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, their main policies relating to movement and access focus on pedestrianising the area, with existing car parking spaces phased out, bicycle parking opportunities increased and access to public transport facilities improved, including the potential introduction of a 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 & Movement

The siting and massing of the building leads occupants and visitors via a public space at the corner of South Parks Road and St Cross Road towards a main entrance near 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 provides occasional access by invite for vulnerable patients and their companions that 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 will be provided as a mix of street side hoops that are 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 south of the CTL building and between the new Life and Mind Building and the neighbouring Biological Sciences Building.
Parking within the block will be reorganised to omit staff parking, and better distribute operational and accessible (disabled) parking. Accessible parking as well as spaces for relatives of vulnerable EP volunteers will be provided at the William Dunn School across the road, 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 LaMB, Peter Medawar Building and Pharmacology Building.
The current layout of the area between Pharmacology and CTL will be changed and two trees removed to
provide space for safe manouvering of larger vehicles and to allow vehicles to pass if required. The diagrams below demonstrate how the changed layout will allow large vehicles to safely turn, away from the main pedestrian flows, omitting the need to drive backward along the service road as is currently the case.
Service access is arranged along the west facade:
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 Fig 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
• Waste - Biomedical / Medical
• Waste - Radioactive.
A second waste storage area is then provided within the service yard (covered and secure), to allow collection of waste by the University refuse contractor. The service yard lift provides level access between these two areas. LaMB waste is to be stored externally along the west facade, within a covered and access controlled waste store. The anticipated waste capacity requirements are duplicated internally and externally. The service yard also provides an improved space for refuse vehicles accessing the shared service yard.
For more infomation, please refer to the LaMB 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.

 

 

Click below to find out more about other Design Concepts within the Life and Mind Building.

More Design Concepts