Octagon Centre
| Octagon Centre | |
|---|---|
Octagon Centre main entrance
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| Address | University of Sheffield, Octagon Centre, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TQ. |
| Location | Sheffield |
| Coordinates | 53°22′51″N 1°29′19″W / 53.3807°N 1.4887°W |
| Owner | University of Sheffield |
| Opened | 1983 |
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Construction cost
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£1.75 m |
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Theatre seating
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1600 |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 870 m² |
| • Breakout/meeting | 5 rooms |
| Website | Official website |
The Octagon Centre, built in 1983, is a multi-purpose conference centre and music venue at the University of Sheffield, England. Situated in the Western Bank campus, it is joined by a skyway to University House and comprises an eight-sided auditorium with a capacity of 1500 (1000 seated), offices, meeting rooms, and a lounge with bar and patio.
The Octagon is used for a variety of purposes, including examinations, lectures, graduation ceremonies, conferences, music concerts and club nights.
In 1958 the University Grants Committee agreed to allocate a sum of £175,000 for the construction of a new oval shaped theatre, which would have been built next to University House and was predicted to be completed for 1965. By early 1963, the funding was revoked because a theatre building was no longer considered a priority for the university given other pressures arising from construction underway at the time. Eventually, the Drama Studio opened on a nearby site in 1970, which was considered something of a compromise. The university was later offered the empty premises of J. G. Graves Ltd, opposite the Western Bank building. Despite initial plans to convert it for use by the Biology department, the building was demolished. The site was used as the Clarkson Street car park until the Octagon Centre construction began in 1982.
By 1981 the university had made plans to build a new venue at a cost of £1.75 million, which was considered to be inappropriate expenditure at a time of tight funding. The plans were criticsed by the Association of University Teachers and the local press at the time. The building was initially planned as an extension to the student's union, but due to the financial stake provided by the university an arrangement was made to share the use of the building between the union and the university, in exchange for student union control of parts of University House.
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