Project Summary & Objective
Laycock Studios is a student accommodation development located in Sheffield city centre and neighbours Sheffield train station. The façade and structure of the original W.W. Laycock & Sons Ltd building, which dates back to 1853, was retained and converted into a retail unit on the ground floor with student beds on the first floor. The new build is solely student accommodation over 6-storeys and, collectively with the refurbished building, provides 180 student beds.
The Client’s objective was to refurbish and maintain the original W.W. Laycock & Sons Ltd derelict silversmith’s building and demolish the adjacent buildings to make way for the new build.
Key Challenges
The poor structural condition of the existing building posed a number of design challenges for the team. An internal steel frame was designed to provide stability to the building and allow for internal walls and floors to be demolished, thereby opening up the space.
Solution
A complex sequence of refurbishment works had to be developed to ensure temporary stability of the building during removal of the floors and erection of the steel frame. This involved removing and replacing individual floor bays and erecting the steelwork in a pre-defined sequence.
In order to maintain the structural integrity of the existing façade, a scheme of repairs was proposed, which included demolishing the first-floor walls down to a specified level and rebuilding them, the replacement of existing lintels and localised mortar repairs.
The scheme was completed and occupied in 2017.