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20 September 2008
University building offers box of musical delight
A striking, state-of-the-art black box development, known as the Soundhouse, has become the first building to be completed this year on the University of Sheffield Jessop site. The innovative music practice and studio facility will allow students to rehearse, practise and record music in an insulated, soundproof environment.
The new building is situated on the eastern side of Gell Street, close to the junction with Leavy greave Road in the Portobello area of the City. Built by Kier Northern, it covers a total of 450 square metres over three floors and will provide practice studios, rehearsal spaces and recording rooms for the University´s Department of Music, which is also to occupy the Victorian Wing of the old Jessop Hospital for Women.
The building looks like a black quilted cube or `music box´ and is a bold and simple design that reflects the existing inventiveness in the Portobello area. Designed by careyjones architects and Jefferson Sheard Architects, it is clad in black rubber and at three storeys in height has been designed to reflect the existing urban area.
The Soundhouse is the latest in a series of University developments in the Portobello area of the city. These include a new landmark building on the vacant west corner of the old Jessop Hospital for Women site, designed by architects Sauerbruch Hutton, together with the careful refurbishment of the Victorian Wing of the old Jessop Hospital for Women. The Jessop West building will provide leading facilities for the University's Departments of English and History and the School of Modern Languages and Linguistics (SOMLAL) and the refurbished Victoria Wing, designed by careyjones, will house the Department of Music.
Professor Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: "The Soundhouse is the first building to be completed in the second phase of our development of the Jessop site, with the first phase seeing the completion of the Sheffield Bioincubator. The unique state-of-the-art Soundhouse is an innovative addition to the campus and will allow our students to nurture and develop their passion for music in a modern and creative environment."
Simon Keefe, Head of the Department of Music at the University of Sheffield, said: "We are delighted with our new facilities. The Soundhouse is where undergraduates and postgraduates will practise and record a significant quantity of their music. The bold outline of the building is complemented by state-of-the-art interior acoustic design which allows sound to be auditioned in complete isolation, thus enabling even closer attention to musical detail."
Mike Harris, Director of careyjones architects, said: "Working with a forward thinking client such as the University of Sheffield allowed careyjones to really push the design boundaries for the Soundhouse. The simple and bold `music box´ design creates a stunning piece of architecture that sits well as part of the dynamic fabric of existing and new buildings in the surrounding area. Furthermore, the overall aesthetic of the black rubber quilt is intended as a literal translation of the building´s use contained within. As a practice we look forward to strengthening our relationship with the University and continuing our work in Sheffield."
Tom Rhys Jones, Managing Director of Jefferson Sheard Architects, said: "From the outset this project was always going to be technically challenging as it was highly innovative in terms of both the cladding and internal fit out. The building required intricate detailing at every stage; internally to meet the demanding acoustic requirements following through externally to the unique envelope of the Soundhouse using a construction method never before used in the UK.
"We believe the detailing has gone a long way to providing the University with the 21st Century flagship building which they envisaged when they approved the original design concept."
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