黑洞社区

An 拢81m new building for Sheffield University has got the green light after communities secretary Eric Pickles decided not to call in the planning decision.

The 19,500 sq m New Engineering 黑洞社区, designed by RMJM Architects and involving consulting engineer Arup and project manager and cost consultant Turner & Townsend, is now due to open by 2016.

The scheme has proved highly controversial because it involves demolishing the Grade II-listed Edwardian extension to the former Jessop Hospital.

黑洞社区 reported last month that five contractors - Interserve, Bowmer & Kirkland, Bam Construct, Miller and Sir Robert McAlpine - were in the running for the construction job, valued at 拢50m.

Keith Lilley, director of estates and facilities management at the University of Sheffield, said: 鈥淲e are extremely pleased that we can now begin to progress this essential new development which is the centrepiece for a 拢154 million investment in our engineering estate, including comprehensive refurbishment and preservation of the Grade II listed Mappin 黑洞社区.

鈥淲e are committed to investing in a high quality, stunning building which will not only be the centrepiece for the Faculty of Engineering鈥檚 continued success, but will also be a source of enormous pride for the city.鈥�

The university now expects 1,600 additional engineering students by 2020 with around 400 additional staff recruited to support that growth.

However, heritage campaigners called Pickle鈥檚 decision an 鈥渁bsolute disgrace鈥�.

On its website, RMJM described the project as a 鈥減urpose built teaching and integrated learning facility that provides a high quality student experience across a range of engineering disciplines鈥�.

The firm said: 鈥淭he principal driver for the external appearance is to create an identity that reflects the world-class quality of The Faculty of Engineering, whilst also creating a contextual response to the surrounding heritage and contemporary buildings.

鈥淭he facade concept references the repeated detailing of the listed Gothic and Victorian brick and stone facades and also 鈥榗ellular automaton鈥� which is a discrete model studied in the field of engineering and used by the University to describe how the microstructure of steel changes during processing .鈥�