Foster + Partners reveals Oxford research buildings designs

Foster + Partners has revealed designs for three new research buildings at the Ellison Institute of Technology's Oxford campus.

The Daubeny Buildings will provide an integrated research environment for EIT's Plant Biology Institute and Generative Biology Institute, combining specialist laboratories with shared learning, collaboration and auditorium space.

The project will adapt and enhance three buildings that were already under construction, retaining a substantial proportion of their existing superstructures while redesigning the facilities around EIT's scientific and operational requirements.

Foster + Partners' plans connect the three buildings through two new atria, creating a unified research complex and providing shared spaces for researchers, staff and visitors.

The western atrium will contain meeting rooms, seminar space, a café and a 175-seat auditorium, with walkways connecting the buildings at each level.  A second atrium to the east will provide stepped terraces, collaborative workspaces and a larger 250-seat auditorium.  A greenhouse at roof level will form a defining element of the Plant Biology Institute and provide a visible indication of the scientific work taking place within the building.

Gerard Evenden, head of studio at Foster + Partners, said: “The Daubeny Buildings at the Ellison Institute of Technology create a unified, state-of-the-art research environment for the Plant Biology and Generative Biology Institutes.

“Bringing together vibrant new atria, flexible laboratories and shared spaces for learning and exchange, the buildings visibly express their scientific purpose, while producing an inspiring setting for interdisciplinary discovery and scientific innovation.”

Laboratory and supporting spaces have been designed around the institutes' research workflows and specialist technical requirements, with flexibility intended to allow the buildings to accommodate different forms of scientific work.

Shared facilities are also intended to encourage greater interaction between researchers working across the two institutes.  The Daubeny Buildings form part of the wider Ellison Institute of Technology campus in Oxford and have been designed to establish a common architectural identity with the surrounding development.

The decision to retain much of the structures already under construction will allow the project to reuse substantial elements of the existing buildings while introducing new connections and adapting their internal spaces for specialist research.

Once complete, the three buildings will bring laboratory, learning, collaboration and event facilities together within a single interconnected research environment, adding further specialist scientific space to Oxford's growing research and technology sector.