National Centre for Popular Music, Sheffield

The National Centre for Popular Music was a museum in Sheffield, dedicated to pop and rock music and contemporary culture. It opened on 1 March 1999 but closed in June 2000, after just over a year of operation. The concept for the museum was conceived in the mid-1980s, with Sheffield City Council actively seeking funding by April 1993. This long predated the Tony Blair/Cool Britannia era, although the center later came to be viewed as a notable failure from that period. The project was largely funded through contributions from the National Lottery.

The building was designed by Branson Coates, who won an architectural design competition managed by RIBA Competitions. The structure is notable for its distinctive appearance, featuring four giant stainless steel drums arranged around a central atrium with a glazed roof on the upper floor. Each drum is equipped with a rotating turret and nozzle that were intended to turn with the wind, facilitating natural ventilation. This innovative design allowed air to be drawn through wall cavities for heating or cooling, and expelled through the nozzles using buoyancy and wind pressure.

The ground floor of the building housed office spaces, a shop, a bar, a café, and additional exhibition areas that were accessible to the public without charge. The museum itself was located on the upper floor, which required paid admission.

After its closure as a museum, the building briefly operated as a live music venue from July 2001. In 2003, Sheffield Hallam University purchased the site from Yorkshire Forward, and it now serves as the university's Students' Union.