Arts Café,

St Martin's Church in the Bullring, Birmingham

Client: St Martin's Centre
Contractors: Sapcotes
Completion: August 2003

As part of the extensive redevelopment of Birmingham's Bullring shopping complex, St Martin's church has been dramatically refurbished internally and externally and also extended. St Martin's Centre (designed by architects Apec) features a wealth of new facilities such as counselling, mediation, and health services, as well as the arts café itself which sits in an annex building on Edgbaston Street.

The design of the arts café is heavily influenced by the context of the surrounding city and the church. The layering of the existing space was a key factor, for example the view into the building from the markets area and back out through to the main body of the church. In the long term it is expected that the café will operate both in the day and in the evening, therefore, the idea of a changing environment was develop to reflect the changing clientele and the ephemeral nature of the markets.

A series of voiles which articulate the space, display historical images of Birmingham during the daytime, whilst abstract images by local artists the Jackson twins are displayed at night. These voiles also capture the layered quality of the existing building. The flexibility of the voiles means that the space can be configured in an infinite number of ways to create private areas, open areas, and generally change the look and feel of the space.

...heavily influenced by the context of the surrounding city...

Computer controlled colour changing lighting adds an extra dimension of atmosphere and again, reflects the ephemeral nature of the design.

The history of the city is also captured in the bespoke furniture as the tables have images embedded into the grain of the timber, showing the church and its setting as it is today.

The furniture for the café is bespoke, being designed and manufactured by Hostess Furniture.

The graphics and branding of the interior were designed by Impact Design.

Apec were the architects co-ordinating the whole project.

Photos by Gil Gillis

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