Velocity Tower, Sheffield

Velocity Tower is a mixed-use development situated next to the Inner Ring Road in Sheffield City Centre, with a prominent view over Ecclesall Road. The project originated from an earlier design called 'Eclipse,' conceived by Cala Developments and designed by Broadway Malyan. The initial plans featured a 22-story tower with charcoal-grey cladding, accompanied by a 12-story brickwork wing, intended to house 263 apartments.

In 2007, Velocity Estates acquired the project, making significant design changes through Sheffield-based AXIS Architecture. These alterations included replacing the brickwork with a high-quality glass cladding façade, increasing the height of the ground floor, and adding a rooftop wind turbine array to enhance the building's environmental sustainability.

Construction began in 2007 under the original planning permissions for the Eclipse building, with modifications submitted to align with Sheffield City Council's design standards. In March 2008, a proposal to increase the tower height to 36 stories was rejected by the council, citing concerns about the impact on the city's skyline. A subsequent revision reduced the tower to 30 stories and lowered the west-facing wing to 5 floors. To offset this reduction, a second smaller tower was introduced at the far end of the wing, rising to 17 stories.