Electrical switchboards, panelboards, distribution boards and special lighting control boards, providing landlord's services to the site, are manufactured locally by MEM.

The £65 million project is based on the American concept of an Urban Entertainment Centre. The 30-screen cinema will be the largest in Europe with seating for 6,200 people. The site will include parking for 2,750 cars and will be served by bus services and possibly, at a later date, an extension to the Midland Metro. It is expected to attract 4 million visitors a year.

Crown House Engineering, which is providing Mechanical and Electrical Services under a design and build contract, chose MEM for switchboards, sub-distribution boards, final distribution boards and associated switchgear.

Landlord's services are controlled by a Memform Form 4 cubicle switchboard, with a 2500A air circuit-breaker, fed from a dedicated 1 500kVA transformer. Sixteen fuse combination switches, ranging from 1 25A to 400A, control outgoing circuits. Five of these feed Landlord's sub-main distribution boards (also by MEM) located at key positions around the site. Others feed sprinkler systems, HVAC plant, and lighting. There is also a 300kVAR power factor correction system supplied by MEM.

The five Memshield 2 sub-main distribution panelboards are equipped with the latest MEM G-frame moulded-case circuit-breakers. These are a new generation of compact MCCBs in ratings from 1 6A to 125k There are three 400A 12-way boards and one 200A eight-way board, all equipped with a mixture of SPN and TPN breakers up to 1 25A. These serve lighting, general power, lifts and other services in different parts of the complex. In addition, a 400A 16-way board supplies lighting and other services in a multi-deck car park. All boards have spare outgoing ways to allow for future expansion.

There are more than 40 Memshield 2 final distribution boards around the site.

Star City has modern theme, landscape and feature lighting designed by the Lighting Design Partnership. Supplies for this are provided by eight special distribution boards built by MEM to interface with Helvar electronic lighting controllers. The Memshield 2 distribution boards house miniature circuit-breakers and contactors which feed the various lighting circuits. The Helvar controllers are housed in a separate enclosure, mounted below the Memshield 2 boards, and control the contactor operation.

A feature of the Star City project is the high level of local input. All the main contractors and sub-contractors are based in the West Midlands.

The main switchboard is being built at the MEM Projects and Systems Engineering factory in Premier Street Birmingham, less than a mile from Star City. The Memshield 2 panelboards and distribution boards, and the special lighting control boards are built by MEM Low Voltage Products, in Reddings Lane, Tyseley using its own UK-produced MCBs, MCCBs, contactors etc.

Star City is a joint venture of Richardson Developments and Carillion Plc., the contractor developer. Architects are Geoffrey Reid Associates of Nechells; Civil/Structural Engineers are Ove Arup and Partners of Edgbaston and Building Services Engineers are Cudd Bentley of Solihull. M&E Services contractor, Crown House Engineering, is based in Balsall Heath, Birmingham.