Balfour Beatty has commenced work on a £23m contract for Sheffield Hallam University to construct a £30m, 10,000m2 building in the heart of Sheffield's Cultural Industries Quarter.

The two-block, seven-storey building on Charles Street will house the University's Sheffield Institute of Education and will include a lecture theatre, cafes, flexible teaching spaces, event hosting spaces, and a data centre. A link bridge, designed by Sheffield based designer Corin Mellor, will join the new building to the existing Arundel Building.

Sited next to Butcher Works, a Grade II listed building, a central atrium will enclose the historical road, Brown Lane, which will run through the middle of the development maintaining the historical grid of the area. The design is deliberately sympathetic to the local heritage of the area and the use of traditional brickwork and Corten steel will align the development with the industrial nature of the surrounding buildings.

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Balfour Beatty will utilise Building Information Modelling (BIM) to create a full 4D design and maximise the efficiency of the construction programme. BIM will also provide the basis for a building management system upon hand over.

Balfour Beatty Engineering Services will deliver the future-proofed mechanical and electrical (M&E) services package including the data centre and solar panels, to meet the future needs of the building. The building will also feature a sedum roof to minimise its carbon emissions.

Sheffield Hallam University, Director of Estates and Facilities, Mark Swales, said: "We are extremely proud to be embarking on such a major investment in the City Centre. Charles Street is part of a £110 million investment Sheffield Hallam is currently making in our Future Spaces and this building will not only make a real difference to our students, but to the region as a whole providing a centre for Education courses and expertise going forward."

(CD/JP)