Member Article

Bringing 21st century style to Sheffield’s historic Globe Works

Award winning design and fit-out specialist OVO Spaces has brought 21st century functionality and style to one of the city’s most famous and historic buildings.

Situated at the gateway to Kelham Island, Globe Works is a Grade II listed property dating back to the birth of the Industrial Revolution.

The Globe Works was built in 1825 for the tool manufacturers Ibbotson and Roebank and is believed to be the world’s first purpose built cutlery factory.

In the 1970s, Sheffield Council called for the building, with its imposing frontage overlooking Penistone Road, to be removed from the register of listed buildings so it could be bulldozed to make way for an urban motorway.

That plan never materialised and the building survived years of neglect to be converted into office space in the 1980s.

The OVO team were brought in by the site’s owner, Matthew Davison of Davison Property Investments, for a range of improvements, including previous upgrades to the main entrance, reception and more recently to redevelop the complete ground floor level.

“We were basically given free rein to design and visualise how the space could work, with a video walk through presentation which has subsequently been used to market the property and attract new tenants,” said OVO Spaces Chief Executive David Baldwin.

“There is now capacity for five offices and an open plan layout with three private conference rooms and comfortable breakout area and other facilities including a kitchen and sports shower room.”

The work retained original features such oak beams, cast iron structural columns and a late1900s security safe that is now a coffee table in the meet and greet lobby.

“OVO Spaces is based in one of Sheffield’s best known historic buildings, the Terminal Warehouses in the Canal Basin, so we have experience of what is needed to make these historic properties fit for business purpose while satisfying the requirements of modern building regulations, listed building planning restrictions and all other statutory requirements,” said David.

“By taking the Globe Works space back to its shell, we were able to carry out a very sympathetic refurbishment, retaining the building’s natural beauty.”

Partly due the digital marketing document and the work carried out by OVO, Globe Works has now welcomed Simon Tillyer and his team from Vouch Online Ltd, a specialist tenant referencing company.

OVO Spaces was named Sheffield’s Leading Interior Design and Fit Out Specialists at the Build Magazine 2021 Build and Design Awards.

The team is currently working on projects for a wide range of leading companies, providing concept to conclusion building transformations for customers in the commercial, industrial, hospitality and leisure sectors.

Recent clients include Unihomes, Ceratizit, Great Places, Shelter, New Era Developments and multiple projects completed in local landmarks at the acclaimed Park Hill Commercial Units in Sheffield and on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Highfield .