record of developing such prestigious developments, makes Fort Dunlop a very exciting project." Fort Dunlop, designed by Liverpool architects shedkm, will combine the old style architecture with an innovative design. Shrouded in a banner during construction, the unveiled, completed building will almost glow from the motorway and will be a very enticing first glimpse of what Birmingham has to offer. | 
