The Oxford Trust has marked a significant milestone in the delivery of its new Aspen Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington, Oxford, officially topping out the structure to signal it has reached its highest point ahead of completion in July 2026.
The 17,000 sq ft (1,600 sq m) Aspen Building represents a £7 million expansion project delivered in partnership with Beard Construction. The development will provide two additional floors of high-quality Class II laboratories and technical workspace, expanding capacity alongside the fully occupied Linden Building.
The new facility strengthens the Trust’s commitment to the Headington Science Cluster and the wider Oxford innovation ecosystem. It will also include dedicated facilities to support STEM outreach activities delivered through Science Oxford to schools and local communities.
Senior leaders and project partners gathered to celebrate the topping out ceremony, including Jonathan Flint CBE (trustee), Steve Burgess (CEO), Nicki Campling (director of innovation and operations), and Michelle Webb (associate director of operations) from The Oxford Trust.
Representing Beard Construction were chairman Mark Beard, Oxford office lead Dave Fisher, and site manager Sam Payne. Lily Elsner, CEO and co-founder of Jack Fertility, attended on behalf of the science and technology companies based at the Wood Centre for Innovation.
Steve Burgess, CEO, The Oxford Trust said:
“Reaching the topping out of the Aspen Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation is a proud moment for The Oxford Trust and everyone involved in bringing this strategic project to life.
“This milestone reflects the dedication of our construction partners and our shared commitment to strengthening Oxford’s science and tech cluster by delivering more lab and workspace where innovative science and technology start-ups and scale-ups can grow.
“I’d like to thank Beard and the wider project team for their hard work, expertise and collaboration.”
Mark Beard, chairman, added:
“The Oxford Trust set the standard in Oxford regarding collaborative working with scientific start-up companies, schools, contractors and the wider community.
“We are so proud to be their chosen contractor for the new Aspen Building project and are delighted to mark this milestone with all our friends from The Oxford Trust and the family of great start-up companies that have begun their journey of exploration at the Wood Centre for Innovation.”
The construction phase has already generated around 35 on-site jobs, with further employment opportunities expected once science and technology start-ups and grow-on companies move into the completed building.
Read more: Construction begins on Aspen Building at Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington
Upon completion, the Aspen Building will offer scalable and customisable laboratory and office space, incorporating advanced environmental design features. The development is targeting BREEAM Excellent certification and at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain across its 15 acres of surrounding woodland.
Located adjacent to the Linden Building and the Science Oxford Centre, the Aspen Building forms part of the Wood Centre for Innovation campus, which currently supports eight pioneering science and technology companies: Lumai, Helio Display Materials, PicturaBio, Jack Fertility, Bioarchitech, DJS Antibodies, Exogene and Newrotex.
The Aspen Building is now available for pre-let, allowing incoming companies to tailor space to their specific laboratory and office requirements.
The Wood Centre for Innovation is managed by Oxford Innovation, a spin-out from The Oxford Trust and one of the UK’s leading operators of innovation centres.
