Construction partners mark practical completion milestone
Keys to The Life and Mind Building have been handed to the University's Professor Chris Kennard, Senior Responsible Officer for the development, following completion of the main construction phase
8 July 2025
This £200m project is the largest building project in the University's history. It now moves on to final fit-out and preparation over the summer of 2025, ahead of academic and support teams from the Departments of Biology and Experimental Psychology moving in for the start of the University’s 2025/26 academic year.
New spaces for everyone to enjoy
Once fully operational, later this year, the stunning 25,000m2 facility at the gateway to Oxford’s Science Area on South Parks Road will offer a collaborative, sustainable and innovative environment for world-class teaching and curiosity-driven research across the life and mind biosciences. It will significantly enhance the real-world impact of our research and encourage new connections across the two disciplines.
The Life and Mind Building will also provide a welcoming and inspiring ‘window into science’ for local schools and communities, through public exhibitions, sculpture, lectures and conferences. It will offer exciting new spaces for the whole University community, from landscaped open plazas and cafes with stunning views across Oxford’s spires to inspiring event and collaboration spaces.
Staff and visitors are encouraged to come and see the striking new architecture with its textured façades inspired by human brainwaves and nature’s Circadian rhythms, and to enjoy the outdoor space that is available to enjoy over the summer, ahead of the official opening.
The construction journey
Construction has been underway on the site of the former Tinbergen Building on South Parks Road since November 2021, when The Life and Mind Building became the first development to commence through the University’s £4bn joint venture with Legal & General.
A topping out ceremony was hosted by Wates in February 2023, to celebrate completion of the main external structures of the building.
At the end of May 2025, Wates and the many other partners involved in the building’s design, planning and construction marked practical completion of the main construction phase and the process of legally transferring responsibility for the building to the University began.
After final works and the process of moving in are complete, a ceremony will be held towards the end of Michaelmas term 2025, to mark the building’s official opening.
Thanks and recognition
Trevor Payne, the University’s Estates Director, and Lloyd Craig, Senior Development Manager at L&G, shared their thanks and congratulations to the Wates Group and the wider professional team involved in reaching this milestone, including NBBJ Design, Hoare Lea, Ramboll, Arup and Arcadis, during a celebration hosted on site by Wates for project staff and contractors.
Marking the completion of construction, Mark Craig, Managing Director of Wates Construction South said:
The Life and Mind Building is a shining example of what can be achieved when vision, expertise and collaboration come together. It blends research, learning and community engagement within a single, flexible space.
Reaching practical completion on a project of this scale and significance is a proud moment for everyone involved.
The building’s architects, NBBJ Design, marked the project milestone with a post on LinkedIn that read:
It is great to see that the construction phase of the Life and Mind Building at the University of Oxford is now complete, and the project is moving towards final fit-out and preparation.
Later this year, this transformative building will become the new home of the Departments of Biology and Experimental Psychology. Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, it offers a world-class environment that blurs the boundaries between research, learning and community engagement, helping researchers from around the world to solve some of the major global challenges.
From concept to construction and beyond, the Life and Mind Building is a journey of innovation, sustainability and shared purpose. Congratulations to the departments, partners and consultants who are bringing this vision to life—we can’t wait to see the finished building and the impact this space will have on the future of science and education. We will share more when the building is officially opened in the Autumn but for now here are some early images.
NBBJ thanked the organisations that supported its work on the project, including Fira, Savills and Hepburn Associates.
Operations Manager for The Life and Mind Building, Gary Tarbuck, pictured alongside a Wates Group representative with keys to The Life and Mind Building, 25 June 2025
Top floor terrace of The Life and Mind Building
