Fire service orders safety improvements at The Cube

The fire service has ordered improvements at The Cube, one of Birmingham's best-known buildings, after inspections found six fire safety problems.

The Cube, beside the Mailbox, contains more than 240 apartments as well as offices, shops, a hotel and a restaurant. Inspections were carried out on 27 August and 10 September.

What inspectors found

• Smoke ventilation: there were no automatic opening vents in the residential corridors of the West Wing, raising concerns that manual vents might make smoke control less reliable.
• Escape routes: an exit door on level 15 of the West Wing, leading to a staircase, could not be opened because its emergency override had failed, raising concerns that people could become trapped during an evacuation.
• Testing and maintenance: the main fire alarm panel was showing faults, meaning the system could fail without warning. Tests of the mechanical smoke ventilation in the East Wing corridors failed to show it was working correctly, there was no evidence of annual fire door checks since April 2025, and a significant number of communal fire doors had failed their most recent quarterly checks.
• Emergency procedures: these did not clearly set out what staff should do in a fire.
• Escape routes kept clear: furniture was found in escape routes, combustible materials were stored at the top of one core, and letterboxes on an escape route were overflowing with mail.
• Wayfinding: there was no flat identification in the firefighting staircases, only floor level indicators.

Two months to put it right

The fire service wrote to Fidum Property Management, which manages the building, setting out the issues and giving it two months to address them. No formal enforcement notice has been served at this stage.

A fire service spokesperson said a further inspection would follow. "If the required work has not been completed, or if fire safety provisions have deteriorated, the Fire and Rescue Authority may consider further action, including the service of an enforcement notice," they said.

A spokesperson for The Cube said: "We are in constant dialogue with the relevant regulatory authorities relating to the fire safety of the building to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation. As always, ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents and guests is our top priority."

The law since Grenfell

Since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the rules on fire safety in blocks of flats have been tightened. Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, those responsible for high-rise residential buildings must carry out monthly checks on lifts and firefighting equipment, check communal fire doors every three months and flat entrance doors every year, and give residents fire safety information.

Advice for residents

Anyone living in a block of flats should know their building's evacuation strategy, whether "stay put" or simultaneous evacuation, keep corridors and stairwells clear, and never wedge fire doors open. Residents can ask their building's responsible person for fire safety information, and report concerns to the fire service.

The Cube, a gold-clad block designed by Make Architects, opened in 2010 and has become a landmark of the city's skyline beside the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.