I'd be interested in what you think about the new Peace Gardens Hotel ( currently under construction)

I think it's a dreadful piece of achitecture - all steel frame and pre-cast concrete blocks. It's a depressing building (and it's not even finished !!) with absolutely no architectural merit whatsover and it blocks off the wonderful Winter Garden one of Sheffield's best assets.

I've just been in Europe (Kracow)and seen some of the buildings there. We always seem to opt for the cheapest, quickest and most awful designs.

Sure, buildings need to be functional and modern, but please can they be slightly pleasing to the eye. I'm even getting slightly nostalgic for the 'Egg Box' which at least had some curves and lines.

Whaddya think?

Jesus Christ...the hotel is really not that bad In my opinion.

Its the office blocks I'm worried about.

I think it looks bad and it does block out the winter gardens,
They should have picked something that complemented the old architecture and the new. its very sad, and I bet in 40 or 50 years time they will knock it down because it doesn’t fit in.

You're right. We should just've left the eggbox up cos that looked much better, didn't it?

I think the worse thing is it blocks out the view of the winter garden from the peace garden with a really anonymous looking building.

I just can't understand what they were thinking of, sure it could have been designed a bit better.

Lets wait until they take the scaffolding down (expected to be within the next 2 to 3 weeks)

It will look ok when it is finished. It looks ghastly at the moment because it hasn't been finished - give it a chance
:thumbsup:

Originally posted by miniminch
It will look ok when it is finished. It looks ghastly at the moment because it hasn't been finished - give it a chance
:thumbsup:

Its still going to block the view of the winter garden.

Originally posted by Yodameister
Its still going to block the view of the winter garden. pop round the front if you want a view of the blummin winter gardens. All we are saying is give Peace (gardens) a chance:P

I'm sorry, but you can have a look at the finished product at the BBC South Yorkshire web site and see the artists impression of the finished article - still does not inspire any kind of WOW or GORBLIMEY factor for me.

The other demolition day I'm waiting for is of course at Moorfoot with the old Manpower Services Commission (now DfES) building. On the South Yorkshire 'eyesore league table' this takes the biscuit..... or is there something worse?

fantastic image of the finished product (from Surrey Street)...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v302/dinpy/DSCF0885.jpg

;)

I think regardless of the merits of the architecture of the hotel, the "wow" factor of the Winter Gardens has been diminished. There are now very few places where you can see the arches of that building in their full glory.

Before the hotel was built, there was a sense of space and light and now that is no longer there which is a real shame because the Winter Gardens/Peace Gardens view gave the City Centre something very special and unique

If I remember, wasn't the EU Objective 1 funding predicated on the construction of a hotel and offices anyway? It was never about creating a pretty view for Sheffielders to look at but rather more about kick starting economic growth in the City Centre. I think it does a pretty good job of bridging the gap between the Victorian era Town Hall and the modernist Winter Gardens. I hope it is a success at bringing jobs, money and visitors to Sheffield.

City Centres aren't vast open spaces and building on the former eggbox site was the right thing to do.

The Sheffield One masterplan states that the regeneration process would be at no eventual expense to the taxpayer. Leaving the land blank would cost the council a shedload of money in lost revenue and plus they'd have to maintain it, at taxpayers expense.

Not only that, it would make the area look incomplete. It would look daft having swathes of unused space in the absolute centre of the city and would make it featureless, except for the 6 days of nice weather we get every year.

The St Pauls Place development will create new life around the Peace Gardens, day AND night.

I will reserve full judgement until the scheme is complete but its not as bad as people make it out to be.

The hotel looks ace, the office building not as nice.

Now when I'm in town the only ugly thing in sight are the new Gardens (I so dearly miss the old ones with the huge grassed area). I don't have to see the repulsive greenhouse no more.

I think the hotel will look amazing.

I do think they should have built it much shorter but also a lot taller so that the Winter Gardens wouldn't be so shrouded.

Only problem with a tall building there would be the emphasis took away from the Town Hall.

I think the office block will look good too, especially once there are some cafe's etc. I think it'll be a great backdrop to the Peace Gardens.

I think the hotel wil be decent once the cladding is on, even the office is starting to grow on me. I will reserve judgement though til its finished. Whatever it looks like though, sheffield needs the economic boost and this is a good start.

does anyone know when it is due for completion?

Should be opening mid-November....

Originally posted by Captain_Scarlet
The hotel looks ace, the office building not as nice.


I agree, at least they have made a bit of an effort with the hotel to make it modern and interesting, the office block is just that, a block, very, very dissapointing.

I have to disagree about the gardens though, they are a vast improvement on the open-air tramps doss-house we used to have.

Actually you will be able to see the Winter Garden from the Peace Gardens. I agree that it would have been bizarre to leave the plot vacant and I think that the hotel is the right height and that the design is a good one that will stand the test of time.

If anyone has any doubts about the quality of the Heart of the City scheme then check this out:

http://www.sheffield1.com/final_small.mov

I think the regeneration is fantastic but then I'm not a Sheffielder so don't feel the need to run the city down at every opportunity.

Originally posted by sw9wj
Actually you will be able to see the Winter Garden from the Peace Gardens. I agree that it would have been bizarre to leave the plot vacant and I think that the hotel is the right height and that the design is a good one that will stand the test of time.

If anyone has any doubts about the quality of the Heart of the City scheme then check this out:

http://www.sheffield1.com/final_small.mov

I think the regeneration is fantastic but then I'm not a Sheffielder so don't feel the need to run the city down at every opportunity.

Nice video.

I see Starbucks have already secured a unit in the new square.

Think the New Hotel will compliment the old and the new, most people on here just dont want any change in Sheffield at all, this nowt wrong with eggbox attitude is just appauling!

Heres (http://members.lycos.co.uk/rspreece/hpbimg/Animation26.gif) a little movie capture of the Macdonalds St Pauls Hotel and the WinterGardens by night and a cool shot of the completed hotel here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/skyfitsboy/Sheffield%20Construction/DSCF0885.jpg)

Wow. My flabber is ghasted. That's very impressive. Tell me, as an exile, how far is construction advanced? Are the office blocks currently underway as well as the hotel? Is the Yorkshire Grey, sadly, no more?

Thank you for posting the videos.

Originally posted by SheffieldSean
Wow. My flabber is ghasted. That's very impressive. Tell me, as an exile, how far is construction advanced? Are the office blocks currently underway as well as the hotel? Is the Yorkshire Grey, sadly, no more?

Thank you for posting the videos.

Heres (http://members.lycos.co.uk/rspreece/hpbimg/Peace%20gardens%20snooker%20290405.jpg) a recent pic of the current construction stage of the new Macdonalds St Pauls Hotel.

Another pic (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v302/dinpy/DSCF0881.jpg) of the current construction stage of St Pauls Place (http://www.stpaulsplace.co.uk) office block.

Thanks for the pictures.

I was sat outside Ha Ha Bar last Friday andthe view of the town hal behind the peace gardens was stunning. Could have been Prague. And then you turn a bit to the right and :gag: