The Life & Mind Building, University of Oxford
Stortford Interiors were appointed by Wates Construction to deliver an expansive performance drywall and ceilings package at The Lift and Mind Building, Oxford University’s prestigious new home for the Department of Biology and Experimental Psychology.
The Life and Mind Building currently represents the largest building project the University has ever undertaken and will have global significance. The facility fuses the existing Plant Sciences and Zoology Departments and will significantly improve the way psychological and biological science is undertaken. The 26,000m² facility will provides cutting-edge environment to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and represent a world-leading flagship example of sustainable and modern higher education construction as it blends research, learning, and community engagement within a single, flexible space. Situated at the gateway to Oxford’s Science Area, The Life and Mind Building is set over two main buildings containing specialist laboratories and office accommodation, with a central atrium and lower floor teaching centre. The building provides a new way of teaching and houses a wide assortment of teaching, learning and research environments in addition to cafes, exhibition spaces and a public plaza.
Scope of Works
With a stringent focus on quality, performance and value on a major project, Stortford Interiors were chosen as a trusted delivery partner to supply and install a broad and demanding drywall, proprietary linings and ceilings package that captured a wide array of products. The drywall scope included performance partitions to core, laboratory and office areas with intimate glass wall and exterior façade detailing. High level atrium lining was also included with feature elevations receiving Equitone façade panelling to provide a striking aesthetic. To other elevations the scope captured hygienic wall cladding and associated ancillaries. Specific focus was made in the co-ordination and provision of BWIC to ensure that aperture configurations were compliant tested data.
In addition to a technical drywall package Stortford Interiors also delivered a voluminous ceilings package. Corridor and cellular areas received a mix of metal pan, MF and mineral fibre ceilings. A series of free-hanging acoustic rafts were installed to laboratory areas with perforated acoustic plasterboard membranes configured in circulation and office areas. The ceilings scope also extended to the installation of acoustic sprayed ceilings to café areas with quality and interface management of high importance. To monolithic ceiling areas bespoke access panels were also installed and put further accent on co-ordination and allied trade interfacing.
The project represented a fabulous opportunity for Stortford Interiors to support a longstanding Client in the delivery of class-leading project with global significance. It represented a chance to demonstrate our exacting delivery capabilities in a regional context and install a high-quality, volume package where interface and fabric management was of paramount importance.