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Centrally located on the campus of the University of Sheffield, UK, The Wave is an ultra-modern building designed for the Faculty of Social Sciences. This world-class facility provides a unique, sustainable work environment stimulating research and study development. Press Glass supplied more than 5,000m² of façade glass, in cooperation with façade contractor Charles Henshaw & Sons Ltd.

The nearly 17,000 m2 building was designed by HLM Architects in close collaboration with the University of Sheffield authorities. The Wave has been strategically located between two parks, offering comfortable and safe meeting spaces for students, staff, and the local community. The design of the building comprised both the dynamic scientific development of the university as well as fulfilled the mission of sustainable architecture by obtaining the prestigious BREEAM Outstanding certificate.

Providing many facilities, The Wave is a place for five faculties: Sociological Studies, Journalism, the School of Education, the Institute of Methods, and the Sheffield School of Information. As the heart of the Faculty of Social Sciences campus, it offers a wide range of lecture theatres, conference rooms, exhibition spaces and even a radio and television studio. The building also has a cafeteria and social space for students and local residents.

The Wave is also well connected. The two entrances of the building lead to a central atrium, dominated by a mosaic glass roof. During the day, its interior is filled with bright, natural light. The visual and physical connections in and around the building combine and stimulate multiple functions: educational, research, scientific and social.

The façade of The Wave has been designed with care to control internal conditions while presenting a striking, rhythmic design that “flows between transparency and solidity’. The visible slender rounded corners add lightness to the block and the large-format façade glass ensures thermal and acoustic comfort.

The entire project accomplishment involved multi-stage technical consultations and searching for innovative solutions. Working with façade contractor Charles Henshaw & Sons Ltd., Press Glass supplied more than 5,000 m² of façade glass. Among others, laminated glass with Digital Print technology, acoustic glass units and glass with SunGuard coatings for increased solar control and thermal insulation were used for façade glazing.

The production of façade glazed units with heights in excess of 3,800 mm and a complex design was an additional challenge for the Press Glass engineering team.

The building was commissioned in April 2023. In July 2023, the architectural design of The Wave won the prestigious South Yorkshire Property Award in the design excellence category.

• Photograph: VOX MULTIMEDIA LIMITED
• Design: HLM Architects
• Contractor: Charles Henshaw & Sons Ltd.