CONCRETE PAVING
CASE STUDY THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Established in 1897, University College of Sheffield, later to become The University of Sheffield, was one of the original nine civic universities founded in the major industrial cities of England during the 19th century and today, is in the top 100 universities in the world. Due to its global reputation for teaching and research, it is a popular educational destination for international students, with more than 7,000 of its 29,000 student population coming from over 150 different countries.
THE BACKGROUND This demand has driven the need for a new, more multicultural and cohesive student union building surrounded by a well-conceived and enjoyable public space. This will connect the new student union to the heart of the university campus on Western Bank, which includes some of the most historic and recognisable buildings within the campus. The brief was to use a contemporary materials palette that nodded to the past but also connected to the future. THE CHALLENGE The challenge was to create a modern and sustainable design that enhanced the human experience using materials that complement the historic aesthetics of the site. Portuguese granite is used heavily in many streetscapes in this part of Sheffield, in the form of kerbs and detailing. Therefore, the architects HLM, wanted to incorporate Portuguese yellow granite as an accent feature and required a concrete product that had high sustainability values to enhance the credentials of the scheme in accordance with Sheffield City Council’s ‘Grey to Green’ Strategy. THE SOLUTION Charcon’s Andover Textured 200x300/200x200 x80mm in Silver Grey, Graphite Grey and Dark Grey was chosen due to high aesthetic qualities and its recycled content, of which both the recycled and virgin materials are UK sourced materials. This was combined with the bands of Portuguese yellow granite setts to connect the new space to existing local vernacular of granite kerbs and concrete paving.
To ensure the final product met everyone’s expectations Charcon worked in coordination with the architects and the contractor, providing advice on installation and detailing. This materials palette would also form the basis of a newly adopted strategy for all future university developments within the heart of the main campus and its surrounding buildings. Clinton Young, Specification Manager within Aggregate Industries’ Concrete Products Division, comments: “Through our early and in-depth involvement in the design phase, we were able to help HLM deliver a specification for a well-conceived and cohesive open space. The success of this project highlighted Charcon to be a great project partner from design to completion.”
For further information, visit www.charcon.com For technical support, please call 01335 372 216 or email charcon.technical@aggregate.com
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TECHNICAL INFORMATION: charcon.technical@aggregate.com
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