Science in central Oxford

As it currently exists, the Science Area can be described as a collection of buildings positioned in an impromptu way, with little overall coherence in terms of design.

Indeed, much of the site, including the Keble Triangle, is densely developed, with few memorable public spaces and with many of the buildings both difficult to find and to access. The Science Area masterplan will both address these aesthetic issues and propose ways of developing new facilities to be integrated into the district. The plan also includes a ‘zonal’ timetable, which offers a means of carrying on construction and renovation plans while the Science Area functions as usual. Some of the projects are already underway, but the masterplan sets a strategy which would allow developments to take place over the next 20 years.

Design priorities of the masterplan include improving accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists within the entire area, establishing the lawn of the University Museum of Natural History as a majestic entryway, and providing a new central ‘spine’ or walkway which would link all of the buildings. New enclosed courtyards would also improve the feeling of arrival at various buildings and offer a sheltered transition between the buildings and public space.

The late Sir Hans Krebs, Whitley Professor of Biochemistry at Oxford, was awarded the 1953 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his important discovery of the citric acid cycle, a series of chemical reactions that takes place in most plants, animals, fungi and many bacteria.

The redevelopment of the site, named in honour of Hans Krebs, will form the second phase of development on the Biochemistry site, providing 12,000 additional square metres of research space. Designed to be a catalyst for collaboration among pre-clinical medical departments and to provide state-of-the-art facilities, the building will primarily feature laboratories, offices and associated workspace, with an external facade that will maximise natural light.

The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology is famous for the development of penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics, the discovery of lymphocyte circulation in the body, and the suppression of malignancy by the fusion of cancer and normal cells. Ongoing fundamental research into the mechanisms that cause disease covers infection, immunity, inflammation and blood vessel disease, using the modern tools of cell and molecular pathology.

A new building, the Oxford Molecular Pathology Institute (OMPI), is proposed for the site of the obsolescent Leslie Martin Building on South Parks Road.

The Leslie Martin Building is to be demolished, and the OMPI will be built in its place, directly linked to, and integrated with, the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. The five-floor Institute will house strong existing programmes in Immunology, Molecular Developmental Biology, Microbiology, Chemical Pathology, Experimental Pathology and Cellular Pathology, as well as being the catalyst for substantial new research programmes in the molecular and cellular biology underlying disease processes and the prevention and treatment of disease.

The development will build on the existing research strengths of the University with the aim of attracting world-class scientists to take advantage of a rare opportunity to realise long-standing initiatives in the areas of immunity, infection, cancer cell biology and stem cell biology.

The design provides flexible research space, suitable for up to six research groups. A cluster of support offices and meeting rooms around the main stairway will form the interface between each laboratory floor and the School’s shared cafeteria, common room, library and seminar rooms.

Oxford has one of the leading Chemistry research departments in the world. The innovative and award-winning work taking place here today – spanning fields including chemistry for measurement, drug discovery, energy, catalysis, nanochemistry, synthesis, atmospheric chemistry, synthetic biology and femtochemistry – is of world-changing significance.

A new teaching and research facility, the Chemistry Research Laboratory II, is proposed for the site of the existing Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory on South Parks Road.

The new building would not only provide cutting-edge research facilities for the Chemistry Department, but would also provide first-class twenty-first century teaching facilities for students on the largest chemistry undergraduate course in the country. It would also provide a new outdoor green space – ‘Chemistry Green’ – which could become a beautiful pedestrian centre at the heart of the new Science Area.

The proposed design features a four-storey building of more than 20,000 square metres which will blend in with the heritage of nearby buildings. With a timber-clad facade and natural, local or recycled materials throughout, the building will be a beacon of energy efficiency.

Facilities will include synthetic laboratories, a physical chemistry laboratory, write-up space, lecture theatres and offices, as well as refreshment spaces and a generous reception and atrium.

Probing new ways to harness solar energy, modelling the Earth’s atmosphere to predict the future climate, exploring computation on the quantum scale and executing calculations that reveal the fundamental structure of space and time, Oxford’s Department of Physics is a global force in the field. Its vibrant community of physicists constitutes one of the largest departments in Europe and exploits the world’s foremost research facilities (ranging from huge particle accelerators and telescopes around the globe to the Diamond light source and the ISIS neutron source, 15 miles away at the Rutherford laboratory), as well as training the next generation of leaders in Physics.

The department’s current buildings and facilities are spread out and it would benefit greatly from the unification of its resources in a strong central location. A new building to be located on the east side of Parks Road within the Science Area, the Theoretical Physics building, has been proposed as the first facility anchoring a future relocation of the entire department to a consolidated space in the Science Area, launching a new era for Oxford Physics.

The Theoretical Physics building will act as the first phase of the redevelopment of the northwest corner of the Science Area, providing research space for Theoretical Physics as well as flexible laboratory space for Experimental Physics in the basement. Designed to act as an iconic gateway to the Department of Physics, the striking modern research centre will not only be impressive aesthetically, but will also offer an example of sustainable design through its provisions for natural ventilation and energy efficiency. The building will feature offices, seminar rooms, meeting spaces, and collaboration spaces, including informal break-out areas, an informal auditorium and a roof terrace.

Once joined by the rest of the department in a series of adjacent, connected buildings around the Clarendon quadrangle, the Department of Physics will enjoy a new space for collaborative research and become a prominent presence reflecting the vital work of Oxford physicists.

The Department of Earth Sciences is one of the leading departments of its kind in the world, exploring topics as diverse as the origin and evolution of the Solar System, the past and future of the climate system, the chemistry of the oceans, natural hazards such as volcanoes and earthquakes and environmental change.

The University is constructing a new Earth Sciences building that will provide much-needed additional laboratory space for the Department of Earth Sciences and a ground-floor undergraduate teaching and learning space. The building will be a multi-disciplinary facility in the heart of the Science Area, positioned on South Parks Road on the site of the old Central Chemistry building. The facility will provide significant new research facilities for the Earth Sciences department, and allow the collocation of various Earth Sciences groups, formerly somewhat isolated from the existing building due to space constraints.

The building will include a grand entrance, featuring an atrium, reception area and a ‘narrative wall’ to showcase geological research to pedestrians and passersby.

Laboratories and classrooms will be linked by ‘social corridors’ designed to foster the interaction between staff, students and graduates that is critical to their ongoing success.

The building is also intended to set a new standard in terms of environmental design at Oxford: in the region of 30 per cent of its energy is to be provided from renewable sources most of which is, fittingly, to come from a ground source heat pump system.