Digital Campus takes shape
AN iconic, futuristic building for Sheffield is at the heart of a proposed major new development in the city centre.
The initial designs for 200,000 sq feet of offices, retail and approximately 200 apartments on the site of the now demolished Sheaf House and
Dyson House next to to the recently refurbished Midland Station, were unveiled at the launch of the Sheffield Economic Masterplan at the London Stock Exchange.
The radical development – located on phase 3 of Sheffield Digital Campus – is a joint venture between the Australian Valad Property Group and the GMI Property Company.
Consultations are underway with a number of partners including Sheffield City Council and city development company Creative Sheffield.
Sheffield United Chairman Kevin McCabe who is a director of Valad, outlined details of the scheme. He said: “We want to create a dramatic, landmark complex that is a positive statement about the new Sheffield.
“Our initial designs feature a high rise tower mixing residential and commercial office space. It will be futuristic and iconic, emphatically bringing to life key gateways to the city – the station and the nearby Parkway.
“The development will contain offices, sophisticated retail operations and managed apartments the types of which have not been seen in the city before – attractive to international and national visitors as the city takes up its place as a cosmopolitan and European destination.”
Behind the designs are world renowned architects Make Architects – the team responsible for the Swiss RE (better known as the Gherkin) in London.
Seen as an extension of Sheffield City Council's award-winning Sheaf Square, the new complex has been inspired by the geological features of Sheffield's 'golden frame' – the Peak District.
The designs show public access through the building to Sheaf Square and Porter Brook and dramatic views across the city including the new-look, award winning, city centre.
Sheffield City Council chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake said: “This is a bold and exciting proposal which would put Sheffield on the map. It is a tangible example of the new found ambition and confidence in the city. We are still at an early stage but I very much hope that this vision can be realised.”
Ben Morley, Creative Sheffield's deputy director for regeneration and project leader for Sheffield Digital Campus said: “The unique design significantly enhances the site and its surroundings, providing the potential to attract high quality investors and could put Sheffield on a world stage in terms of design.
“Creative Sheffield welcomes the ambition of the Valad and GMI on this project, there is a long way to go but we will continue to work closely with Kevin
McCabe and his team to progress the development of what is arguably the best site within the region.”
Following the drafting of the initial designs, further consultations will take place with partners who are all determined to get a high quality development that contributes to the continued renaissance of the city.
The wider Sheffield Digital Campus project is a collaborative effort between a number of key organisations, including Sheffield City Council, Yorkshire Forward and English Partnerships working for the benefit of Sheffield and the surrounding areas and is a critical project within Creative Sheffield's Economic Masterplan and City Centre Masterplan.
The Sheffield Digital Campus comprises of three sites all located between the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, the Sheffield City bus station and the city's mainline rail station. It has capacity for up to 600,000 square feet of modern and scalable office accommodation across a wide range of floor plates and building layouts.
The current developments – the creation of two impressively designed buildings, each offering 50,000 square feet of prestigious office space – are taking place on Phase I. They are expected to be ready for occupation in the autumn of this year. This area of development will also incorporate a further two buildings of a similar size.
Buildings One and Two on the Phase 1 site of the Sheffield Digital Campus have been designed specifically for companies in the digital sector to provide a working environment through to integrated knowledge hubs to spark collaboration between companies on the site – will help every business, from start-up to established world beater, grow and develop.
The two buildings currently under construction will be ready for occupation in the autumn of 2008. One is designed for complete or split occupation while the other – the Electric Works – has already been pre-let to Sheffield City Council to offer high quality serviced office accommodation for smaller companies in the creative and digital industries.
Phase II, adjacent to Phase I, will incorporate a single office building of around 50,000 square feet.
