Trinity by Breakthrough
Client
Breakthrough Properties
Location
Oxford, UK
Status
Completed Jan 2026
Images
Jack Hobhouse
Website
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Trinity by Breakthrough is a new generation life science building set within the ARC Oxford campus formerly known as the Oxford Business Park in Oxford. Located adjacent to the renowned Morris Monument round-about where the Morris Motor cars were manufactured during the early 1900’s. Trinity by Breakthrough symbolises the evolution of this industrial estate to form a new science and research campus, one that embraces new cutting-edge science and technology. The client’s vision is to deliver a building of the highest design quality with wellbeing and sustainability at its heart. The project was conceived at a time when the demand for such facilities within Oxford is heightened. The scheme has evolved following extensive consultation with Oxford City Council, stakeholders, and the local community, as well as feedback from various consultation meetings including pre-application meetings and Design Review Panel workshops.
Trinity by Breakthrough, a life science building set within the ARC Oxford campus. Video by Jack Hobhouse.
Reimagining the Brief as Architecture
The project brief sought a flexible, high quality speculative life sciences building capable of attracting a broad range of occupiers while establishing a clear gateway presence within the ARC campus. Trinity by Breakthrough translates these requirements into an architecture shaped by adaptability, longevity and identity. Highly flexible laboratory and write up space supports early stage research companies through to established life science organisations. Generous floor to ceiling heights, coordinated servicing zones and efficient central cores enable long term reconfiguration as scientific needs evolve. Shared amenities and visible social spaces extend the brief beyond functional provision, positioning the building as an integral part of the wider ARC research ecosystem.
Form as Environmental Intelligence
The building balances architectural character with functional efficiency. A predominantly rectilinear rear geometry is retained to support efficient laboratory planning and servicing. At the Morris roundabout, this shifts to a sinuous, environmentally responsive form that addresses its gateway setting, optimising daylight, solar performance, and wind mitigation. The arrival sequence and internal campus experience emphasise the curved frontage, leading the mind to read the building as fluid throughout, softening the form, while rational, high-performance lab spaces operate behind. Form and function are precisely aligned, each reinforcing the other.
Form as Environmental Intelligence
The building balances architectural character with functional efficiency. A predominantly rectilinear rear geometry is retained to support efficient laboratory planning and servicing. At the Morris roundabout, this shifts to a sinuous, environmentally responsive form that addresses its gateway setting, optimising daylight, solar performance, and wind mitigation. The arrival sequence and internal campus experience emphasise the curved frontage, leading the mind to read the building as fluid throughout, softening the form, while rational, high-performance lab spaces operate behind. Form and function are precisely aligned, each reinforcing the other.
The building targets Net Zero Carbon in Construction in accordance with UK Green Building Council framework and commits to achieving Net Zero Carbon in operation for landlord areas in line with NABERS landlord definition. The design concepts from the outset were driven by ambitious sustainability targets as part of the project brief including a road map to achieving Net Zero Carbon. The building is designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’ with a stretch target of ‘Outstanding’. Several passive energy options were explored as part of the design process including detailed analysis and option studies of the external envelope to optimise thermal performance of the façade and internal solar gain. Sustainability strategy is set to achieve an embodied carbon savings minimum 640 kgCO2vcve/m2 with 45% betterment on Part L Building Regulation 2021. It targets net biodiversity gain of 12.6%, partly helped by 11,300 SF green living wall as bio-skin, extensive blue roof 25,000 SF, generous planted terraces, and extensive green roof. Green living wall will sequester CO2 and NOX particles from the atmosphere, providing cooling to the façade, enhanced acoustic attenuation, improve visual amenity and sense of wellbeing. Renewable energy provisions include 17,000 SF of PVs, 60% roof plant area and 50% EV charger provision on day 1, a robust sustainable drainage system, rainwater harvesting, and retention used for irrigating the living wall, and landscape.
Key added values to the project by design, includes exceeding initial ESG targets and RSF targets. The current scheme achieves a six-storey building and 210,000 RSF. It is the first commercial laboratory building in Oxford with flexible floorplates of up to 40,000 RSF. Other key added values by design includes generous roof terraces at two upper levels, extensive green living wall.
Key added values to the project by design, includes exceeding initial ESG targets and RSF targets. The current scheme achieves a six-storey building and 210,000 RSF. It is the first commercial laboratory building in Oxford with flexible floorplates of up to 40,000 RSF. Other key added values by design includes generous roof terraces at two upper levels, extensive green living wall.
