Concourse refurbishment

As part of our ongoing regeneration of the University's public realm, we have refurbished the Concourse connecting the Students' Union area with the Alfred Denny building.

The refurbished concourse on campus. Taken from underneath the concourse, the photo shows the blue neon lights on the ceiling and yellow neon lights around the bottoms of seating areas.

On

Overview

This key thoroughfare which passes under the A57 has become a flexible civic space designed to accommodate the functions and events which take place regularly. At night, a new lighting scheme has created a safe and secure space for those passing through.

We have repaved the area, removed bike racks under the bridge and introduced more furniture and planting. An art wall has been installed, along with the comprehensive lighting scheme.

The Concourse is now a brighter, safer area with more room to accommodate the heavy footfall on this part of campus, especially at commuting and changeover times.

The new space transforms the Concourse from an area to 'pass through' to one in which to stay and socialise.

To ensure that the space can still accommodate landmark events such as graduation and open days, the newly designed Concourse is uncluttered. It includes new paving, seating and social opportunities and an art wall. The new paving replaces the current, 50-year-old surface.

Green areas have been retained and redesigned, working with staff from the Department of Landscape. There are new terraced areas with lots of soft planting including hedges, flowers, grassed areas and small trees. Where possible, removed trees and plants have been recycled across campus.

This is one of the most used areas of campus and experiences heavy footfall, so the design has considered the flow of pedestrians and bikes.

Project details

Project Manager: Brian Evans, Department of Estates and Facilities Management
Email: b.n.evans@sheffield.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 114 222 9038
Architects: HLM Architects
Timescale: February - October 2018