This state-of-the-art research centre for the University of Sheffield comprises a single-storey industrial workshop with office and amenity spaces. The workshop is split into two different sides, the ‘wet’ side and the ‘dry’ side.
The wet side houses a 45m long, 6m wide, 5m deep reinforced concrete pit with 600mm thick walls and base to allow for various experiments, involving drainage and wastewater.
The dry side has a 750mm thick, heavily reinforced concrete slab with cast-in sockets on a regular grid across the floor plate to provide the end users with multiple fixing locations for experiments.
The floor is heavily loaded and subject to large shear and moment forces.
Images © Bond Bryan Architects.