B&K gives new life to old Birmingham factory

Main contractor Bowmer & Kirkland has started work on a £60m revamp of an old factory to provide a new home for Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse initiative.Birmingham’s 121-year-old Belmont Works factory is remodelled to house traditional STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and maths) as well as the arts – or STEAM.The Belmont Works factory, which at one time made bicycles and other times linen clothing, bedsteads and pianos, has stood derelict in Birmingham’s Eastside since being gutted by a fire in 2007.Bowmer & Kirkland’s overhaul includes an extension behind the façade and a full-scale reconstruction of its 27-metre high water tower.A ground-breaking ceremony was held on site on Friday 13th March 2020.STEAMhouse was devised in collaboration with Eastside Projects as part of a Birmingham City University project “to embed the arts alongside traditional science and technology disciplines to drive growth and innovation”.