Oxford Trust opens £9m laboratory and office development

The Oxford Trust has officially opened its new £9m Aspen Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington, providing 17,000 sq ft of laboratory and office space for growing science and technology businesses.

The two-storey facility was formally opened on 17 July and includes CL2 laboratory accommodation, office space and a dedicated STEM resources room.

The building has been developed for science and technology start-ups, SMEs and scale-up companies, while also expanding The Oxford Trust’s education and outreach activities through Science Oxford.

Beard Construction delivered the project, working alongside ADP Architects and Gleeds.

The Aspen Building has achieved BREEAM Excellent certification and is designed to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain across the surrounding woodland site.

Environmental features include rooftop solar panels, battery energy storage, air source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting.

Construction supported around 600 jobs, including 80 local positions and one apprenticeship. Once fully occupied, the facility is expected to support up to 80 additional jobs.

The new building sits alongside the fully occupied Linden Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation and forms part of The Oxford Trust’s wider support for Oxfordshire’s science and technology sector.