Good-looking Sheffield scoops six best building nominations

Mercia school

Sheffielders have always known we’re a good-looking bunch.

And now architects are agreeing after nominating six newly-created Sheffield buildings in prestigious Yorkshire awards.

More than a third of RIBA Yorkshire’s shortlist for the 2019 awards are from Sheffield, including Mercia School in Abbeydale and Site Gallery in Paternoster Row.

Director of city growth Edward Highfield said: “Whether it’s the cheese grater car park, Park Hill or the hole in the road, Sheffield has always dared to do things differently when it comes to pushing the envelope for innovative and daring design.

“All of the buildings nominated for this year’s RIBA award would take pride of place in any city across the world – to have them all on our doorstep is simply mind-blowing and a tribute to the architects and planners working in Sheffield today.”

The six buildings, out of a 15-strong shortlist, are

Site Gallery, Sheffield, by DRDH Architects 

The Site Gallery in Sheffield

Delivered on an extremely constrained budget, Site Gallery’s new facilities transform the organisation’s identity both internally and externally. A revised entrance sequence and a substantial new gallery space are housed behind a 36-metre-long brick facade.

Alsop Fields, Sheffield, by Cartwright Pickard

Creating a gateway into Sheffield’s Cultural Industries Quarter, the brief for Alsop Fields was to repurpose a series of disused industrial buildings within a conservation area to include a student development with 162 study-bedrooms, plus commercial, retail and cafe units, creative office space and new public realm.

The Cornyard, Sheffield, by Coda Studios

Located on a site that was once occupied by a corn mill, this unusual place – still dominated by a millpond – called for an exceptional building. Taking cues from the site’s industrial heritage it now provides two distinctive family homes.

LVV (Laboratory for Verification and Validation), RTC (Royce Translational Centre) and iCAIR

The objective of these research centres is to bridge the gap between industry needs and academic research. Leading names in global manufacturing have been involved in their creation, supporting the Sheffield University-led research within and so helping to cultivate the next generation of engineers.

Mercia School, Sheffield, by Bond Bryan Architects

To meet increased demand for secondary school places, the local authority looked to transform a former landfill site into a modern teaching facility, serving a diverse community. The brief was to deliver a striking, high-quality secondary school, including a sixth form, that was integrated and respectful to the residential setting, and rooted in the site’s challenging topography.



The Hollis Building, Sheffield, by Chiles Evans & Care Architects

The nineteenth-century Hollis Building connects Upper Chapel and Channing Hall, two significant historic grade-two-listed buildings in the Sheffield city centre Conservation Area.

To view the full shortlist, click here