The Oxford Trust has submitted plans for its new Aspen Building to be built at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington, Oxford.

The company put forward the plans to Oxford City Council.

The Aspen Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation, named after the Trust's late founder Sir Martin Wood’s favourite tree, has been designed in response to the increased demand for grow-on laboratory space in Oxford, particularly within the globally significant Headington Science Cluster. It will enable the Trust to further its mission and support for scientific research, discovery and education.

It will total 16,684 sq ft (1,5500 sq m) over two floors to provide flexible CL II laboratory and office space. The building will also include a new STEM resources and preparation room that will allow the Trust to support the increase in demand for its outreach delivery to schools across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire as well as local communities and further the impact of our Science Oxford education programme.

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The building will target BREEAM Excellent and include photovoltaic roof panels, a green wall, cycle parking, shower and locker facilities and a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain to enhance its surrounding 15 acres of woodlands, ponds and grassland. Harvesting and storing rainwater will provide grey water for toilets and, separately, additional flow for the ponds.

The Aspen Building has been sensitively and sustainably designed and carefully positioned in the site on the existing car park to fit into its surroundings by a leading group of local architects, landscape designers, ecologists, project managers and planning consultants. The design will mirror and complement the existing buildings and will be landscaped to enhance the site.

Car parking will remain at the same level and, to continue the encouragement of sustainable travel, additional rapid electric vehicle charging bays will help the adoption of this technology.

The Wood Centre for Innovation, which was opened in 2019 and is also the Trust’s HQ, totals 19,500 sq ft (1,810 sq m) including 14,961 sq ft (1,390 sq ft) of CL II laboratory and workspace across two floors and is home to pioneering science and technology companies, Barclays Eagle Labs incubator and Oxford Hospital Charity which together employ 191 people.

Companies include: DJS Antibodies, PicturaBio, Helio Display Materials, RedShiftBio, Jack Fertility, Samsara Therapeutics, Lumai and Spintex.

The Wood Centre for Innovation adjoins the Trust’s Science Oxford Centre, which is the first indoor-outdoor hands-on science education centre for primary-aged children in the UK. Since opening the Centre five years ago, Science Oxford has run more than 600 term time school visits and 240 Family Days on Saturdays.

Under the Trust's charitable business model, the funds generated from leasing the laboratory and office space will be reinvested in our innovation and STEM education and engagement programmes.