Beton House

Multigenerational community building on the iconic Park Hill Estate

Client Alumno Group

Project Role Architects, Interior Designers

Scale 356 student bedrooms

Status Complete

Park Hill is one of the UK’s most significant post-war modernist buildings — a Grade II-listed landmark recognised internationally and central to Sheffield’s identity.

We have played a key role in its long-term regeneration. Working with Alumno Group, Urban Splash and Kier Construction, we were tasked with transforming one of the estate’s blocks — now known as Beton House — into 356 student bedrooms.

The challenge was clear: introduce a new tenure into Europe’s largest listed building while protecting its architectural integrity and working closely with Historic England, The Twentieth Century Society and the Local Authority Conservation Team.

Park Hill, photographed in the 1970's

Park Hill, photographed in the 1970's

'Streets in the sky' captured in the 1960's.

Working with fabric, not against it

Our approach was guided by a principle of retention. We preserved and restored as much original fabric as possible — concrete balustrades, architectural metalwork, mosaic panels and the generous width of the famous “Streets in the Sky”.

Rather than impose a standard student layout, we developed an innovative three-storey townhouse model that works within Park Hill’s structural grid. Each townhouse links eight bedrooms around a generous shared kitchen at its centre — a social hub that spans the full three-bay width of the frame, offering shared spaces far larger than typical student schemes.

We adopted a “do less” restoration strategy, expressing repaired concrete rather than concealing it. Original brickwork and mortar were retained wherever possible. Internally, exposed concrete was carefully cleaned and sealed to preserve its texture and subtle pink hue — a tone we echoed within the interior palette to soften the modernist materiality.

The bold façade colours draw directly from the original Italian mosaic panels at the former Parkway Tavern. Yellow, blue, ivory, black and red accents animate the balconies and walkways, celebrating the building’s heritage while giving Beton House its own identity within the wider estate.

An innovative three-storey townhouse model that works within Park Hill’s structural grid.

With Beton House, we wanted to respect the raw honesty of Park Hill’s original architecture while reimagining it for contemporary student living. The challenge was to preserve the building’s heritage—the concrete, the rhythm, the monumental scale—while introducing warmth, playfulness, and community.

Nick Riley

Managing Executive Director

A Collective Form of Living, Reimagined

Beton House delivers 356 student beds within a model that supports shared living and social connection — a form of collective housing that Park Hill’s original design naturally lends itself to.

By retaining the building’s fabric, respecting its architectural significance and introducing a carefully considered new tenure, we have helped secure the next chapter of Park Hill’s story. The addition of student accommodation strengthens the estate’s mix of uses, fostering a more diverse, multigenerational community in the heart of Sheffield.

From vision to reality, Beton House demonstrates how thoughtful regeneration can preserve authenticity while adapting a landmark for contemporary urban life.