Wybourn Village Centre

Product used: Birtley Olde English bricks & Commercial Red bricks

Project location: Wybourn, Sheffield

Architect: DK Architects

The Wybourn Village Centre is a £2.4 million urban regeneration project in an inner city neighbourhood in Sheffield. It has delivered 12 apartments and a new Community Hub named after beloved local councillor Pat Midgely, who gave years of service to her community before she passed away in 2020. Great Places Housing Group developed the project in consultation with the local community and in partnership with Manor & Castle Development Trust.

Located in the heart of Wybourn, close to the Children’s Centre and Wybourn Community Primary School, the new buildings serve approximately 2,000 nearby homes and create a vibrant new focal point for the area. As well as providing new accommodation, the new facilities also include a community café and space for a range of events, education courses, and other engagement activities.

The Village Centre’s design, which was created by DK Architects, comprises of two low-rise blocks with the all-important community centre on the ground floor of Block A. Much of the scheme is built from a red brick to complement the surrounding residential area. The ground floor of both blocks consists of Ibstock’s Birtley Olde English bricks (with a brown medium mortar) with a transition to Ibstock’s Commercial Red bricks (with a natural mortar) for the first and second floors. In doing so, it defines the building’s functions and scale whilst also reflecting the banding on the surrounding houses. Both bricks have a light texture, but the latter possess a slightly brighter tone.

Arguably the most eye-catching characteristic of the new project, however, is the alternative glazed brick finish to Block A’s corner elevations. The Joris Glazed bricks used are dark blue on the ground floor before transitioning to a lighter blue for the first and second floors. The glazed brick corner stands as a symbol of the Community, and although it is of a contrasting material, its detailing is the same as the rest of the scheme that creates a harmonium building.

Modern features such as brick detailing and large expanses of glazing add a modern twist to a considered design all built with robust and high-quality materials. Both blocks possess vertical bricks at the very top of the facades whilst some windows are positioned inside slightly recessed sections of brickwork for visual interest. A pre-cast / mosaic element on the prominent corner of each block achieves the same.

Great Places Housing Group has undertaken significant work in Sheffield over the last few years. The Wybourn Village Centre was the final phase in their ambitious plan and is already making a difference in the community - prior to its construction, local schools and the nearby Children’s Centre were oversubscribed and unable to provide the necessary spaces for locals.

Consequently, this impressive project has created a fantastic community-run asset. Not only is it an eye-catching addition to the streetscape; it also delivers social value and will continue to support the people and their activities for years to come.