The new £12 million 2,800 sq m facility will house the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), a world-leading team researching a cure for motor neurone disease.

The two-storey SITraN building will look like no other major research facility. It will feature natural materials such as timber and stone as well as utilising a pallet of colours found in nature. The external lighting will be sympathetic to the adjacent occupants.

The design has been put together in sympathy with its challenging site. It is a conservation area and sits amongst residential buildings too (some listed), so - following the university's brief, the building has been designed with a "natural softness" and not with the cold inorganic design often seen in laboratories.

Though the building is two storeys it will appear to be single-storey as it is built into the landscape and entry is gained via the upper floor. A lightweight single storey pavilion will sit on top of the lower section housing the laboratories.

Several major sustainable features have been designed into the building, including a green (Sedum) roof as well as large overhangs to reduce glare and solar gain.

We have been appointed by the M&E contractor Rotary for the M&E and Public Health duties. Our role is for the design checking and coordinated working drawings.