engineering.
Conceived as a global hub for science, research, and enterprise, the project delivers far more than biomedical innovation. From the outset, Oxford North has been shaped as a landscape-first district, one that places ecology, wellbeing, and public life at its core. Designed by Fletcher Priest Architects, the development brings together adaptable laboratories, flexible workspaces, homes, and neighbourhood amenities within a connected, walkable setting.
At the heart of Oxford’s new global life sciences district, the masterplan incorporates over 23 acres of open space. It establishes a sequence of parks, wetlands, meadows, and green routes that stitch the development into its surrounding neighbourhoods, creating a legible, landscape-driven spine that runs through the district.
True to AKT II’s interdisciplinary ethos, every engineering discipline contributed to the delivery of this complex scheme, including structures, façades, geotechnical, civils, bioclimatic, and computational design.
At Oxford North, sustainability is foundational, not decorative: it shapes the district’s form, its materials, its public realm, and its day-to-day experience. With a 10% reduction in embodied carbon across early phases and £10.5 million allocated to cycling and public transport improvements, the project’s sustainability strategy is grounded in quantifiable impact.
The project’s sustainability strategy centres on six themes: circular resources, ecosystem resilience, healthy places, connected communities, shared prosperity, and the pathway towards net-zero. Among its many highlights is the circular mass-timber cycle pavilion, a placemaking feature that champions low-carbon construction and future-proofed design, supported by a lean and adaptable concrete structure.
Delivered in partnership with Thomas White Oxford, Stanhope PLC, and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, the project has been designed to sit within the landscape. Its stepped massing, ground-floor permeability, view corridors, and outdoor terraces overlooking the parks create a campus-like environment deeply grounded in nature.
Oxford North introduces a world-class district for science, research, and innovation, supported by a landscape-led environment that integrates workplaces, homes, and public spaces. As put by Baroness Black of Strome President of St John’s College, Professor Lady Sue Black: “This is a new place for everyone, reflecting the original vision of Oxford City Council to create a new district for Oxford, knitted into the city and fully connected to its surroundings.”
