Construction work has started on the Life and Mind Building in Oxford, as part of Legal & General and Oxford University’s £4bn partnership.

This building represents the largest building project ever undertaken on behalf of the University, and will be its largest teaching and research facility, significantly improving the way that biology and psychology are taught in Oxford.

This will help scientists in the Departments of Biology and Experimental Psychology solve some major global challenges.

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Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said: “This groundbreaking for the new Life and Mind Building marks an important day for Oxford research.

"It will bring together scientists, scholars and students from all over the world, and from a wide range of disciplines, to push at the frontiers of knowledge and to find solutions to global problems.

"We are delighted that our partnership with Legal and General is making it possible.”

Legal & General entered into a £4bn partnership with the university in June 2019, forming Oxford University Development in order to provide thousands of new homes for staff and students, incubator space for research and businesses and academic facilities such as the Life and Mind Building. This is the first project within the partnership to start being developed.

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Wates have been appointed as the main contractor to deliver the NBBJ-designed Life and Mind Building, which is due to open in 2024. The building situated at the gateway to the Oxford’s Science Area, replaces the Tinbergen building which closed in February 2017. The building covers 25,000 sq m, set over two wings containing laboratory and office accommodation with a central atrium and lower floor teaching centre. The design will provide maximal flexibility and foster collaboration between departments.

The construction of this new building will transform the educational experience for students, provide laboratories for students and researchers, as well as lecture theatres, specialised support laboratories and opportunities for public engagement.

The new building will also aim to facilitate the university’s schools and public outreach programmes through opportunities for art, exhibitions, lectures and conferences, offering a ‘window into science’.

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By building a network of high-quality research and innovation facilities similar to this building, the partnership will seek to retain talent in the city, boost the economy and support spin-out businesses. The INEOS Oxford Institute will create cross-disciplinary links across the sciences, and will be based between two sites in Oxford, linking the new Life and Mind Building and the Department of Chemistry.