Park Hill by Studio Egret West and Hawkins\Brown

Park Hill in Sheffield was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 20 September 2023 to a jury comprising Sunand Prasad, Marion Baeli, Chris Bicknell, Heather Topel, Hanif Kara, and Chair Catherine Burd. Read about how the project has stood the test of time.

Completed
2013

Park Hill in Sheffield is the Stirling Prize-shortlisted regeneration of Europe’s largest Grade II* listed structure. Designed by Studio Egret West and Hawkins\Brown for developer Urban Splash, the project sought to ameliorate nearly 40 years of neglect and misunderstanding, as well as reintegrate the building into its local context and community.

The 300 apartments of the first phase have been reinvented and refreshed with generous hall spaces, free-flowing floor plans, built-in storage, boutique-hotel-like bathrooms, and intelligent detailing. Outside, the brick panels and timber windows of the original façade have been replaced with brightly-coloured anodised aluminium panels and large areas of glazing. The new window cassettes introduce a shimmering lustrous effect, with colours ranging from a dark aubergine at the lowest level of the building to a fizzy lime-green at the top.

Credit: Peter Bennett

More than 5000 insitu concrete repairs were undertaken on the building’s 50-year-old concrete frame. The retention of this element has resulted in a saving of 3219 ton/CO2e – equivalent to three weeks’ energy output from a power station. The scheme’s ethos of retention, repair and upgrade, together with the aid of modern technology, has resulted in a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating.

The building’s previously unsatisfactory relationship with the landscape – sitting above and slightly alienated from it – has been improved through the introduction of shops, bars, cafés, restaurants, workspace and a nursery. Since completion, an ‘Action POE’ has been undertaken considering every aspect of living in the development, from the practicality of the kitchens to the accessibility of public transport.

Interviews with residents have revealed universal satisfaction with the design and thought that had gone into the creation of their new homes. Studio Egret West commented, “Every time we go back to Park Hill, it feels like a place where people want to live – something that’s noticeable long before entering through an apartment’s front door.”