LIFE
&
MIND
BUILDING,
OXFORD

Sector
Education

Architect
NBBJ Architects

Contractor
Wates

Location
Oxford

Contact the team: west@radiiplanet.com 01249 448 920

THE CLIENT.

Building on a long run of successful projects for the University of Oxford, our western contracting team delivered a glazed partition package for the Life and Mind Building in collaboration with NBBJ Architects and main contractor Wates.

The 25,000m² interior is conceived as a highly flexible environment where research labs, teaching rooms and study areas are arranged to maximise natural light and maintain strong acoustic performance. Spaces are designed to feel open and calm, with daylight reaching deep into work areas and materials chosen for their warmth and contribution to occupant wellbeing. The building brings together the Departments of Biology and Experimental Psychology, supporting more than 1,400 researchers and staff alongside around 1,000 students, all within an interior that prioritises comfort, clarity and controlled, high-performance conditions for scientific study.

OUR SOLUTION.

Our western contracting team installed a comprehensive internal glazing package spanning the lower ground, ground and first to fourth floors of the Life and Mind Building. Glass thicknesses were carefully selected to meet exacting acoustic requirements, with the Pure range, combining single- and double-glazed systems, providing clarity, minimal framing and uninterrupted glass to allow natural light to penetrate shared spaces, study areas and offices.

Pure 20 partitions achieved acoustic ratings from Rw 36 dB to 40 dB, with Pure 20 XL used in high foot traffic areas where structural glazing was required. Pure 100 and Pure 200 partitions delivered higher acoustic performance across meeting rooms, laboratories and specialist teaching areas, with Pure 100 (Rw 47-56 dB) predominantly integrated with 54 mm thick timber doors, while Pure 200 provided maximum separation in high-performance zones such as control rooms and clinical conference areas at Rw 64 dB. Full-height manifestation was applied to larger meeting rooms, ranging from 12- to 16-person spaces, to provide additional visual privacy.

IsoPro acoustic doors were seamlessly integrated throughout, in both single-leaf and double-leaf arrangements, with single- and double-glazed configurations chosen to complement the adjacent partitions. EclipseTec sliding doors were incorporated where flexibility and efficient circulation were required.

EI30 and EI60 fire-rated screens and doors were installed on the lower ground, first and second floors to provide key exit route protection in laboratory areas.

The result was a precise, consistent and high-performing interior, reflecting our team’s long-standing experience delivering complex glazing packages across the University of Oxford estate.