Part of the £120 million Heart of the City regeneration project that has created the Peace Gardens and the £15 million Millennium Galleries, the Winter Garden was designed by Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects and Buro Happold and is some 70 metres (77 yd) long and 21 metres (23 yd) high.

The building has background frost protection to a minimum of 4 degrees Celsius and it is one of the largest Glued Laminated Timber or "Glulam" buildings in the UK (Glulam is made by forming and gluing strips of timber into specific shapes).

The wood used is Larch, a durable timber which will, over time, turn a light silvery grey colour.

The larch, derived from sustainable forests, requires no preservatives or coatings.

The Winter Garden was funded by the Millennium Commission, Sheffield City Council and English Partnerships.