Context and Civic Presence

3 St Paul’s Place, designed by Hodder + Partners and completed in 2016, forms part of a prominent trio of office buildings framing one of Sheffield city centre’s most important civic spaces, immediately adjacent to the Peace Gardens. Comprised of 76,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation arranged over nine storeys, the building has a landmark presence within the city and represents the highest-quality workspace Sheffield has to offer. As a destination for globally recognised organisations, it plays an active role in shaping the commercial and cultural life of the city centre, supporting Sheffield’s ambition to attract and retain world-class businesses within a premium, well-connected urban setting.

Approaching a decade since completion, however, whilst the architecture remains robust and carefully detailed, shifts in workplace culture, sustainability expectations and patterns of occupation prompted a considered re-evaluation of the building’s shared internal environments.

Jasper Sanders + Partners were appointed by client Till Asset Management to transform the interior’s common parts in line with this vision, creating a contemporary and forward-looking refurbishment to ensure that the building continues to perform as a premium workplace while supporting long-term occupation and tenant satisfaction.

Purpose and Strategic Intent

“The refurbishment was driven by a dual objective” Jasper Sanders explained, “to enhance the market appeal of vacant accommodation while strengthening the experience of incumbent tenants whose leases were approaching break or expiry within the near term. The building is occupied by internationally recognised organisations, including world-leading engineering and architectural practices BDP and Arup, whose values place strong emphasis on environmental responsibility, cultural quality and the creation of workplaces that support both people and performance.”

The project focused therefore on improving the shared spaces that shape daily experience, including arrival, circulation, amenity and welfare, recognising the critical role these environments play in tenant retention, wellbeing and identity. Rather than wholesale replacement, the refurbishment strategy prioritised targeted interventions to elevate quality, clarity and functionality while respecting the original architectural intent.

Design Language

Re-organising the arrival space plan; giving more focus to the cycle hub; introducing natural materials and creating a fresher, more hospitality-inspired feel with a strong use of graphic communication – also designed by Jasper Sanders + Partners - were key elements of the updated design.

The design language builds on the building’s original character and brand identity, retaining tonal references to the existing palette while introducing confident contemporary accents that bring clarity and freshness. The interior palette has been reimagined with a nod to hospitality interiors, creating a design feel that is vibrant and contemporary.

Colour, texture and lighting have been deployed to support orientation, define zones and create environments that feel professional and human-centred. The approach reflects the continued evolution of the workplace towards settings that borrow from hospitality in their emphasis on comfort, sociability and emotional engagement, without compromising functionality or longevity.

Ground Floor Arrival and Social Amenity

The ground-floor reception was reimagined as an active, socially engaging arrival environment. The existing reception desk – previously in a black finish - was retained but reduced in size by 1.5m and re-clad in a lighter Egger oak laminate. By moving back-of-house space to the lower-ground floor, a new front-of-house lounge and meeting setting was enabled, transforming previously redundant areas into spaces that support collaboration, waiting and informal interaction.

The former back-of-house kitchenette was repurposed as a customer-facing coffee and meeting facility, for example, bringing activity to the edge of the building and strengthening the relationship between interior and public realm. Existing booth seating was refurbished with new upholstery in a lightly-textured maroon fabric from Kvadrat, complemented by improved lighting, curated reading areas and a clearer zoning strategy. New timber flooring and durable timber laminate finishes introduce warmth and tactility while ensuring longevity in a high-traffic environment. Together, these interventions create a reception that feels inhabited and purposeful, projecting a confident identity both internally and through the glazed façade to the surrounding streetscape.

Upper-Level Circulation and Arrival

Across the nine upper floors, lift lobbies and circulation routes were transformed from worn, utilitarian spaces into environments that reinforce arrival and identity at every level. Previously characterised by end-of-life carpet, standard white walls and poor-quality lighting, these areas now present a rich, more atmospheric palette, featuring two-tone ‘Harmony’ carpets in Great Grape and Coffee Mocha from Tessera and bold and moody maroon walls.

Lighting has been rebalanced across the board to improve visual comfort and legibility, while a cohesive signage and tenant board strategy strengthens wayfinding, giving occupiers a clearer sense of presence and ownership. Existing level signage was retained and reworked, embedding the new system within the fabric of the building – and retaining and expanding on the building brand identity’s zip of lime green - to minimise waste. All graphic design on the project was by Jasper Sanders + Partners, with all new signage manufactured by Total Signs & Prints.

Bathrooms and Everyday Amenities

Bathroom areas were updated with a neutral, contemporary palette, replacing the original gendered colour schemes. An economic solution for this was to use 3M film in shades of grey to re-clad individual WC doors in both the female and male washrooms, replacing existing pink and blue doors. The refreshed environments prioritise durability, inclusivity and calm, subtly improving the daily experience for building users while aligning with the overall material language of the refurbishment.

Basement Cycle Hub and Active Arrival

Sheffield’s compact city centre and strong cycling culture informed a significant rethinking of the basement environment.

“The previously-fragmented bike storage has been transformed into a cycle hub that offers an arrival experience equivalent in quality to the ground-floor front-of-house reception” Nathalie Kenning, Associate at Jasper Sanders + Partners, explained. “This reinforces active travel as a viable and desirable choice, supporting reduced reliance on car use while acknowledging arrival as a key moment in the working day, regardless of how people travel to work.”

Along with enhanced lighting, clear wayfinding, the bold use colour and a strong graphic identity, additional lockers and improved welfare facilities help create a space that feels safe, legible and welcoming.

Sustainability

The project builds on the building’s existing environmental credentials, focusing on operational efficiency, long-term adaptability and measurable reductions in carbon impact, in line with the expectations of its globally recognised tenant base.

A specialist carbon and energy consultant reviewed the building’s performance and identified opportunities to reduce energy consumption while mitigating service charge impact. This work informed a targeted renewable energy strategy, including the installation of an array of roof-mounted solar photovoltaics within the limited flat roof area available. The panels, optimised on a south-west facing pitch of approximately 45°, will contribute circa 6% of the building’s annual energy demand and deliver an estimated saving of approximately 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year. This renewable energy strategy was paired with comprehensive upgrades to lighting throughout, improving efficiency (calculated lumens-per-watt) while enhancing visual comfort and spatial quality. Collectively, these interventions enabled a significant uplift in energy performance, improving the building’s EPC rating from B to an EPC A - a notable achievement for a building of this scale and age.

The interior refurbishment prioritised retention, re-use and careful deconstruction. Existing elements were assessed in detail to identify components suitable for refurbishment rather than replacement, reducing embodied carbon and minimising waste-to-landfill. Where new materials were introduced, selections were driven by durability, low maintenance requirements and responsible manufacturing. Timber flooring and locally produced laminate were specified for their longevity and regional provenance, reducing transport impact while supporting local supply chains.

Sheffield’s established district heating network continues to play a key role in reducing carbon emissions associated with heating, and the building’s ongoing energy strategy positions it to respond positively to future regulatory and ESG requirements. Together, these measures demonstrate how targeted retrofit, informed by expert analysis, can meaningfully improve environmental performance while extending the life and relevance of a premium commercial building.

Outcome

“The refurbishment of 3 St Paul’s Place recalibrates the building for the realities of contemporary work” Liam MacCarthy, Director of Till Asset Management concluded, “strengthening its position as Sheffield’s premium office environment. By enhancing arrival, circulation, amenity and active travel facilities, the project supports long-term occupation, extended leases and tenant satisfaction, while aligning with the values of globally recognised organisations committed to environmental responsibility and cultural quality.

The result of the re-design by Jasper Sanders + Partners is bold and contemporary, creating a best-in-class workplace within a major northern city - one that supports business success, enhances wellbeing and contributes positively to Sheffield’s evolving urban and commercial landscape.”