In this reflective piece, Sophie Barwick takes us through
the special 10-year celebration of the Diamond building—now firmly established
as the heart of engineering education at the University of Sheffield. From
cutting-edge labs and inspiring staff, to the student-driven innovation of the
iForge, Sophie shares how the Diamond has shaped her journey as both a student
and GTA. Her insight captures the building’s enduring purpose: a space built
for students, enriched by community, collaboration, and hands-on learning.
This is part of our 10 years of the Diamond series:
Back in October, the Diamond opened its doors to staff, students, alumni and visitors to celebrate 10 years of the Diamond building. Over this time the Diamond building has become a fundamental place for the education of thousands of engineering students at the University of Sheffield. The range of state of the facilities, enthusiastic staff and open study spaces make it a great place to learn and develop skills.
The Diamond building offers a range of laboratories and lecture theatres to teach students engineering concepts from across all disciplines under one roof, marking it as the flagship teaching facility for the faculty. It therefore also enables students to have a base to explore new concepts and work together, particular crucial for those new to university and Sheffield.
In addition to timetabled teaching, key part of the student
experience in the diamond is the iForge – the UK’s first student-led
makerspace. This facility allows both engineering and students from across the
university to make their ideas reality while learning practical skills and, for
those selected as iForge representatives, an opportunity to develop their
teaching and leadership skills as well.
Staff from a range of academic and industrial backgrounds
form a team of teaching and support staff within the department of
Multidisciplinary Engineering Education which is supportive, encouraging and
enthusiastic about engineering education. The staff, primarily based in
laboratories, teach students from a range of engineering disciplines and levels
of study with the support and guidance relevant for their background. They also
work throughout the year adapting lab activities to ensure they align with module
content and current technologies.
The faculty of engineering are able to offer and teach the
activities to so many students in the diamond thanks to the assistance of
graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Often graduates from undergraduate courses
at the University of Sheffield themselves, GTAs are current PhD students with
expertise to help and guide students in each of the laboratories, increasing
the staff to student ratio, and therefore better supporting the students.
I was honoured to be invited as a guest on the “Student Experience” panel for the Decade of the Diamond celebration event. The Diamond building, and the facilities within it, have been fundamental to my development during my time at the University of Sheffield and it was great to be able to offer insight into my experience in as both a student and GTA in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Sheffield.
In addition to the student voice session, the celebration
event heard from many speakers key to the development of the Diamond building
and the teaching within it, including the original architects from Twelve
Architects, Professor Stephen Beck, the founding Head of Multidisciplinary
Engineering Education, and Professor Emeritus Mike Hounslow, Pro
Vice-Chancellor for Engineering during the construction. They reflected on the
development of the Diamond from its original conception to how to it is still
developing today.
Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, president of the Royal Academy of
Engineering, and representatives from across industry offered insight into how
the Diamond building develops well-rounded engineering graduates, equipped with
the skills they need for their future careers.
Throughout the day, in the Moonspace study area, there was
stalls displaying the fantastic work of both the diamond laboratories and each
of the schools in the faculty of engineering. There were also talks from many
of the schools reflecting on the opportunities they offer students, with
particular focus on inclusivity and accessible research and learning tools.
The day also allowed for many opportunities to network with
members of current and previous staff who have helped shape MEE, as well as
those crucial in the realisation of the Diamond building itself.
Many thanks to Harry Day, Emma Kenny-Levick, Andrew Garrard,
and all involved in organising the event - I look forward to the next one!
Barwick, S. (2025). “Celebrating a Decade of Impact at The Diamond”. Centre for Engineering Education Blog, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. January 2026. https://www.ceesheffield.co.uk/2026/01/celebrating-decade-of-impact-at-diamond.html