Report - Five ways tower Birmingham - Dec 18

[Bikin Glynn]

Wahoo just about the only category I hadnt done a report in as I dont really do high stuff!

Five Ways Tower is a 23-storey commercial building on a 2.1-acre (8,500 m2) prime site located in the Birmingham City Centre by the corner of Frederick Road and Islington Road, near to the Five Ways roundabout. The building was completed in 1979.
Ironically The building is vacant due to the last tenants evacuating the building due to ill health amongst the workforce!
It was discovered that the building suffers from Sick Building Syndrome, and being too expensive to refurbish to modern standards a likely option is demolition in line with the regeneration of the surrounding area.

Our explore a few years back now was a spur of the moment thing. Driving by was a case of "whats that? oh year thats that 5 ways place". I did enjoy the krypton factor entry that for us went something like...
In a basement car park.. no need to be in other one.
In the right one & out a key coded door which promptly slammed shut behind us leaving us in a courtyard surrounded by cctv.
Found a way out then figured that is where we need to be so round block back in car park & out said door again.
This time onto roof along & down into 2nd car park.
Up 2 floors in here onto another roof.
Over the leap of faith through window & up what I can confirn is 23 floors of stairs!
Finally onto a roof of sorts, but now had to navigate a flooded plant room climbing from pipe to pipe.
then 2 cat ladders & voila we were there!

The building itself is trashed but surprised me there was smashed windows very high up that it was too easy to fall straight out of!

A few bits of interesting lift gear left

But of course its all about the views, so why did we pick such a miserable day to make our assent?
It was lightish when we got up there but as the quick winter darkness drew in it did give way to some clearer skies through the drizzle.

Thanks For Looking

 

[Seffy]

No matter what anyone says - rooftops are the shit. Nicely done!

 

[Bikin Glynn]

No matter what anyone says - rooftops are the shit. Nicely done!

I dunno I quite enjoyed watching the world go by without anyone realising we were there.
I kinda wish I could do another now with better experience, weather & equipment... but no rushing to find one!

 

[Calamity Jane]

Nicely done, some clear views there. I do like a night shot from the roof.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Nicely done, some clear views there. I do like a night shot from the roof.

Bit crap really but was drizzling all the time we were there!

 

[Calamity Jane]

Bit crap really but was drizzling all the time we were there!

Yep I saw the skies were grey, but I still think last two shots came out alright.

 

[stackers1979]

I've had cause to explore Five Ways tower officially through my job, a couple of years ago. The building next to it (in your tenth pic down) actually links to it via a corridor that is locked and no longer used. Five ways tower was built to replace that building and housed the Department of Work & Pensions or whatever it was called back in the 80s and 90s when it was occupied. It is true that after most of the workforce ending up unwell, the building was deemed to have sick building syndrome and the entire workforce moved back in to the building they had vacated next door, the tower remaining unused ever since - I'm told it's something to do with the air circulation system. When I went, the lifts were all on the ground floor and were open. They were very small compared to today's standards - you'd barely be able to fit a wheelchair in one of them. The buildings owner can't do anything with it. I really wish I could remember what the surveyor said - something about it being on Calthorpe Estates land... it's too expensive to demolish, and too expensive to re-purpose so for the last few decades it's stood empty and decaying although from a distance it looks like a modern glass high rise. Great pics, I wish everyone who explored these places was as respectful of property. It's a shame how much damage the place has sustained over the years.

 

[Buxie]

I've had cause to explore Five Ways tower officially through my job, a couple of years ago. The building next to it (in your tenth pic down) actually links to it via a corridor that is locked and no longer used. Five ways tower was built to replace that building and housed the Department of Work & Pensions or whatever it was called back in the 80s and 90s when it was occupied. It is true that after most of the workforce ending up unwell, the building was deemed to have sick building syndrome and the entire workforce moved back in to the building they had vacated next door, the tower remaining unused ever since - I'm told it's something to do with the air circulation system. When I went, the lifts were all on the ground floor and were open. They were very small compared to today's standards - you'd barely be able to fit a wheelchair in one of them. The buildings owner can't do anything with it. I really wish I could remember what the surveyor said - something about it being on Calthorpe Estates land... it's too expensive to demolish, and too expensive to re-purpose so for the last few decades it's stood empty and decaying although from a distance it looks like a modern glass high rise. Great pics, I wish everyone who explored these places was as respectful of property. It's a shame how much damage the place has sustained over the years.

I worked in that crappy concrete building Opposite for many years, indeed they had moved into the tower when the department was social security. The tower itself is in better condition than the concrete one! The front of the building is actually falling off and is checked for seismic activity regularly. Years ago they added another roof on the roof and the extra weight along with vibration from the traffic caused the building to become unstable and the columns throughout the floor have metal brackets bolted through them to stop the floors coming down! I remember in 2009 an inch hole appeared in the floor between the L sections from the front of the building dropping, you could drop a stapler through this hole!

 

[Downwardii]

I wonder what’s happening with it. Back a year ago there were some people in there throwing stuff out of the 2nd or 3rd floor windows for a few days.

 

[Bando Exploration]

Some mad views of Birmingham up there well done

 

[Downwardii]

Well all the broken windows now have been boarded up so looks like there is no access

 

[Buxie]

I wonder what’s happening with it. Back a year ago there were some people in there throwing stuff out of the 2nd or 3rd floor windows for a few days.

As far as I’m aware the owner in France can’t be traced so it’s a stalemate as to its future, unless it falls down first. Such a waste of money, it was occupied for a matter of months in its life!

 

[Downwardii]

Someone’s been snooping as the one of the lower windows that was boarded up has been prised up from the bottom.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

I wonder what’s happening with it. Back a year ago there were some people in there throwing stuff out of the 2nd or 3rd floor windows for a few days.

Theres always some idiots

 

[Bikin Glynn]

As far as I’m aware the owner in France can’t be traced so it’s a stalemate as to its future, unless it falls down first. Such a waste of money, it was occupied for a matter of months in its life!

U would think it would have to come down as a matter of safety, its such a busy area if bits start falling off it!