Aspen Building reaches topping-out milestone in Oxford

The Oxford Trust has celebrated a major milestone with the topping out of its new Aspen Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington, Oxford, marking the structure’s highest point ahead of its planned opening in July 2026.

The 17,000 ft² (1,600 m²) Aspen Building represents a £7 million expansion of the Trust’s science and innovation facilities. Delivered in partnership with Beard Construction, the development will provide two additional floors of Class II laboratories and technical workspace, increasing capacity alongside the fully occupied Linden Building.

The new facility strengthens the Headington Science Cluster and Oxford’s wider innovation ecosystem. It will also include dedicated space to support STEM outreach activities delivered through Science Oxford, connecting local schools and communities with science and technology.

To mark the milestone, the Trust hosted a topping-out ceremony attended by senior leadership and project partners. Key guests included Jonathan Flint CBE, trustee; Steve Burgess, CEO; Nicki Campling, Director of Innovation and Operations; and Michelle Webb, Associate Director of Operations at The Oxford Trust. Representatives from Beard Construction were also present: Mark Beard, Chairman; Dave Fisher, Oxford Office Lead; and Sam Payne, Site Manager. Lily Elsner, CEO and co-founder of Jack Fertility, represented the growing community of science and technology companies based at the Wood Centre for Innovation.

Steve Burgess, CEO of The Oxford Trust, said:

“Reaching the topping-out of the Aspen Building is a proud moment for everyone involved in this strategic project. It reflects our shared commitment to strengthening Oxford’s science and technology cluster by providing additional laboratory and workspace where innovative start-ups and scale-ups can grow.”

Mark Beard, chairman of Beard Construction, added:

“The Oxford Trust has set a strong example in Oxford for collaborative working between scientific start-ups, schools, contractors and the wider community. We are proud to be delivering the Aspen Building project and to celebrate this milestone with the Trust and the companies that have begun their journey at the Wood Centre for Innovation.”

The construction project has already supported local employment, with around 35 jobs created on site. This figure is expected to grow further once science and technology companies move into the completed facility.

Once finished, the Aspen Building will offer flexible laboratory and office space designed for growing companies, alongside environmental features targeting BREEAM Excellent certification and at least 10% biodiversity net gain across the surrounding 15 acres of woodland.

Located next to the existing Linden Building and the Science Oxford Centre, the Wood Centre for Innovation is already home to eight science and technology companies, including Lumai, Helio Display Materials, PicturaBio, Jack Fertility, Bioarchitech, DJS Antibodies, Exogene, and Newrotex. Space within the Aspen Building is now available to pre-let, offering incoming companies the opportunity to customise laboratory and workspace design.

The Wood Centre for Innovation is managed by Oxford Innovation, a spin-out of The Oxford Trust and a leading operator of innovation centres in the UK.

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