Creative agency 93ft have converted a 19th century steel merchants building in Sheffield into a private events space, suspending an angular glass-and-steel structure within the triple-height roof space to house their new studio and headquarters.
Located in the industrial Neepsend area of the city, The Mowbray centres around a large, reconfigurable events hall, which is filled with bespoke furniture pieces crafted by 93ft from materials collected locally during the restoration period.
Above the events hall a triangular glass ‘pod’ nestles into the pointed roof space, housing the creative agency’s new headquarters and design studios.
An existing outbuilding has been joined to the event space and reconfigured to accommodate kitchens and bathrooms, as well as a new staircase to a rooftop herb garden.
93ft own and operate the venue, and were involved in all aspects of the three-year-long renovation project. Recorded through a series of Instagram posts, the build process included a full replacement of the roof structure, the addition of internal partitions and staircases, and the restoration of four original arched windows.
The history of the Victorian-era construction remains on show throughout The Mowbray, with rough bricks and crumbling layers of paint lining the walls of the events hall. Chandeliers and wall lights fabricated from reclaimed glass bricks illuminate the hall, and a custom-designed bar stands at one end.
93ft are a Sheffield based creative design agency specialising in interior architecture, branding, and digital design.
Ten years ago, the firm’s inaugaural project saw the conversion of a grade-II listed momument in the Kelham Island area of the city into internationally acclaimed meeting venue The Chimney House. A furnace structure and a 93-feet tall chimney were restored to create the venue, which – like The Mowbray – also functioned as 93ft’s HQ.
Photography by Tom Kahler