Begbroke competition shortlist

Five exceptional teams have been shortlisted to the second stage of this international masterplanning competition....

Our client Oxford University Development today revealed the shortlist of five teams proceeding to the second stage of this competition to find master planners for its world-leading £1 billion, 190-hectare mixed-use Innovation District at Begbroke, to the north of Oxford.

And, here they are:


  • Allies and Morrison with Mecanoo, Gort Scott; DK-CM; Hargreaves Jones; BuroHappold; Systematica; HR&A
  • Carlo Ratti Associati with Outcomist; Martha Schwartz Partners; Ove Arup & Partners; Studio 20-20; Groupwork Architects; Tsuruta Architects; Theatrum Mundi; Fabienne Nicholas; Mobility in Chain; Soundings; Indeed Innovation
  • Grimshaw with Hoare Lea; BuroHappold; Logika Consultants; McGregor Coxall; Jas Bhalla Architects; Openstudio Architects; XCO2
  • Hawkins Brown with OKRA; BuroHappold and C:Lab; RCKa; Ooze; Ecological Land Cooperative; Wordsearch Place
  • Prior + Partners with The Place Bureau; Alison Brooks Architects; Wilkinson Eyre Architects; dRMM; Gillespies; Spacehub; Ramboll; Stantec; Hoare Lea; Keith Orlesky; Philipp Bouteiller; Pooran Desai; Transition by Design; Transsolar; Usman Haque; Jonathan Rose Companies

“We were inspired by the high quality of the entries and excited by the potential of Begbroke outlined by the teams. Practices and collaborations grasped the challenge of creating a place of world leading research alongside a community calling Begbroke home. We look forward to engaging with the short-listed teams to explore ideas further in stage 2.’’

— Anna Strongman, CEO Oxford University Development

The winning team will set the bold ambition and design intent for this project which is set to transform the area around the University's Begbroke Science Park, to the north of Oxford. The project will also create a community of up to 2,000 quality homes, with new schools, a public park and a nature reserve.

OUD’s aspiration is to create a boundary-pushing scheme that demonstrably achieves a step-change in sustainable design, delivery, and operation. The new district will seek 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 for public access. The site will provide an exemplary new setting for the University's world-leading science and innovation, which will help address key global challenges facing humanity - from food security and biodiversity to climate change and the urgent need to move to a zero-carbon economy.

The ambition for Begbroke is anchored by Cherwell District Council’s Local Plan Partial Review, which has identified the site for a high-quality mixed-use development, comprising a range of research & development, residential, and associated social and physical infrastructure uses, such as schools, local centres, amenity space and recreation/leisure uses, as well as excellent connectivity to the City of Oxford by sustainable means.

The first phase of the scheme will bring forward new facilities for University research, as well as providing space to incubate spin-out companies.

We look forward to working with the teams on the next stage of the competition.