“ The interiors concept was inspired by the surrounding landmark architecture and great
natural landscapes all around the city .
WE ARE 74
panels . Large windows run along the full length of the ground floor and lower ground floor amenity spaces .
ANNE KNIGHT LOBBY ARTWORK
Knight House was named after feminist pioneer Anne Knight ( 1786-1862 ). A notable public art piece dedicated to Anne Knight now greets visitors in the building ’ s lobby , in the form of a mosaic wall installation by artist Coralie Turpin . 74 was closely involved in the initial artist interviews and design-stage review process for the commission , as well as inputting into the final colour scheme , using the same yellow as used within the interior scheme .
ARCHITECTURAL BRIEf
The brief for the building was to design a high-quality landmark structure to serve as a focal point for the area and to sit harmoniously within the context of both large- and smaller-scale existing buildings in the vicinity . The design proposal consisted of two main forms : a 6-storey podium and a tower element which rises above the podium by a further 11 storeys to create the final 17-storey building .
‘ Although the planning process was challenging , we developed a very positive relationship with the urban planning team and planning permission for the proposed scheme was eventually obtained ’ David Holt explained .
74 designed the building form , the proportions of the apertures and spaces between to create an elegant overall building appearance , exemplified by the slender vertical emphasis of the façade articulation , which includes bronze , anodised metal feature
Entitled ‘ Anne Knight and the Dawning of the Women ’ s Movement in the UK ’, the mosaic was constructed by the artist in her studio at Yorkshire Artspace and installed by Anglian Tiling . Anne Knight was a Quaker and anti-slavery activist and formed the first women ’ s suffrage society in Sheffield in 1851 . The mural represents Anne ’ s legacy as a pioneer feminist , and the cyclical progress of the women ’ s movement in Britain from the era in which she was born to our present day . Like this mural , the women ’ s movement has developed in waves , but consistent throughout has been the aim to achieve equality for women in political rights and representation , education , work , health , sexuality and in the family .
‘ It is something special that Sheffield is the birthplace of a campaign that finally attained its objectives when Parliament passed the Representation of the People Act ( 1918 ), and , a decade later , the Equal Franchise Act ( 1928 )’, Julie V . Gottlieb , Professor of Modern History , University of Sheffield , who created the historical timeline for the commission , explained . ‘ These achievements are not to the credit of great leaders alone but to the power of collective action , solidarity and sisterhood . An artwork conceived as we marked the centenaries of women ’ s ( partial ) suffrage and women ’ s entry into Parliament , artist Coralie Turpin gives visual form and texture to the uneven and fluctuating yet overall progressive movement towards gender equality in Britain .’
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