Life and Mind Building, University of Oxford

The newly constructed Life and Mind Building stands in leafy surroundings in the University town of Oxford. After a four-year construction period, the building is scheduled to open in 2025, housing the Department of Experimental Psychology and the Department of Biology.

The new building has been designed for efficiency and flexibility, enabling openness and collaboration between different scientific disciplines, as well as engagement with the public and other stakeholders. Well-being, design excellence, and sustainability are among the guiding aspirations for the new building.

As a supplier, Thorlux aligns with these goals. The company has been certified as carbon neutral since 2012, measuring and reducing its carbon impact through a variety of methods, including an award-winning carbon offsetting woodland project. Thorlux is committed to minimising the embodied carbon of its products, which in turn helps to reduce the embodied carbon of new builds like the Life and Mind Building.

Thorlux has provided standard and emergency lighting throughout the building using the award-winning SmartScan lighting management system. SmartScan’s simplicity of installation proved an advantage for installation contractors. SmartScan offers excellent functionality with simple, minimal installation, including wirelessly linking to battery-powered wall-mounted scene control plates for local lighting controls; scene setting was a critical requirement of the project.

SmartScan provides comprehensive energy insights on a password-protected web platform. The university plans to employ the occupancy profiling capability of SmartScan to assist area utilisation and maximise the use of the building.

Suspended Flexbar luminaires are used in several locations to ensure glare control and provide uplight. G3 downlighters are used in toilet areas, while special R3 surface SmartScan luminaires illuminate circulation areas. The Firefly emergency luminaire is the backbone of the emergency lighting plan, providing required lighting levels with a minimum number of units installed.

The Life and Mind Building will enhance interdisciplinary collaboration while prioritising sustainability and well-being. With Thorlux’s innovative lighting solutions, this facility will not only enrich the educational experience but also embody a commitment to environmental responsibility.