In 2024, the prestigious Sheffield Hallam University will be opening three new net zero ready buildings on the site of their former science park, set around 400 m² of new green space for the cosmopolitan campus.

The three buildings, Redmires, Strines and Langsett, will be high quality teaching and learning spaces, becoming the home for the Sheffield Business School, the School of Law and the Social Sciences and Arts courses.

Our KingFrame SFS System 200 mm was supplied on Block D Langsett, the home of the Business School, and Block A Redmires, to structurally support the various façade finishes of brickslip, curtain walling and cladding, helping to ensure a quick and professional result. Named after the Sheffield rivers that are crucial to the makeup of the city, the buildings will bring vibrancy to the student community, and the wider Sheffield community in the £220m first phase of the development. The project broke ground in early 2022, and the Sheffield Hallam Alliance marks the first genuine alliance to be used in the higher education building sector. Phoenix UK Group partnered with the façade contractor Charles Henshaw & Sons and Kingspan to manage the complex oversail SFS and shelf angle design and installation.

The project had to overcome some tight timescales and there needed to be smooth coordination and continuity throughout the creation of the façade. Our Kingframe Steel Frame System offered a lightweight, straightforward and safe construction solution, supporting the timely and cost-effective delivery of the project. Flexible and suitable for both concrete and steel framed buildings, KingFrame SFS works with a range of façade finishes, and it can be engineered bespoke to the specific requirements of the project. For the Block A Redmires and Block D Langsett buildings, we designed and engineered individual bespoke corner details using the SFS system. This was needed due to the lack of lateral support available from the main structure. As well as this, SFS was designed for the building’s Plant Rooms on the roof at 1200 mm centres, to suit the cladding rail connections.

We worked closely with Phoenix UK Group, assisting with additional commercial and design support throughout the project, managing the coordination with the façade and information from the main contractor, BAM Construction.

With the lightweight steel offering a high strength to weight ratio, the SFS proves cost effective, reducing the materials that are required for the structure. As well as this, the high levels of precision engineering in the KingFrame Steel Frame System helps to ensure predictability throughout the construction process, reducing the time it takes for the structure to become watertight, when internal fit out can begin.

Sheffield Hallam University issued a brief to ensure the buildings contributed towards the university’s likely long-term aim of becoming a zero-carbon institution, meaning the benchmark design requirement was for the buildings to be ‘zero carbon ready’. In terms of the sourcing of materials, a whole life cycle approach was adopted to select products that would have reduced carbon usage at all stages of the buildings’ life cycles. With the steel sections of the SFS being 100% recyclable, the system contributes towards responsible sourcing credentials, waste management, and reduced levels of carbon emissions and pollutants.