Construction has reached the highest point on the new Global Health Building at the University of Oxford’s Old Road Campus. The milestone was marked by Professor Susanna Dunachie, Director of the Centre for Global Health Research in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, Richard Haynes, Professor of Renal Medicine and Clinical Trials in Oxford Population Health, Trevor Payne, Director of Estates at the University, and Steve Vaux, Operations Director at Morgan Sindall.
The £35 million facility is scheduled to be completed by summer 2026. Once open, it will accommodate around 250 staff members from the Nuffield Department of Medicine’s Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health and Oxford Population Health. The building will have four storeys and a total area of 4,500 square metres. It will feature office space for both departments as well as collaborative areas and flexible teaching spaces in the basement.
Professor Susanna Dunachie said: “Global Health research addresses health problems worldwide, with a focus on partnership and equity. This flagship building will be a world centre for excellence in global health research, bringing together international researchers to train, learn and share knowledge. The two departments will collaborate with multi-disciplinary researchers across the globe and within Oxford to support discovery and the delivery of life-changing solutions.”
Professor Sir Rory Collins, Head of Department at Oxford Population Health, stated: “Despite improvements in healthcare in recent decades, health problems still result in avoidable suffering and premature death for millions of people globally. The new Global Health Building will provide a dedicated space for collaboration on some of the most important questions about the causes, prevention, and treatment of diseases affecting people across the world. It will also enable us to train the next generation of population health scientists in dedicated teaching space.”
The building is designed to maintain comfort throughout all seasons while using minimal energy for heating or cooling. It aims to achieve full Passivhaus certification as part of Oxford’s goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2035. Features include carefully sized windows positioned to minimize heat gain during peak sunlight hours and extensive sealing at every joint to increase airtightness beyond standard buildings. These measures allow advanced ventilation and heat recovery systems required by Passivhaus standards to operate efficiently.
Trevor Payne commented: “It's a pleasure to see the progress that's been made on this superb new building - one of the last steps in realising the University's long-term vision of transforming the Old Road Campus into a world-leading centre for biomedical science. It's also a vital milestone on our journey towards reaching net zero by 2035, designed and built to consume very little energy while providing comfortable, attractive, flexible spaces for teaching, research and collaboration. We look forward to seeing the completed building make a lasting contribution to work that saves lives and improves health all over the world.”
James York, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction said: “Reaching this structural milestone is a key moment in delivering a facility that will greatly enhance Oxford’s global health research capabilities.
This building will create a sustainable, modern space fostering the collaboration and innovation essential to medical breakthroughs. We are proud to support the University of Oxford in providing a building that meets the highest environmental standards while offering the flexible spaces needed for future research.”
A timelapse video showing construction progress so far is available.