Transport, Access & Logistics

 

 

Oxford Vision 

The new Life and Mind project supports the wider University Science Area Masterplan and Oxford City Council’s Connecting Oxford planning vision.
For both organisations, key policies relating to movement and site access focus on pedestrianisation, with car parking spaces minimised or avoided, bicycle parking prioritised, and access to public transport facilities improved, including the potential introduction of a new bus stop on South Parks Road. 

 

 

Logo and Diagram for Oxford City Council's Connecting Oxford campaign. This includes their aims for cleaner air, less congestion, nicer walking environment, better and faster public transport and better cycling conditions.

Oxfordshire County Council travel plan drivers

 

Access and Movement

The siting and massing of The Life and Mind Building leads occupants and visitors via a public space at the corner of South Parks Road and St Cross Road, towards a main entrance close to the centre of the site.
A landscaped stepped portion of the plaza provides managed access to teaching and conference spaces at the lower ground. 
A discrete entrance along St Cross Road will provide occasional access, by prior agreement, for vulnerable patients and their companions to visit the mental health research groups of Experimental Psychology.
A layby zone along South Parks Road allows vehicles to drop-off visitors. 
The plaza is designed to manage various directions of approach, from the Science Area, University Parks, cycle routes and cycle storage locations.
Cycle parking is provided as a mix of street-side hoops, sheltered by the buildings overhang along St Cross Road, around the plaza and along the north side of South Parks Road. Further spaces are provided in new, secure sheltered constructions to the south of the CTL Building and between the Life and Mind Building and neighbouring Biological Sciences Building.
Parking within the block will be organised to prioritise operational and accessible (disabled) parking rather than staff parking. Accessible parking, as well as spaces for relatives of vulnerable volunteers visiting Experimental Psychology facilities, will be provided at the William Dunn School across the road, which is the only available location within reasonable proximity of the Life and Mind Building entrances.
Sitewide cycle, vehicle, parking and servicing strategy.
Key to accompany the Service Yard Layout.

 

 

Logistics

Delivery and Service Access
Service access will be via the existing service road from Mansfield Road, leading to a shared-service yard between the University's Life and Mind Building, the Peter Medawar Building and the Pharmacology Building.
The current layout of the area between the Department of Pharmacology and the CTL Building is being changed, with two trees removed to provide space for the safe manoeuvering of larger vehicles and to allow vehicles to pass if required. The diagrams below demonstrate how the changed layout allows large vehicles to safely turn, away from the main pedestrian flows, avoiding the need for drivers to reverse along the service road.
Service access is arranged along the west façade:
1. Building Services Enterance
A dedicated goods lift has been identified to serve the service yard and goods in area. The lift will serve lower ground, service yard level, and the ground floor. A stair also directly connects the service yard and goods in area at ground, and a separate stair connects to the basement. (See Figure 2 below)
2. Gas Storage Compound
An allowance for an external compressed gas bottles compound of 2.5mx1.25m along west facade is included. The majority of gases are expected to be stored within gas bottles (as opposed to piped gases), with liquid nitrogen storage being shared with the existing CTL LNi tank (5). Gas storage will be within a covered and secure enclosure.
3. Waste Access
A waste store has been provided inside the building at lower ground, providing a collation point for the building management team and occupants for waste within the building. This provides segregated storage for the following:
  • General waste store, including recyclables
  • Bulky waste store
  • Biomedical/medical waste
  • Radioactive waste.
A second, covered and secure waste storage area is provided within the service yard, to allow for collection of waste by the University's refuse contractor. The service yard lift provides level access between these two areas. 
Waste from The Life and Mind Building will be stored externally along the west façade, within a covered and access controlled waste store. The anticipated waste capacity requirements are duplicated both internally and externally. The service yard also provides an improved space for refuse vehicles accessing the shared service yard.
For more information, please refer to The Life and Mind Building site plans, by following this link.

 

Vehicle tracking for turning large delivery vehicles and refuse vehicles.
Illustration of the building's service yard goods access which utilises a lift to allow access at both Lower Ground Floor and Ground Floor levels.

 

 

 

 

Layout of external equipment in the building's service yard. This includes gas tanks and the waste compound which are all adjacent to the building's West Façade.

 

 

Find out more about other Design Concepts within the Life and Mind Building:

More Design Concepts