One Centenary Way repaint will run into 2027, says Paradise

The repainting of One Centenary Way, the office block at Paradise whose white patches have puzzled passers-by for more than a year, will not be finished until 2027.

The building overlooks the A38 Queensway and was built in the second phase of Paradise. It is now one of the largest modern commercial buildings in the city, and this week Deloitte opened its new Midlands headquarters there.

"Worse before it looks better"

In August 2025 Paradise Birmingham apologised for the building's appearance, saying work on its steel frame was preparation for repainting, and that it expected the final work on the upper floors to be done in spring 2026.

With white patches still visible this autumn, a spokesperson has confirmed that some work on the upper floors may now not be completed until 2027.

"As painting of the building's unique steel frame exoskeleton continues, which is part of the post-construction completion works, we are working to finish this," the spokesperson said. "But it is a complex, weather-dependent job carried out by a specialised team, with different techniques being required to achieve the most effective and long-lasting solution."

"The white patches that can still be spotted on upper floors is where the steel has been rubbed down and prepared for the final paint coats, it is not the paint peeling off. But unfortunately, the process can sometimes make the appearance look worse before it looks better."

Winter pause

The spokesperson said some of the work would have to pause in the winter months, because the weather can prevent the specialist paint from being applied. Once it is finished, the steel will not need repainting for many years.

"Progress has been made with the work this year and we are now looking forward to completing the work with the specialist teams working around the clock to finish the work," they said.

About Paradise

Paradise is a £1.2bn public-private partnership involving Birmingham City Council, Federated Hermes Private Markets and the Enterprise Zone, which reinvests business rates from the area into regeneration. The council set up the Paradise Birmingham joint venture in 2013 to redevelop the land around Chamberlain Square, where the old Central Library stood.

The council has said that five buildings have been completed so far, including 370 homes at the Octagon tower, and that the development has supported about 7,500 jobs by attracting firms such as Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, EY and Arup. Phases one and two are expected to bring in more than £318m in business rates for the Enterprise Zone by 2046.

One Centenary Way's exposed steel frame is one of its most distinctive features. Steel used outside a building has to be protected with specialist coatings to stop it corroding, and getting a finish that lasts depends on dry weather and careful preparation of the surface, which is why the work has been stop-start.