Hawkins Brown team picked for 2,000-home Oxfordshire masterplan

A Hawkins Brown-led team has been selected to work up masterplan proposals for the development of an “innovation district” with up to 2,000 homes at Oxford University’s Begbroke Science Park.

The practice beatshortlisted teamsincluding Allies & Morrison with Mecanoo; Carlo Ratti with Groupwork; Grimshaw Architects; and another team featuring Alison Brooks Architects, Wilkinson Eyre and dRMM in a competition run on behalf of Oxford University Development.

A total of 40 bids were submitted in response to theoriginal competition callin November. Big names including OMA, Levitt Bernstein, SOM, AHMM, and Arup working with David Kohn and Adam Kahn were among those who did not progress to the next stage.

Hawkins Brown’s wining team includes RCKa; Dutch firms OKRA and Ooze; BuroHappold and C:Lab; and Murray Twohig. It is now tasked with working up plans for the innovation district on the 190ha site north of Oxford.

Anna Strongman, chief executive of Oxford University Development – which is a joint venture between the university and Legal & General Group – said the competition had found the “stellar team” required to respond to Oxford’s housing needs and deliver an exemplary place to live, work and foster innovation and enterprise.

Darryl Chen, urban design lead at Hawkins Brown, said the Begbroke commission was a rare opportunity to set an agenda for a type of place that “doesn’t quite yet exist”.

他说:“Begbroke将看到在半农村地区为科学建立新的家园和空间，这是由具有长期前景的客户推动的。”

“We’re super-happy that Oxford University Development have selected our team of spicy talents to work with them.”

Oxford University Development said Hawkins Brown had demonstrated design flair through strong leadership, a collaborative approach and cross-sector expertise that resulted in a fresh approach to the new innovation district through the competition process.

It said the jury found the winning team had balanced the need for delivery, design, attention to phasing and the evolution of the place.

“The team offered a very strong response to the design challenge, proposed creative integration of different uses, as well as sensitive consideration of existing communities and those who will come to use the spaces,” it said.

Oxford University Development’s vision for Begbroke is to create a sustainably-designed new community with new schools, a public park and a nature reserve. It said the aim was to “attract the very best minds, while driving economic growth, improving transport connections, delivering benefits for local people, as well as enhancing the surrounding natural landscape”.

总体规划概要还要求该基地为牛津大学的科学和创新工作提供一个示范性的新环境，帮助应对从粮食安全和生物多样性到气候变化的关键全球挑战，并减少健康不平等。

The competition was managed by Colander Associates and Turner & Townsend.