Stephen Wooldridge

Sheffield and it's changing landscape

Sheffield has an ever changing Cityscape with new developments cropping up everywhere and older, less desirable buildings being left to disrepair, sitting unused.

Is there a need for these new developments? Will they face the same future in 30 years? I looked at the current disused sites dotted around the city along with the sites currently earmarked by the city council for development. Here's what I found.

Psalter lane

Psalter Lane is the ex Art and Design campus for Sheffield Hallam University was sold and has been unused since summer 2008, something that both students and staff that attended the campus were upset and angered about.

In recent months work has started on the site, preparing it for the intended homes and apartments to be built on the site.

Before leaving it would appear that some of the art students had a couple of messages they would like to leave behind that seem rather fitting to my project.

"You'll miss me when I'm gone"

"Bye"

Ripe for rubble

I have visited sites intended for development in the future within the city and what I found was areas fenced off and hidden from view of the public. Many of these sites had been cordoned off and unused for over 18 months and were now littered with refuse and overgrown.

I see no logic behind laying claim over areas of land, fencing them off from public view and use and doing nothing productive with them.

These sites have now become 'dead space' and no use to anybody.

"No Entry"

"Telephone"

"Behind the Postal Office"

"Gated Space"

"Derelict Space"

So what do they want?

After looking at the areas now known to myself as 'Dead Space' I have looked at the main area in the city centre undergoing redevelopment which will house Sheffield's tallest building, also one of the UK's tallest buildings. This building will will incorporate apartments, retail units and the UK's largest underground casino.

The completed units in this area are still unused, although finished there is no demand for the space.

"Sheffield's Skyscraper"

"Unused Retail Space"

Skyline

To finish I took several photos of Sheffield's skyline and the shapes created by existing buildings within the city. I chose to photograph 'generic' buildings not only to prove that sheffield no longer has any buildings of character dominating the skyline as the newly built office and apartment blocks are taller and dominate but to also ask are these generic buildings what makes Sheffield, Sheffield? These buildings are next on the hit list for demolition (one of them even advertising demolition services) as part of Sheffields regeneration scheme, what will replace them? Why, tall square boxes of course.

"The Moor Skyline 2009"

"Demolition Services"

*Photos taken using:

- Nikon f100

- Kodak Tri-x 400

- Nikon 20-35 f2.8

- Nikon 50mm f1.4

And They're Off

Landscape Project