University of Sheffield Wood Towers

After a careful study of The University of Sheffield master plan for the next years, the area known as Hounsfield Site draw my attention. Facing an increase in the number of students, the master plan considers a new building to meet the future space requirements in this plot, where four existing buildings are located.

The project’s aim is to offer an alternative to the current master plan strategy, which consists in demolishing the whole site. This proposal aspires to re-invent the plot by evolving the four key buildings and therefore, follow an identity-keeping approach to the re-born of the area, facing the future as a metamorphosis of the past. This evolution will take place by extruding the existing buildings’ layout. As a result, the final concept is a combination of towers of different heights.

This alternative project is also an opportunity for the university to take a lead in the development of sustainable high rise buildings designed in timber, demonstrating an awareness of climate change issues. At the same time the importance of including environmental simulations at the design stage is key towards low-energy demanding buildings, which must deal with a more extreme and unstable climate in the future.