Academy of Social Sciences Officially Opens University of Sheffield’s Most Sustainable Building
The University of Sheffield’s most sustainable building was officially opened on Monday 20 November 2023 by Will Hutton, President of the Academy of Social Sciences, in a ceremony where he set out the societal challenges he wants the students and staff of The Wave to address.
The Wave, named to reflect the physical design of the building, is now the flagship building for the University of Sheffield’s Faculty of Social Sciences, providing a purpose-built hub of state-of-the-art teaching facilities for its students.
Guests including the Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Sheffield, and Master and Mistress Cutler were invited to tour the building and see its new world-class teaching and research spaces, media suites, offices and social spaces that will provide students and staff with a collaborative working, teaching and research environment. The public cafe will also provide further social and relaxation space for the local community and visitors to the nearby hospitals.
As the University’s most sustainable building on campus, The Wave will operate with net zero emissions. Ground-source heat pumps will provide heating in the winter and cooling in summer, with solar panels being used to generate electricity for the building.
New landscaping and greenspaces, including a public art installation, is open to all and will help improve the local environment’s biodiversity. Flood risk will be mitigated through sustainable drainage schemes, made up of rain gardens and extensive tree planting which add to the 10,400 trees already on the University’s estate.
Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Gill Valentine, opened proceedings on the day and said: “The Wave will provide our world-leading community of social scientists, a space to work together to confront the complex questions of our time. A place where our students can work across subject boundaries to analyse pressing social challenges such as the climate crisis, the housing crisis, rapid urbanisation, racial injustice and democratic decay.
“As our first net zero building, the spaces within have been designed to help our students thrive, create an inclusive and welcoming space for staff and our wider Sheffield community, and support ways of working and teaching that reflect our ambition to be one of the most sustainable research-intensive universities in the UK.”
Speaking at the opening, Will, a passionate advocate for the social sciences, set out important challenges for the staff and students resident at The Wave. These included how society addresses what constitutes good government and democracy, the productivity of the British economy and how academics build relationships with business communities, our need to repurpose and reorganise our financial system and the economy, how we educate our students to navigate the 21st century world, and what kind of social structures, including for crime, health and housing we want to see for ourselves.
He addressed the audience and said: “I hope in the months and years ahead we will see the social scientists, academics and young researchers of The Wave address these issues and find ways to use the ideas that result to influence the public policy community.
“This is a brilliant moment to do social science, the best moment to do it is in a moment of crisis, when people are ready to hear what we have to say. We are obviously all individuals and all want to have agency, but also congruent with the fellowship and mutuality that comes with living in a collaborative community. It’s about the ‘we’ and ‘I’, and social sciences properly done can navigate those tensions in society. The social sciences have got a great job to do, so I implore you to go out and do it.”
Faculty Director of Research and Innovation, Ruth Blakeley, said: “We are facing a significant time of change in Social Sciences research, and it’s important that we understand how best to respond to crises such as climate destruction, declining productivity, escalation of war, violent conflict and associated human rights abuses, and the lasting socio-economic impacts of Brexit and the covid-19 pandemic.
“Interdisciplinary research, bringing together the best minds from different areas of the Social Sciences, can help us to understand these challenges and develop responses to them, from different perspectives. We pride ourselves on our interdisciplinary research within the Faculty of Social Sciences. By bringing different research expertise together within The Wave, we have developed an environment in which our research expertise can thrive and continue to tackle society’s urgent challenges.”
Located on the corner of Witham Road and Northumberland Road in Broomhill, The Wave is now home to various Faculty of Social Sciences specialisms for both students and academic staff, including the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Department of Sociological Studies, the Information School, School of Education, Sheffield Methods Institute, Social Research Institutes and the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership.
Sebastian Jones, a BA Journalism Studies student, said: “The brand new industry-standard journalism equipment at the Wave is truly spectacular. The fact these facilities are to an industry-standard shows further example of why the School of Journalism has the students best interest at heart, as the equipment we use here is directly the same as other big leading media outlets. Combined with the industry professionals as tutors, the opportunities we get from the course and the course content, this is just another reason journalism is one of the best.”
Na Ao, who is an MA Broadcast Journalism student, said: “Thanks to the industry-standard facilities and guidance from tech staff, it’s been a huge confidence boost in my ability to produce high-quality radio and TV packages. I’ve really been able to find my feet as a TV reporter and feel more confident to embark on a career in Broadcast Journalism.”
Emily Howarth, Head of Care Services at Weston Park Cancer Charity, said: “We are delighted to host our monthly coffee morning at the University of Sheffield’s brand-new venue, The Wave. Our coffee mornings are a wonderful chance for people to catch up with Weston Park staff and volunteers and find out about the support we provide for people affected by cancer. We’d love patients, family, and friends to come along and join us for a hot drink and a chat.”