Sheaf Square Sheffield Regeneration Projects Design Team

Sheaf Square, located on the subterranean confluence of the river Sheaf and the Porter Brook, has been redeveloped into a new public space outside Sheffield Railway Station and stands as the new gateway into Sheffield.

Forming part of the ‘Gold Route’, extending from the station into the heart of the city, the redevelopment of Sheffield Station and Sheaf Square has provided Sheffield with a world class entrance into the city.

As part of this redevelopment, Ocmis working with Sheffield Regeneration Projects Design Team (RPDT) and Jordan’s Engineering, have developed the initial designs into a world class water feature.

Essentially comprising of two separate elements the fountains consist of a cascade feature with seven cascading pools of water, adjacent to the 80m long stainless steel water covered ‘Cutting Edge’ sculpture.

Concealed along the foot of the lowest cascade a custom designed and manufactured ‘cold mist’ system produces clouds of virtual steam at pre-set intervals during the evening.

During the design phase of this project Ocmis constructed various full size mock-ups, developing and approving the concepts as work progressed ensuring the final result exceeded expectations.

In a high profile feature such as this a large quantity of plant is required in order to both operate the various systems and maintain the water clarity and safety, concealing all this equipment whilst maintaining accessibility can be problematic. At Sheaf Square the entire fountain mechanics are concealed in plantrooms located below the cascade pools, allowing operators straightforward efficient access to all items of equipment. Additionally, being in Sheffield, Ocmis utilised stainless steel pipework throughout the plantrooms, all fabricated within our own fabrication department, and assembled on site.

Water quality is crucial for all water features such as this, and as such the water is constantly filtered, treated and monitored with an automatic system in the plant room, utilizing chlorination, UV and Ozone sterilisation systems to ensure it is clean and safe.

The entire system is operated by a user friendly touch screen operator interface and controlled by an Ocmis design and built control panel.