London legal firm funds £200m teaching and research building

A London legal company has announced that it is funding a new £200m teaching and research facility in Oxford.

Legal & General will fund and deliver a new sciences building with the University of Oxford to serve as home for their departments of Zoology, Plant Sciences and Experimental Psychology.

The new £200m ‘Life and Mind Building’ will be the largest building project ever undertaken on behalf of the university, and its largest teaching and research facility.

This comes a year after Legal & General entered into a £4bn partnership with the University of Oxford in June 2019, forming Oxford University Development (OUD) in order to provide new homes for staff and students, as well as various innovation facilities.

The Life and Mind Building is due to open in 2024 and will replace the Tinbergen building, which closed in February 2017.

Nigel Wilson, chief executive at Legal & General, commented: “The Life and Mind Building will provide students with a modern, state-of-the-art facility that helps continue the University of Oxford’s legacy as one of the world’s most pre-eminent teaching institutions.

“We are extremely proud of our partnership with the University of Oxford, which in the wake of COVID-19 will help retain talent in the city, whilst driving essential inward investment and providing opportunities for world-leading innovation as well as much needed housing for key workers.

“Legal & General has invested over £25bn in levelling-up regional economies throughout the UK, including by forming major partnerships with local and central governments, universities and local businesses in Cardiff, Greater Manchester and Newcastle.

“By facilitating investment in the UK’s regional cities, we are creating a virtuous cycle whereby pensions and savings are used to create positive social, environmental and economic outcomes which are in line with our commitment to Inclusive Capitalism.”

Professor Louise Richardson, VC of the University of Oxford, said: “The University of Oxford is delighted to be working in partnership with Legal & General to deliver a landmark Life and Mind building that will transform the relationship between the biological and psychological sciences.

“This fabulous building will provide innovative facilities for teaching and research, which will enable Oxford to train a new generation of scientists who in turn will help us to address critical global challenges.”

The demolition of the existing Tinbergen building is due to be complete by October 2020, with Legal & General to begin construction on the site in July 2021.