Durham firm lights up multi-million-pound project at Sheffield University

A North East Lighting manufacturer has signed-off another major project, for a landmark scheme in Yorkshire.

Artech Lighting manufactured and delivered over 3,000 fixtures for the new Faculty of Social Science (FoSS) at Sheffield University. The new 16,500m2 building creates a world-class low energy hub for the faculty, boasting large, open space encouraging collaboration and further enhancing the University’s reputation for teaching and research excellence.

The £55m scheme sits at in heart of a new social sciences mini-campus, which also offers accommodation for the departments of sociological studies, economics and politics and shared facilities for the whole faculty, including a collaborative research hub.

Artech Lighting managing director, Stuart Hylton, said: “FoSS was an incredible undertaking and represents one of the largest individual projects we have delivered to date.

“The new facility is incredible, and offers a unique, future-proofed learning environment for generations to come. The lighting we provided illuminates huge open spaces, lecture halls, smaller, more intimate teaching spaces and a host of staircases, stairwells and corridors.

“There were some technical challenges on this project, however, seeing everything come together so beautifully to provide an holistic lighting scheme has been a genuine thrill and represents a real showcase for the talents of our lighting design team and the production staff whose hard work ensured we delivered the project on site and on budget.”

Among the Artech range utilised at FoSS were the company’s Nitor, Nastro, Flowline and Astra lights many of which included bespoke elements, tailored specifically for the Sheffield University project.

“While we do offer an excellent “off the shelf” service, we pride ourselves on creating lighting systems that perfectly suit the specific requirements of any project, whether that is an office, industrial space, car dealership or data centre,” added Stuart.

“Our design team works with the client or project designer to ensure every detail is considered when we produce a new solution…and no two projects are the same.”

HLM Architects, who designed the FoSS building, engaged with multiple stakeholders to ensure the project did not just meet the planning guidelines, but also delivered a forward looking, flexible learning environment that supports students’ mental health and wellbeing.

The building was designed with the idea that ‘every learning space should be active’ and includes many active learning spaces, that also supports group working and individual study areas. A state-of-the-art educational environment is a mix of formal and informal learning space, with a central, iconic drum, located within the atrium to provide larger teaching spaces.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily