Graphic: Birmingham's tallest buildings compared with those from around the world
Graphic: Birmingham's tallest buildings compared with those from around the world

Birmingham has a size problem according to some commentators with buildings in the city struggling to reach the heights of Manchester and London.

The prominence of the city’s skyline has been on the agenda following a column by architect Joe Holyoak in the Post saying big is not always beautiful.

It provoked heated debate on the Post’s website and Facebook page , with many commentators saying the city needs to bolster its skyline by reaching higher.

Presently, the BT Tower is the tallest structure in the city, at 499 feet, followed by the Radisson building at 427ft and Alpha Tower at 328ft.

By comparison, Manchester’s tallest building is the Beetham Tower, at 551ft, while The Shard in London stands at more than 1,000ft.

Writing in the Post, Mr Holyoak said: “What is the attraction of tall buildings? For the developer, there is clearly economic advantage in getting as much floor space on to a given site as possible, as long as the demand for that floor space exists, and as long as the quantity is compatible with maintaining a high quality of space and environment, which it is not always.”

However, in response, one on the Post’s site said: “Birmingham needs to act and look like a premier modern European city,” while another added: “The city has not moved on since then we have small scale bland buildings”.

The BT Tower would not even come close to breaking into the top 20 tallest in Shanghai.

If it doubled in size, it would still only just sneak into the top 10 in New York.

Birmingham's tallest buildings