Building Artwork
Below are some newer images of what the building will look like when the work is completed. We would like to know what you think of the designs so please post a comment or contact us.
As well as adding a new front to the Students’ Union there will be substantial changes to the interior such as the connection of level 4 of the building from the Gallery to University House and the removal of the roof in level 3. This will make the Students’ Union more open and easier to get around. As you enter the building there will be a much larger and more open space and will allow you to see more of what is going on in the building.
The space which now houses Coffee Revolution, the Source and the area by Proper Pasty will be opened up making these three areas one large space. This will make it easier to get around and provide more space for student activities.
There will be new seating areas for students with flexible space that can be used by them for what they want to do in their building.
Other changes include a larger Union Shop and a new ventilation system for Fusion and Foundry.
The Students’ Union has been constantly changing and expanding since the construction of the Graves building (Interval) in 1936. If you want to see how much the Students’ Union buildings have changed over the past 70 years click here
If you have some questions about the future of the building see our FAQ page. Or contact us
Click on the images for a closer look.
View of new Main Entrance from the Hicks building |
Aerial view of the new Main Entrance. |
View from the Octagon of the new Main Entrance. |
View of new Main Entrance at night from the concourse. |
Good front view of the Main Entrance doors at night as you approach from the IC or the Hicks building. |
View of the new Main Entrance at night from under the Western Bank flyover. |
Interior view of Main Entrance. Reception is to the left whilst the doors you enter in from are to the right. Also note the seating area above the Main Entrance. |
Main architects picture of the new front of the Students’ Union. |
Click here to go back to the Future Union page
I don’t understand why everyone is so negative towards this. Surely the architectural students here must realise that the artist impression and other images are done at an early stage. And to be honest, its much better than the current frontage. How can you criticise a building when you have no clue about the external and internal finishes, layout and design other than a few basic image? Same old story when any form of construction work takes place at any university “why wasn’t this given to our student’s, we could have done a much better job”. To be honest I don’t think any of us could. This design is a bold statement, getting away from the dull rectangular buildings we are all used to in sheffield. This project will surely turn our rabbit warren of a students union into a more appealing and useable space rather than constantly going from room to room. Lets wait and see what the finishes are like and the detailing of the building inside and out as this is what gives the building its cutting edge, not some 3D models that were done at an early stage. I think you are all going to be suprised at how good this is going to look. Stop being so bitter that you didn’t have the opportunity to put your design forward and look forward to a new and impressive students union.
I wonder who was consulted about the new design… i don’t like it and neither do my friends. Was the design approved by just the student officers? A simple online polling of student’s could have saved us and future generations from this awful design…. Lets face it, no one really liked the 2012 logo and I’m sure majority of students would have preferred something else for their union. Again, an online poll of students would reveal this- something to think about.
Ps. if its not too late to change the outdoor facade, rather than have those slanting slabs, vertical ones would make the building look less awkward. From the photo, it seems these slabs will be made from the same type of material as the IC’s outer walls: I’d suggest wood-effect slabs. And finally, could the tower be covered in an alternative material? Whatever was used in the photo, it doesn’t look nice. For the record, I like the IC, Jessops and Music Box; I’m just not too keen on the union wasting this amazing opportunity to improve itself by commissioning a not-so-great design.
…Just food for thought…
Hi Joe
Sorry it has taken a while to get back to you.
Though the project started almost two years ago as exploratory work
there was during this period much uncertainty financially.
The project was always University led and was only finally agreed in
principal at the end of Jan 2009 when a more limited funding was
guaranteed.
There was then a very short design period to enable the project to go
out to tender on a Design and Build basis.
This very short schedule precluded any design competition and the design and build element would have caused some issues in that there would have been a requirement for ongoing input.
The designing architects are now employed by the contractors BAM directly for the duration.
You will have to ask the University why the School of Architecture wasnt involved but the likely answer is because they are paid to teach students not to do contract work for the University.
The Project Manager however, is a graduate of the School of Architecture at Sheffield and they have also helped us produce the 3D Model.
if this is what the students asked for, why wasn’t there a student competition? we have one of the best architecture schools in the country, its a shame the university doesn’t have any common sense and uses it.
i really hope that in terms of plan and layout, this new extension improves the previous disjointed aspect of the union. There is certainly an argument for better facilities, which this will hopefully meet.
However, stylistically, this thing is a complete mess. The University has followed shameless FAD’s and picked a woeful aesthetic, poorly executed, that it will surely regret in 10 years time, if not sooner. There is NOTHING original about this
I can see why the Union felt it needed a new entrance in order to impress in its university prospectus, however, i think the final design solution is pretty poor. It could’ve been a much more interesting project if it had been handed over the Masters students in the University to collaborate with tutors and professors to create something much more interesting. I don’t know the concepts behind the design so i don’t want to judge too harshly, but from what i can see it’s a waste of money, whether it’s the universities or the governments, it’s still important not to waste it.
When I first saw the images of the new building last year I didnt like it but having had a chance to look at these images it should look good. Can’t wait for it to be finished!
Madeline, I couldn’t have told you why the work was being done, but the admin seems to have explained that pretty well. Still, ‘how it looks’ can be very much incidental to a projects true goals. Things like the larger shop, better ventilation are the project drivers. Then the design team goes through and thinks up as many different ways of meeting the design criteria as possible. A rigorous evaluation procedure follows the takes into account not just the criteria but cost, the environment, and yes, how it looks. The final solution typically draws from all the initial designs. When you’re actually selling a project like this what’s important is how it functions and how well the function is then integrated into the ‘how it looks’. In this case you can see there are a lot more doors, making student access easier. It probably allows for more advertising in and around the union as well. (Societies will have a better chance to attract members outside of the activities fair maybe.) Inside it will probably make access to the box office easier with a better facility there… Things like that help sell it. *End of waffle.*
Hi Madeline
Just to clarify for you and everyone else reading this. the University is not spending its money or yours on the building project. It is spending money granted to it (after a lengthly bidding process) by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. This money can only be spent on capital projects like the Students’ Union and the Arts Tower etc.
The Students’ Union is not just getting a new Entrance. For instance, the Shop will be made larger, there will be new spaces for students to use, new meeting rooms and the ventilation system for Fusion and Foundry is being fixed. This is what students asked for from the new building when the vision 2012 research was carried out.
Sheffield Students’ Union
To Fred,
If the building work is not about ‘how it looks’, then what is it for? there was no problem with the current entrance. The university is simply spending more and more of our money on building work we don’t need, for the sake of looking snazzy on the front cover of a prospectus. i’d rater have it spent on my education, thanks.
To the people that don’t like this; there’s a lot more to putting something like this together than just how it looks. Yes, there have been some horrible looking buildings built by the University lately (Jessops, sound box, IC) but really, they’re not that bad when you consider the context of the design brief and what they’re being used for. Blending into the environment in Sheffield is non existent. All there have been are boring grey buildings. It seems like the Unviersity is moving away from the typical and towards unique designs. I especially think that from what I’ve seen here that the plans they have for the internal layout that take advantage of what this entrance does to the building are great pieces of engineering.
I’m hoping to come to sheffield Uni next year and I think the front of the SU looks really good. Just hope I get the grades to get in now
I do hope that this exciting new building will be opened by someone of national importance with a concern for modern architecture – the Prince of Wales would be ideal – and that he be encouraged to tell us exactly what he thinks of it.
I am speechless – is THAT what you think this university and student union deserves? Whoever produced these kind of ‘artists impressions’ can have nothing else than contempt for the SSU and Sheffield University. Our 1st year architecture students are able to produce more sophisticated and contextually responsible schemes than this THING. What a waste!!!
i cant really comment on the way this extension will work because there are no plans available. i can comment on the way the building looks from these renders though. I think it looks clumsy and childlike, messy and out of scale with some of the great buildings around it. You can see from the photograph showing the original union buildings, that university house used to be in the foreground and was a great front for the university. I feel like these fantastic buildings are being shoved into the background and completely disrespected by this new kind of egotistical architecture.