Birmingham developer GNM Developments wants to build a 21-storey tower, just eight metres wide, entirely clad in solar panels.
The Narrowhouse, as the building is being called, would have 249 co-living apartments with extensive communal amenities.
Designed by Broadway Malyan, it is being pitched as the world’s tallest multi-storey energy-positive development.
Plans show more than 4,000 sqm of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) on the building facades, creating the potential to capture more energy than the residents might need and thus feed excess energy back into a local microgrid to provide power for EV charging of cars in the neighbourhood and for narrowboats on the canal.
GNM’s scheme comprises three elements: the retained Toll House; a six-storey podium called The Setting; and the 21-storey tower clad in BIPV.
The environmental performance of the building is enhanced by its superslim profile; at just 8.5 metres wide it will, when completed, also be one of the UK’s most slender residential buildings, setting a new benchmark for high density, efficient urban living. The Narrowhouse’s profile supports its energy positive credentials by maximising the potential for solar energy generation, optimising passive ventilation and gearing and enabling much more efficient energy distribution, the developer says.
Broadway Malyan principal Hugo Fitzgerald said: “We are hugely excited to submit these proposals. The Narrowhouse is a pioneering proposal which we hope will set a new benchmark, both in terms of energy-positive and super slim building design.
“The proposals ground the development in its history, taking design prompts from wharf building typology and creating an attractive vibrant frontage along an underused part of the city’s extensive canal network. Reusing stacked brick from the original building to form the podium makes the building relatable and with the retention of the Toll House, echoes the past.
“The 21-storey tower is entirely clad in an animated BIPV façade, signalling Birmingham’s ambition to move forward with the use of future developments that could potentially offer positive energy to feed back into the city, supporting the city’s net zero ambitions, whilst also providing an exciting new place for Birmingham’s population to live.”
Gerald Manton, managing director of GNM Developments, said: “The Narrowhouse is more than a building, it’s a statement about the future of sustainable urban living. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to position Birmingham as a global leader in sustainable development. With the UK working towards net-zero targets and demand for affordable housing increasing, Birmingham is perfectly positioned to lead this transformation.”
If planning consent is granted, work on The Narrowhouse could begin in autumn 2026 with completion sometime in 2028.
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