University of Sheffield celebrate opening of The Wave with cake from GBBO winner academic

This week, the University of Sheffield opened the brand new home of their social sciences department: The Wave.

As part of the official opening of the building, Sheffield’s very own Great British Bake Off winner Dr Rahul Mandal baked a cake in the shape of the new campus building.

The Kolkata-born academic works at the University of Sheffield Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and won the series in 2018, as well as the show’s New Year’s special in 2020.

Will Hutton, President of the Academy of Social Sciences was pictured cutting into the cake with Rahul smiling cheerily behind him.

via University of Sheffield

A number of guests attended the official opening, which took place on Monday evening; including the Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Sheffield.

The building began construction in May 2019, and was completed in November of 2023.

The Wave is the University of Sheffield’s most sustainable building and will operate with net zero emissions. Ground source heat pumps will provide the building with heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. Solar panels of the roof will provide electricity.

Designed by HLM Architects, the building also promises to improve local biodiversity through sustainable tree planting and rain gardens.

via Channel 4

Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Gill Valentine, opened proceedings on the day and said: “As our first net zero building, the spaces within have been designed to help our students thrive, create an inclusive and welcoming space for staff and our wider Sheffield community, and support ways of working and teaching that reflect our ambition to be one of the most sustainable research-intensive universities in the UK.”

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Students can enjoy new green spaces offered by the building, as well as a public art installation. The Wave will offer a wide range of state-of-art teaching and study spaces.

A new journalism suite includes several newsrooms, TV studios, radio galleries and recording booths for students of the journalism studies department.

Na Ao, an MA Broadcast Journalism student, said: “Thanks to the industry-standard facilities and guidance from tech staff, it’s been a huge confidence boost in my ability to produce high-quality radio and TV packages. I’ve really been able to find my feet as a TV reporter and feel more confident to embark on a career in Broadcast Journalism.”

via @sheffaction on Twitter/X

The official opening of The Wave comes after a protest earlier in the day by pro-Palestine student groups.

The students called on the university to end links with arms manufacturing companies connected with the events in the Middle East.

Featured image via University of Sheffield.

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