Anyone notice that it now has blue lights on it ? I did when I drove down last night, is this a way of trying to make it look nicer?

Yeah! I noticed it, and also the stairwell is lit up with yellow lights, lets face anything to make it look nicer.

Is this a permanent feature then ? I would have thought camouflage would be better than lights, I don't really like the building, is it listed?

I liked it the way it was, but I haven't seen it with the lights on yet.

Is this a permanent feature then ? I would have thought camouflage would be better than lights, I don't really like the building, is it listed?

I doubt it's listed, but it would involve turning off the electricity to the city centre for a few weeks if they wanted to demolish it.

i though we were trying to save energy? havnt we got global warming or sumat?

I liked it the way it was, but I haven't seen it with the lights on yet.

Dear god, how can anyone possibly like that building?

It's a classic of Brutalism and a real landmark. It also has an air of mystery as a lot of people don't know what the building is and no one is ever seen to enter it.

BUT! It's a total waste of money to put up architectural lighting on it at a cost of £47,018.25 which is what Sheffield City Council are paying. I found the tender here -

Link removed by stupid anti-spam rule

And here it is. By the way the sub-station is on Moore Street and not Hanover Way as in the thread title.

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/officer-decisions/2008/4th---10th-september-2008/moore-street-sub-station

And here it is. By the way the sub-station is on Moore Street and not Hanover Way as in the thread title.

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/officer-decisions/2008/4th---10th-september-2008/moore-street-sub-station

thats just stupid! nice to know our taxes are being spent wisely then! :loopy:

and How much to install lights????

Thanks for the link Nagel.

Not seen the substation lit up (yet). What a ridiculous waste of money. Excellent use of my council tax -not !!!

I love the fact that there is an enormous building plonked, practically in the city centre and lots of people don't know what it is and maybe don't even notice it

"Waste of money" is a subjective thing. I personally think it looks great. For renovations/initiatives like this, some people will always see it as pointless.

Let's not forget that there are some large new office developments at that end of town. It's probably part of a drive to make the area look more appealing and to ultimately attract businesses into the city.

If you really don't think it's an appropriate use of taxpayers money, then make a complaint:

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-and-city-development/about

"Waste of money" is a subjective thing. I personally think it looks great. For renovations/initiatives like this, some people will always see it as pointless.

Let's not forget that there are some large new office developments at that end of town. It's probably part of a drive to make the area look more appealing and to ultimately attract businesses into the city.

If you really don't think it's an appropriate use of taxpayers money, then make a complaint:

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-and-city-development/about

I agree, taking an ugly building and putting some lights on it can transform the appearance at night.

Shouldn't the owner of the building paid for it? Are we council tax payers paying for the electricity too? :roll:

I agree, taking an ugly building and putting some lights on it can transform the appearance at night.I agree that it's a classic of Brutalism, and I don't think it's a ugly building. Or maybe it's so ugly that it transcends its own appearance? We used to call it 'one hundred and one ways with concrete' and I also love the fact that it's known by so many and yet hardly anyone knows what it is. There's been several threads about it over the years. It's just so mysterious ....

Are the lights on everynight? Might have to trundle down there and take a gander :)

Dear god, how can anyone possibly like that building?It has no discernible feature and it a little bland. You can't love it but I find it hard to hate it also. Neighbouring Velocity tower however, they tried doing something with it and it's crap...

Shouldn't the owner of the building paid for it? Are we council tax payers paying for the electricity too? :roll:

how much power do these lights use?? I am expected to turn my tv off and not leave it on standby overnight and keep getting encuraged to use public transport to "save the environment" when pointless lights are illuminating some concrete building in town :loopy::loopy:

..it needs a good lick of paint, gardenia in satin silk might work ;)

It has no discernible feature and it a little bland. You can't love it but I find it hard to hate it also. Neighbouring Velocity tower however, they tried doing something with it and it's crap...

To be fair, what is now Velocity is nothing like what was planned. The fact that it isn't as tall, doesn't have the same specifications and the neighbouring building doesn't exist make it look unfinished.

It has no discernible feature and it a little bland. You can't love it but I find it hard to hate it also. Neighbouring Velocity tower however, they tried doing something with it and it's crap...

I think the velocity tower is a beautiful building compared with other modern constructions. I wish other city flat developers had taken their lead.

Nice clean lines, floor to ceiling glass, the back end projection loses the symmetry which is a shame but still a nice building.

It's a classic of Brutalism and a real landmark. It also has an air of mystery as a lot of people don't know what the building is and no one is ever seen to enter it.

BUT! It's a total waste of money to put up architectural lighting on it at a cost of £47,018.25 which is what Sheffield City Council are paying. I found the tender here -

Link removed by stupid anti-spam rule

You'd think they'd either round the figure up or down wouldn't you! 25p indeed. Silly billies.

See http://postcardcafe.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/moore-street-electricity-substation-and-other-concrete/

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k121/grahamdeepwell/Substaion.jpg

Yes, it's an Electricity sub-station. When it was built, it was in a back-water. Now it is in a prominent position, it is quite right that it's appearance should be improved.

It can't be moved, just as nearby Eldon House can't be moved. That's the Telephone Exchange.

I like the building myself. About the only decent piece of real 70s architecture in the city. I also like the lights, and although £47K might sound a lot to you and me, it isn't really, so I think it's money well spent. Well done Sheffield City Council!

I haven't seen the results yet, but I never felt the lack of lighting on the building detracted from it.

It's £47,000 that could otherwise have been spent on something useful like keeping one or two council workers in employment.

I haven't seen the results yet, but I never felt the lack of lighting on the building detracted from it.

It's £47,000 that could otherwise have been spent on something useful like keeping one or two council workers in employment.Or keep the council worker out of work AND save the money from the lights... Use it on roads... Street lighting... Parks and forestry... Something useful like not a pencil pusher...

Since when has improving our public realm ever been a waste of time? Buildings the world over are lit up in cities and this can be either paid for by private or public finance. If we were to continue this logic then perhaps we shouldn't light up the town hall, or the big wheel either for fear of it being a shocking waste of money?

I think that building is great, kinda reminds me of a US maximum security prison.

Word on the street is that Velocity have paid for this...

Best-looking building in the city, if you ask me.

Not surprising to hear that Velocity have paid for it: all major commercial building works in the city nowadays are subject to accompanying public improvements, e.g. the work West One did around Devonshire Green.

But the appeal of the building is that it's weird and threatening. It needs lights that emphasise this, or to be left in the shadows at night looking sinister.

No, the appeal for me is the shape of it.

By the way, if you want a picture of it to stick on your wall:
http://www.welivehere.co.uk/sheffield_moore_street_substation.html

Looks like the National Grid has picked up the tab:

http://projectsheffield.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/moore-street-electricity-sub-station/

Has someone not paid there bill ? As the lights have not been on for ages. I think the lighting is a vast improvments to this building.

According to Paul Scriven on Look Leeds North on Friday, who were there for the switch-on, taxpayers aren't footing the bill.

I only saw it on the TV, but as the building is always going to be there, I can't see what harm it does to liven it up a bit.

thats just stupid! nice to know our taxes are being spent wisely then! :loopy:

and How much to install lights????

[SIZE="6"]No cost at all to the tax payer of Sheffield, the lights were paid for by the electricity company that owns the buiding, if you had seen the lights switched on last week on Look North/Calender you would know this. It was also stated that the lights are L.E.D. and less power consuming, so therefore they are planet friendly. (Green)/SIZE]

Lights were definitely on tonight - got some photos before the rain set in...

http://ukjerry.jalbum.net/sheffield-substation/

Good pictures. I'm going to have a drive past tomorrow night to have a closer look.

Lights were definitely on tonight - got some photos before the rain set in...

http://ukjerry.jalbum.net/sheffield-substation/

Excellent pictures, makes the place look half acceptable!

Cheers for the comments!

I'm one of those who liked the building anyway - now we can see it at night as well:)

Lights were definitely on tonight - got some photos before the rain set in...

http://ukjerry.jalbum.net/sheffield-substation/

SUPERB photos :)

Lights were definitely on tonight - got some photos before the rain set in...

http://ukjerry.jalbum.net/sheffield-substation/

What great pictures.:D I would like to see other sheffield landmarks lit up like the norton water tower.

This building is a great, well thought out, well executed, well proportioned and well scaled example of Brutalist Architecture, - it should be listed.
The lighting of it has been a relatively cheap way of providing a vast improvement of that particular area. It will raise aspiration and help to encourage potential investors far beyond the initial outlay. The ability to show an appreciation of such buildings points to an emerging maturity for the understanding of how the furthering of culture can improve a place and the attitudes of those that live there. It will help to attract the wanted attention of a wider variety of people and businesses to the city.

I loved the building anyway - one of Sheffield's best pieces of architecture in my opinion. The new lights are superb, and they enhance an already impressive building, at zero cost to the taxpayer. Being LEDs, they use very little electricity too. It's the sort of thing we need more of, I think.

If anyone likes the building enough to want a pop-art print of it:
http://www.welivehere.co.uk/sheffield_moore_street_substation.html

Wish they did teeshirts with that on.

This building is a great, well thought out, well executed, well proportioned and well scaled example of Brutalist Architecture, - it should be listed.
The lighting of it has been a relatively cheap way of providing a vast improvement of that particular area. It will raise aspiration and help to encourage potential investors far beyond the initial outlay. The ability to show an appreciation of such buildings points to an emerging maturity for the understanding of how the furthering of culture can improve a place and the attitudes of those that live there. It will help to attract the wanted attention of a wider variety of people and businesses to the city.

The only attention it will attract now are thieves thanks to highlighting it as as an electricity sub station :suspect:

The only attention it will attract now are thieves thanks to highlighting it as as an electricity sub station :suspect:

The attention it has attracted on this forum prove you are wrong.

The electricity sub-station near Waitrose was all lit-up last night, looked really good, it's an interesting building, don't know if it's permanent or some kind of art thing.

BUT! It's a total waste of money to put up architectural lighting on it at a cost of £47,018.25 which is what Sheffield City Council are paying. I found the tender here -


I don't think it is a waste of money if it makes the whole area look better, Sheffield is so drab (e.g. St Pauls tower), anything that brightens it up is ok IMO

It was on the TV the day they switched the lights on, there was an interview with the architect as well. The electric company are paying for the lights not us tax payers for a change. Can't remember what side it was on, but probably look north .

I saw it last night when I went to the gym. It looks stunning - well done to all concerned. Let's have more like it - we'll get Sheffield into the 21st century yet.

we'll get Sheffield into the 21st century yet.

By using buildings from the 1970's :)

By using buildings from the 1970's :)
Older than that actually. The architect also designed the Roxys building.

By using buildings from the 1970's :)

Why not - me and our lass were in London a couple of weeks ago and had a stroll along the side of the Thames from Borough Market to Westminster at dusk / early evening - most buildings / structures are lit up - and the majority of the iconic ones are old.

Lighting up buildings at night makes the place look welcoming, warm and inviting.