LIV Student Accommodation is a 500 bed and retail development in the heart of the buzzing student quarter of Sheffield. Constructed on a former car showroom by main Contractor ISG Limited, the development has transformed the local area. Using traditional materials and complex brick detailing the scheme delivers a crafted tactile building on this prominent location.
The 15-storey structure has a brick façade comprising Ibstock Ivanhoe Olde Village and Ibstock Broadgate Medium Grey. In total, 700,000 bricks were built in an aggressive 48-week brickwork programme.
The design work references the site’s close proximity to the Porter Brook and works towards Sheffield Council’s master plan to create a continuous walkable riverside path from Sheffield Train Station to Hunters bar. The detailing acts as a reminder and celebration of the flow of both the river and students. To indicate this flow the designers chose a combination of corbelling, radius facework and herringbone details.
All brickwork has been built by hand on site by in-house trained craftsmen and apprentices. Each panel of brickwork includes a uniquely created bronze brick with the name of a wheel or dam once found along the Porter Brook. Effective use of lighting enhances the vertical pillars in the darkness.