Park Hill

: Hawkins\Brown, Studio Egret West and Mikhail Richies

In 2013, affordable homes-led placemaker Places for People and developer Urban Splash formed a joint venture to reinvigorate the Park Hill housing estate in Sheffield.

Park Hill is an icon on the Sheffield skyline, being the largest grade II listed building in Europe and of special architectural and historic interest and national importance. The development partners’ innovative design-led approach to reshaping this famous building has to date resulted in the delivery of 450 high-quality, affordable homes and the creation of an exciting new cultural quarter. On the outside, Park Hill has been carefully enhanced, with colour introduced to reinvigorate its exterior. On the inside, homes have been reconfigured to meet modern needs, incorporating such features as light, airy open plan living spaces. The second phase, designed by architect Mikhail Riches, comprises 195 homes, and 35 different apartment types have been created by careful remodeling. This is no longer a mono-tenure estate, but now offers homes in a mix of tenures for families, the young and older people, enabling the estate to become a more balanced community. Residents have been attracted by the homes’ contemporary living spaces and Park Hill’s welcoming neighbourhood. Regeneration has not only resulted in the creation of desirable homes, but is boosting the local economy, with new commercial spaces providing employment and local services for residents and the surrounding community.