Carillion has won the first contract to construct the first building in the transformation of Birmingham’s Paradise Circus scheme.

The firm is already the contractor for the first phase of the contract which has enabled the £450 million development scheme and has now been revealed as the contractor for the seven storey construction to be built at the heart of the project – One Chamberlain Square.

Eric Parry is the architect who designed the 172,000 sq ft building which will include a sixth floor roof terrace along with retail units and restaurants at ground level.

Simon Dingle, Operations Director at Carillion, commented: “Paradise is a crucial project for the city and Carillion is very proud to be playing such a major role in its delivery. We are looking forward to completing the enabling works on the site and being able to bring our considerable experience to construct One Chamberlain Square.”

The Paradise Circus redevelopment will be undertaken through a joint venture firm  which was established almopst three years ago between the British Telecom Pension Scheme (BTPS) and Birmingham City Council, which will be managed by Hermes Real Estate Investment Management Ltd (HREIML), while the development manager for the joint venture will be Argent.

Rob Groves, Regional Director at Argent, said that Carillion has made significant progress in preparation for the complex site and the surrounding infrastructure and will soon be delivering the basement and foundations for the building’s first phase.

He added: “We are very pleased that Carillion will now be able to continue this work and bring One Chamberlain Square to life.”

When complete, the new Paradise Circus will have a hotel and eight new office buildings.

The first two office buildings – One and Two Chamberlain Square – are set for completion by the end of 2018, with financial services giant PwC signed up as the first tenant.