Careyjones architects and Jefferson Sheard Architects have completed Soundhouse, a rubber-clad music studio designed for the University of Sheffield.

“The overall aesthetic of the black rubber quilt is intended as a literal translation of the need to acoustically contain the building’s use,” explains Mike Harris of Careyjones.

The three-storey building is covered with four 14 x 8 m rubber sheets, each weighing half a ton.

The sheets were stretched and fixed over the structure then decorated with stainless-steel studs, which were screwed into the reinforcement plates behind the insulation to create a quilted effect.

The following information is from Careyjones Architects:

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Groundbreaking University of Sheffield building complete

The University of Sheffield’s state-of-the-art music practice and studio facility, the Soundhouse, is now complete. The striking development, conceptually designed by careyjones architects and delivered by Jefferson Sheard Architects, is completely enveloped in black rubber – a technique never seen before in the UK.