However, the plan for the centre was devised in the mid-1980s and Sheffield City Council were aiming to raise the money for it in April 1993[1] so the concept long predated the Tony Blair / Cool Britannia era of which it was seen as a notable failure.

On the other side, an opening facing the wind takes inlet air down through wall cavities, being heated or cooled as required.

After seven months, there had been 104,000 visitors,[4] and on 18 October 1999 the building's owners, Music Heritage Ltd, called in PricewaterhouseCoopers to administer its day-to-day running.

Just prior to closure, BBC Radio 2 held an event hosted by Billy Bragg and attended by around 75 prizewinners, to see Madness perform live with support from Paul Carrack.

[citation needed] The building became a live music venue for a period from July 2001,[6] then in 2003 Sheffield Hallam University bought it from Yorkshire Forward for £1.85 million.