Engineering Heartspace University of Sheffield

Building area 2,200m2 new-build

10,300m2 refurbishment & remodel

Contract period 2013 – 2019

Project value £28m

The Engineering Heartspace represents the culmination of the Faculty of Engineering’s Development Framework at the University of Sheffield. Taking place at the Faculty’s 1885 Central Wing and the Grade II Listed St. George’s Building, the project is comprised of a bold series of architectural interventions – removing some of the poorer parts of the existing buildings to free up an unused central courtyard, and then inserting a 4-storey glass atrium to create new highly-serviced laboratories, offices and a café – as well as providing a ‘collaboration space’ for students and staff from different departments.

Delivered over a single-stage Design & Build contract, the scheme has been developed with the contractor within the £28m budget defined at the tender stage. This has been achieved through a truly collaborative “approach to value” between the design team, contractor and the University. In particular, Bond Bryan’s BIM role in federating the model across the team has been vital to its ongoing success; this team included separate structural engineers for the new-build and refurbished elements, services engineers for the client’s and contractor’s supply chains with specialist Austrian roofing supplier, Waagner Biro, detailing the freeform glazed atrium.