City's tallest skyscraper on show

A sky bar and observatory will be located at the top of the tower

Plans have been unveiled for a 50-storey skyscraper to be built in Birmingham city centre.

The council is calling the 490ft (150m) V Building one of Birmingham's most ambitious development projects, making it the city's tallest tower.

It will be built near Broad Street's entertainment district and contain 600 apartments, bars and an observatory.

Planning permission will be submitted in April and the project is estimated to cost £150m and take three years.

Beetham Tower is currently the tallest building in the city at 400ft (122m) and contains 160 apartments, a hotel and health club.

Plans for the V Building, on Suffolk Street Queensway, were announced on Monday at a property industry event in Cannes, France.

Birmingham has too much heritage to become a city dominated by towers Eric Kuhne, architect

The apartments will comprise studios and one, two and three-bedroom designs and 60 suites, a spa, library and reception rooms, including an exclusive club room.

A sky bar and observatory will be located at the top of the tower.

Its exterior will be clad with luminescent, latticed glass, making it shine in the day and glow at night.

Texan-born architect Eric Kuhne, said the tower would appear to change shape when viewed from different angles.

He said: "I've always wanted to design a tower that has equal proportions of elegance and masculinity, and appears to change shape when viewed from different angles, both near and afar.

"However, if The V Building was in Chicago or New York, it would be just another tower to be appreciated up close, crowded by the many other skyscrapers when viewed as part of the skyline.

"Birmingham has too much heritage to become a city dominated by towers, but the local authority has recognised how important symbolic tall structures are to the international reputation of major cities."