Editing Bull Ring, Birmingham (section)

===Design and layout===
[[Image:Birmingham Selfridges building.jpg|right|upright|thumb|The Selfridges store designed by Future Systems at the Bullring]]
Bullring Shopping Centre was masterplanned and designed mainly by [[Benoy]]. The shopping centre consists of two main buildings (East and West Mall) which are connected by an underground passage lined with shops and is also accessible from St Martin's Square via glass doors. They are sheltered by a glass roof known as the SkyPlane which covers {{convert|7000|m2}} and appears to have no visible means of support.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.benoy.com/html/projects.cfm?projectID=226&level2link=&projectName=Bullring,%20Birmingham,%20UK# |title=Bullring, Birmingham, UK |publisher=Benoy |access-date=29 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707223903/http://www.benoy.com/html/projects.cfm?projectID=226&level2link=&projectName=Bullring,%20Birmingham,%20UK |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The two malls are different internally in design. The balustrades in the East Mall consist of integrated glass 'jewels' within the metal framework, and are of different colours formed through polyester powder coating.<ref>''Perfect finish for Bullring balustrades'', Finishing, 1 September 2003</ref>  It features a dramatic landmark building, housing a branch of [[Selfridges]] department store to a design by the [[Future Systems]] architectural practice. The store is clad in 15,000 shiny aluminium discs<ref name=fss>{{cite web|url=http://www.future-systems.com/architecture/architecture_03.html |title=Selfridges Birmingham |publisher=Future Systems |access-date=11 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109173355/http://www.future-systems.com/architecture/architecture_03.html |archive-date=9 November 2006 }}</ref> and was inspired by a [[Paco Rabanne]] sequinned dress.<ref name="Selfconstruct">{{cite web|url=http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download277.pdf |title=Selfridges, Birmingham |first1=Ed |last1=Clark |first2=David |last2=Gilpin |publisher=Arup |access-date=29 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824062516/http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download277.pdf |archive-date=24 August 2011 }}</ref><ref name="ArupJournal">{{cite web |url=http://www.formpig.com/pdf/formpig_ARUP%20selfridges_future%20systems.pdf |title=Selfridges, Birmingham |first1=Ed |last1=Clark |first2=David |last2=Gilpin |work=The Arup Journal |publisher=Arup |year=2006 |access-date=4 November 2013 |archive-date=17 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017022440/http://www.formpig.com/pdf/formpig_ARUP%20selfridges_future%20systems.pdf |url-status=live }} - via Formpig.com.<!-- added due to Arup source downtime--></ref> The Selfridges store cost £60 million and the contractor was [[Laing O'Rourke]]. Covering an area of {{Convert|25000|m2}}, the designs for the Selfridges store were first unveiled in 1999,<ref name=fss/> not long before demolition of the original shopping centre began. The Selfridges store has won eight awards including the [[Royal Institute of British Architects|RIBA Award for Architecture]] 2004 and Destination of the Year Retail Week Awards 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.future-systems.com/company/awards.html |title=Future Systems Awards |publisher=Future Systems |year=2004 |access-date=11 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531194606/http://www.future-systems.com/company/awards.html |archive-date=31 May 2008 }}</ref>

There is a multi-storey car park opposite Selfridges on Park Street which is connected to the Selfridges store via a 37-metre long, curved, [[polycarbonate]]-covered footbridge,<ref name="Selfconstruct"/><ref name="ArupJournal"/> known as the Parametric Bridge,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/Projects/Parametric_Bridge.php |publisher=Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory |title=Parametric Bridge |access-date=29 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617121636/http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/Projects/Parametric_Bridge.php |archive-date=17 June 2008 }}</ref> suspended over the street. On the ground floor of the car park there is retail space which was previously a furniture showroom.
[[Image:Selfridges, Birmingham escalators.jpg|left|thumb|The escalators in the interior of the Selfridges store]]
In 2005, a small [[Costa Coffee]] café, designed by Marks Barfield Architects and dubbed the Spiral Café, was constructed alongside the steps leading towards to New Street from St Martin's Square. The building's shape resembled that of shell and featured a curved bronze roof with both ends covered with glass. The main contractors were Thomas Vale and the structural engineers were Price & Myers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cda.org.uk/arch/pages/Design_awards/cia12/Spiral%20Cafe/spiralcafe.htm |title=Copper in Architecture Design Award - Spiral Cafe, St Martin's Square, Birmingham |publisher=Copper in Architecture |access-date=29 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612182753/http://www.cda.org.uk/arch/pages/Design_awards/cia12/Spiral%20Cafe/spiralcafe.htm |archive-date=12 June 2008 }}</ref> The building form is inspired by the mathematician [[Leonardo Fibonacci]] who identified natural patterns of growth found throughout the universe, from the shapes of shells and pines cones to fractal patterns within galaxies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=62 |title=Spiral Café completed |publisher=World Architecture News |date=18 July 2005 |access-date=22 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031090008/http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=62 |archive-date=31 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The café was knocked down as part of the Spiceal Street redevelopment in 2011.
[[File:The Bullring, Birmingham - geograph.org.uk - 8032.jpg|thumb|One of the new retail developments of the Bull Ring]]
The entire redevelopment was accompanied by an official project magazine and then commemorated with an 'art book' style book which covered Bullring's transformation in illustration and photography. Both book and magazine were produced by specialist publisher Alma Media International on behalf of the developers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.almamedia.co.uk/bullring.html |title=BULLRING |publisher=Alma Media |access-date=29 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121151936/http://www.almamedia.co.uk/bullring.html |archive-date=21 November 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The shopping centre's design has both its admirers and detractors. In 2008, a poll conducted in conjunction with ''[[SimCity Creator]]'' stated that Bullring was the ugliest building in the country,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/birmingham-named-uks-ugliest-city-963311.html?startindex=50 |title=Birmingham named UK's ugliest city |date=16 October 2008 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=1 November 2008 |location=London |archive-date=10 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210124010/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/birmingham-named-uks-ugliest-city-963311.html?startindex=50 |url-status=live }}</ref> although the poll has been criticised.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.channel4.com/4homes/2008/10/14/dubious-list-of-uks-ugliest-buildings-released/ |title=Dubious List of UK's Ugliest Buildings Released |last=Payne |first=Rich |date=14 October 2008 |publisher=4Homes (Channel 4) |access-date=1 November 2008 |archive-date=10 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210170210/http://blogs.channel4.com/4homes/2008/10/14/dubious-list-of-uks-ugliest-buildings-released/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Spiceal Street====
On 6 September 2010, plans were announced for a {{convert|20000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} expansion with the creation of three new restaurant units totalling around {{convert|10000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} in St Martins Square with the existing [[Pizza Hut]] and [[Nandos]] to be extended out closer to St Martins Church and thus expanded. The new restaurants are 'Browns Bar & Brasserie' and 'Chaobaby', opening their first restaurants in Birmingham in the larger two of the units closest to Jamies Italian. The third unit, closest to Selfridges is home to '[[Handmade Burger Co]]'. In addition to the existing [[Nandos]], [[Wagamama]], [[Pizza Hut]], [[Jamie Oliver|Jamie's Italian]] and 'Mount Fuiji'. this has created a hub of seven restaurants named after the traditional Spiceal Street. Construction of the part indoor, part outdoor development commenced in March 2011 and consists of a glass, wooden and aluminium exterior and "ribbon" effect roof. The award-winning Spiral Cafe that was once sited here has been relocated off-site. The new Spiceal Street opened on 24 November 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.browsebullring.co.uk/food-news/spiceal-street-at-bullring/|title=Spiceal Street|access-date=6 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130165135/http://www.browsebullring.co.uk/food-news/spiceal-street-at-bullring/|archive-date=30 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since then, Jamie's Italian closed after the company went into administration in May 2019, and Handmade Burger Co would suffer the same fate 8 months later in January 2020, later to be replaced by Vietnamese Street Kitchen.