Planning has been submitted for a flagship life science campus at Eastpoint Business Park in Oxford for Railpen. Designed by Scott Brownrigg, the scheme will transform an underused business park to provide an additional 200,000 sq ft much needed life science space to the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.
Three new state-of-the-art buildings are designed to suit a range of tenants and provide flexibility in occupancy, with 55% CL2 laboratory and 45% office space to support cutting-edge research and collaboration. Each building is carefully positioned to buffer noise and pollution from an adjacent A road, minimise visual impact to the surroundings, and encourage permeability across the site.
Community outreach and engagement is a key driver behind the design. The incorporation of a ‘Learning Lab’ provides opportunities to support young people pursuing a career in STEM, while a pavilion with a spacious café and social hub provides a communal focal point at the heart of the site.
With features such as a ‘Travel & Energy hub’ to promote sustainable travel, and pocket parks with integrated planting to enhance wellbeing and biodiversity, the scheme targets BREEAM 'Outstanding', WELL, Wired and Smart Platinum and Cycle Score Platinum.