Leopold Square is a new mixed use development in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

's West End

West End, Sheffield

The West End is a loosely-defined area of Sheffield, consisting of part of the City Centre, in addition to some of the western suburbs. The term has been in use for at least 150 years.- Modern Usage :...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is located at the corner of Leopold Street and West Street. The development, by Ask Developments and Gleeson's in collaboration with local architects AXIS Architecture, comprises the refurbishment of the former Central Technical School

Sheffield Central Technical School

The former Sheffield Central Technical School was housed in the collection of buildings now called Leopold Square in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England...

buildings built between 1870 and 1894 into: apartments, bars & restaurants, and a hotel. The development also has a new angular building to house a bar and a restaurant, and the creation of a brand new public square. The redevelopment of the old buildings began in 2004 following years of use as council offices after the closure of the Schools.

Leopold Square is Sheffield's best new building as voted for by people living and working in the city. At an awards ceremony held at the Showroom on 16 February 2011, the scheme won the People's Award as part of the Sheffield Design Awards 2010 - an event sponsored by Sheffield Civic Trust and RIBA Yorkshire every two years.

Public Square

The public square is surrounded by the original buildings from the old technical school that was home to such luminaries as Peter Stringfellow, and a dynamic new building fronting onto West Street. These buildings house 9 individual bars and restaurants and the 4 star hotel. The square is marked with an illuminated water feature and a tree lined square. Benches specially designed for the square have been cast by an artist out of Bronze and will provide resting places under the trees around the central square. The new angular building is built from locally sourced stone and genuine bronze cladding.

Residential courtyard

To the west of the site the smaller former school buildings have been converted to residential use and the new apartments surround a private courtyard. The apartments are unusual and often occupy double height spaces and contain retained existing features. The entrance to the Holly Building on Holly Street is particularly noteworthy for it ornate timber vestibule.

External links

• Leopold Square
• Axis Architecture
• Sheffield Civic Trust