Laing O'Rourke has been appointed by The University of Oxford to deliver the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities.
The award signifies one of the largest single building projects ever undertaken by the University and will see Laing O'Rourke deliver its 12th project for a client it has worked with for two decades.
The new building will bring nine faculties and institutes and seven libraries and collections into one home, with sustainable, flexible, accessible spaces for graduate postgrad and post doc learning, research and experimentation. Performance and public engagement space forms a key element of the project, with a 500-seat concert hall designed with world-leading acoustic capability, a 250-seat theatre and a film screening area. It will form the centrepiece of the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter (ROQ), and will be surrounded by inviting landscaped space, connecting the wider community throughout.
The Laing O'Rourke team, led by Steve Holland, who most recently oversaw delivery of the Oxford Biochemistry Completion project together with the previous ROQ projects, will begin construction of the Hopkins Architect designed building in Autumn 2022.
Mr Holland said: "Our two decades of delivery with the University of Oxford has allowed us to demonstrate the power of our experience, delivering complex schemes by working in close partnership with our clients. Our plan ensures teaching and learning continues, soft lands construction delivery with neighbouring buildings and maintains public access and engagement throughout.
"The Humanities building will also allow us to draw on our experience of delivering performance spaces. We’re currently on site at Soho Place in London nearing completion of a building that houses the first theatre to be built in the West End for 50 years and in Manchester our teams are constructing The Factory, which will become home to the Manchester International Festival.
"We are privileged to be appointed to complete the heart of the ROQ in Oxford, a project of such purpose, for all that it is to be human. The building will be delivered to Passivhaus energy performance standards, utilising our blend of offsite manufacturing capability and direct delivery to enable the certainty required."
Construction News
05/01/2022
Laing O'Rourke To Develop New Building For Humanities


07/07/2025
Travelodge has officially broken ground on a new 100-room hotel in Loughton, marking the latest addition to the UK's first budget hotel brand's expanding portfolio.
The company, which operates more than 610 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, is aiming to meet growing demand for affordable ac

07/07/2025
Oldham Council has officially unveiled Snipe Gardens, a newly created green space and pedestrian gateway designed to provide a welcoming entrance into the town centre.
Situated on the site of the former Snipe Inn pub, the new landscaped area links Oldham bus station with Henshaw Street. As one of t

07/07/2025
Manuela Perteghella, MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, has visited Severn Trent’s Milcote Sewage Treatment Works to learn more about the complex processes involved in wastewater treatment and see firsthand how a major infrastructure upgrade is progressing.
The Milcote site, which serves approximately 70,

07/07/2025
A series of major road resurfacing projects are set to take place across Leicester during the school summer holidays, as part of a £1 million programme aimed at improving the city's road network.
Leicester City Council has scheduled the works during the school break to minimise disruption, taking a

07/07/2025
Preston's landmark cultural institution, The Harris, will officially reopen to the public on Sunday, 28 September 2025, following a major £19 million transformation.
The restoration, delivered through the Harris Your Place project, was made possible through funding from Preston City Council, The Na

07/07/2025
A major investment deal has been finalised to deliver nearly 1,000 high-quality rental homes in Digbeth, Birmingham.
Aviva Capital Partners and Moda Group have partnered with NatWest, Homes England, and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to fund the £200m+ Stone Yard development—set to tra

07/07/2025
Luxury housebuilder Consero has received planning permission from Guildford Borough Council to deliver a boutique development of high-end homes in the sought-after Surrey village of Send.
The project, named Oaktrees, will see the demolition of an existing 1960s six-bedroom detached house on Clandon

07/07/2025
Passengers using Petts Wood station in south east London are being advised to prepare for changes to station access as essential refurbishment work on the station's footbridge begins in August 2025.
The major upgrade project, aimed at extending the life of the footbridge and ensuring it remains saf

07/07/2025
Story Homes has teamed up with luxury homeware brand DUSK to unveil a new view home at its Tithe Gardens development in Poulton-le-Fylde.
The Spencer, a popular three-bedroom house type, has been fully styled by DUSK and will open to visitors on Saturday, 12 July.
This partnership brings together

07/07/2025
Morgan Sindall Construction has officially begun renovation works on the Claycroft Residences at the University of Warwick, one of the largest accommodation complexes on the university’s main campus in Coventry.
The extensive 17,000m² project will transform three individual accommodation blocks, wh