This three-storeys Soundhouse with a unique black boxed structure is where people from the University of Sheffield, with a big passion for music, get to play. The 450 sqm building – designed and Careyjones Architects and put up by Jefferson Sheared Architects – is a first for the U.K. for using black rubber to dress it up (almost) completely.

Why they used leather is obvious. To build a soundproof exterior. And they did it. The black building has become a landmark on the university campus, turning heads both for the design and the creative environment. Consider it the 21st century flagship for “music boxes”.


Apart from doing what it was designed for – music, it’s a mix between boring and pretty. Do you like it?









God I wish I had a building like that at my university campus…
I would be worried by the Sun. The black color will change and may causes a lot of heat inside the building, nothing that a good air conditioner can’t fix.
Even so beautiful!
Oooh. I work just round the corner from there. It’s a small world! The building doesn’t look quite as menacing in the flesh.
Where is the leather?