Work due to start on £220m revamp of university

WORK ON a £220m revamp of Sheffield Hallam University is set to begin this month through a pioneering new partnership.

The university has appointed three suppliers to form the Hallam Alliance, a construction industry procurement and delivery model which aims to inspire change in the sector.

The alliance, which is the first of its kind in the UK for a university building programme, involves the university and a design-led consultancy, BDP-Arup, a construction firm, BAM, and facilities management specialists, CBRE.

The first phase is set to see £220m invested over the next five years and will focus on the university’s estate, creating a new gateway to the city, transforming the campus and supporting the wider development of Sheffield.

The scheme will see a state-ofthe art, sustainable campus featuring new buildings and green spaces between Sheffield Station and Arundel Gate.

It will include new buildings with teaching facilities and staff workplaces for the Sheffield Business School (SBS) and Social Sciences which will be surrounded by outdoor spaces to benefit health and well-being.

The development will provide a forum for civic engagements and meetings for students, staff and industry partners as well as residents and visitors to the South Yorkshire city.

The initial project for the Hallam Alliance will be the delivery of the first phase of the university’s campus plan – with work due to start this month on renovations to the atrium of the Owen Building.

Partners will work together on each stage of the design, construction and operation of the multi-million pound scheme.

Daniel Ladbury, the director of estates and facilities at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The agreement of the alliance’s contract marks the culmination of over two years of hard work which the university has led on to challenge the industry to deliver better buildings.

“The Hallam Alliance provides a unique opportunity as we look to the future in these challenging times to create a high performing and efficient estate.”