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The University of Sheffield in the UK has today received planning permission from Sheffield City Council for a new research facility designed by Bond Bryan Architects.The £12 million 2,800 sq m facility will house The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), a world-leading team researching a cure for motor neurone disease.
Bond Bryan’s associate director, Jason Clark, says: “The two-storey SITraN building will look like no other major research facility. It will feature natural materials such as timber and stone as well as utilising a pallet of colours found in nature.
“The design has been put together in sympathy with its challenging site. It is a Conservation Area and sits amongst residential buildings too, so – following the university’s brief, we have designed a building with a natural softness, not with the cold inorganic design often seen in laboratories.”
Though the building is two storeys it will appear to be single-storey as it is built into the landscape and entry is gained via the upper floor. A lightweight single storey pavilion will sit on top of the lower section housing the laboratories.
Several major sustainable features have been designed into the building, including a green roof as well as large overhangs to reduce glare and solar gain.