Legal & General and the University of Oxford have achieved planning permission for the Life and Mind Building project, representing a major milestone for the £4 bn Oxford University Development (OUD) partnership and its first landmark scheme.
Designed by architect practice NBBJ, the building will house the Departments of Experimental Psychology and Biology, including Plant Sciences and Zoology. With a project cost of £200 mln (€225 mln) and a gross internal area of 269,097 sq ft (25,000 m2), it will provide research facilities to 800 students and 1,200 researchers.
The project is financed and developed by Legal & General. The firm entered into a £4 bn partnership with the University of Oxford in 2019. The Life and Mind Building, which forms the first landmark project for the OUD partnership is due to open in 2024. It replaces the Tinbergen Building which closed in February 2017.
L&G has also recently backed the creation of around 2m sq ft of science and innovation districts through its partnership with Bruntwood.
Anna Strongman, Chief Executive of Oxford University Development, said: 'We are extremely proud to be bringing forward the OUD’s first building project which, in the wake of Covid-19, will help retain talent in the city, whilst driving essential inward investment and providing opportunities for world-leading innovation. The Life and Mind Building is using architecture and design to bring together key scientific disciplines and promote greater understanding. When complete, it will provide students with a modern, state-of-the-art facility that helps continue the University of Oxford’s legacy as one of the world’s most pre-eminent teaching institutions.'
