Giant Panda Sculpture ‘Hendo’ Returns to Family

The four-metre-high panda sculpture at New Era Square in Sheffield, which has recently been mounted on the rooftop corner of the scheme overlooking the city, has now climbed back down to the main public square – allowing more visitors to see it up close.

New Era Square is the 430,000 sq ft mixed-use development at St Mary’s Gate, featuring Grade A workspace, student residences and quality apartments. The ground floor boasts an array of new restaurants, global street food outlets and the city’s largest oriental supermarket, all located around a stunning public plaza.

Following Hendo’s descent last week, the public plaza at the heart of the scheme is now home to all the scheme’s iconic panda art installations. This includes the small panda sitting on a bench and another clambering up the side of a pillar – known as Little Mester and Coe Coe respectively.

Jerry Cheung, Managing Director of New Era Developments, said:

“We tested the panda up on the roof for a few months whilst we applied the finishing touches to the rest of the development, and although it certainly made for an impressive skyline vista, we did feel he was a bit wasted up there.

“Therefore, we have made the decision to bring him back down to the ground level so he can become the real showpiece of the art installation and the public square. It is incredibly impressive up close and is already proving to be a real visitor attraction for us, with many people stopping to take a selfie.”

The pandas are the creation of David Wei of Hatch Architects and were named last year by readers of Sheffield’s local newspaper, The Star.