Welcome
We welcome you to our website which will provide you with information about our vision for Bridge Labs, the redevelopment taking place at the site of Beaver House. Our proposals will transform Beaver House in Oxford’s West End into a modern, sustainable employment space to attract and retain skilled workers within Oxford and deliver a scheme with new community benefits.
Our exciting proposals will generate a range of new career and research opportunities, as well as offer new benefits for the residents and businesses surrounding the site. The site sits within a key, accessible location in close proximity to the train station, bus services and pedestrian routes into the City.
Indicative view from Frideswide Square
Latest News
On Thursday 16th November 2023 at the Saïd Business School, we held a public exhibition event to present our amended proposals for Bridge Labs. A range of project experts were available on the day to talk through the proposals and answer any questions.
We held a previous public consultation event on Tuesday 27th June 2023, and received vital feedback. Since then, we have made significant amendments to Bridge Labs following the engagement and feedback we received.
The details of the consultation event can be found in our newsletter – which is available to download below. The display panels shown at our consultation event can also be downloaded below.
Meet the Team
Forge_Kn was created by Reef Group and UBS to provide purpose-built accommodation for the knowledge sectors, supporting British research and innovation. Working with our partners, stakeholders and the community, our ambition is to revitalise cities through exceptional regeneration and placemaking.
We have been dedicated to improving communities, collaborating with local stakeholders, and delivering spaces that promote wellbeing, health, and innovation. The collaborative approach that we strive for helps us deliver meaningful economic and social value across all the communities in which we work. We positively impact places, from the ground up, driven by sustainable and responsible methods of design, delivery, and operation.
This will be our third scheme to be delivered in Oxford City Centre, where we are partnering with Oxford City Council to deliver mixed use schemes. Our previous projects are on Queen Street and The Store Hotel, at the former Boswells department store.
Background and the Site
Beaver House is an underutilised 1970s building which is out of context with Oxford’s historic city setting. The original purpose and use of the building has changed and is no longer sustainable for modern working and future use.
The existing building is environmentally inefficient and deteriorating, with poor sustainability credentials.
Redline site plan of Beaver House
Existing photo of Beaver House
The proposal seeks to transform the area outside into a lively, active street scene, creating an enhanced welcome to the City of Oxford.
Key benefits
Bridge Labs will play a key role in helping Oxford remain at the cutting edge of life science development in the ‘Golden Triangle’ area between Oxford, Cambridge and London., Bridge Labs will help to directly address the acute demand for life science lab space in the city, whilst delivering a scheme which benefits the whole local area:
- New, lowered building height positively responding to local community feedback.
- Creating a sustainable development, with the introduction of solar panels and green spaces for biodiversity.
- Dramatically improving the arrival route into Oxford – with new active ground floor uses and a café facing Frideswide Square.
- Providing a range of high skilled jobs catering to a skilled local workforce circa 800 jobs, expected to generate £64m per year.
- Redeveloping a harsh, dominant looking building which has come to the end of its economic life.
- Removing 80 car parking spaces, reducing carbon emissions, and encouraging sustainable transport through the provision of secure bike spaces.
- Relocating the rooftop plant (air conditioning units) away from the roof to the basement space, reducing noise. It will also create a lower building height and improved views.
- Less than a 5-minute walk to the Oxford City Station (0.2 miles away)
Feedback
Thank you for taking the time to view our proposals.
We will be taking on feedback until Monday 11th December 2023.
Attach feedback form:
Please email us your completed feedback form to:
Contact Us
Thank you for your interest in our exciting proposals for Bridge Labs.
Should you have any questions, please contact us directly at 0800 080 3170 or email us directly at bridgelabsoxford@devcomms.co.uk.
