Incumbent contractor will leave Ellison Institute of Technology project by end of year
Mace is set to be replaced on a £200m deal to complete three laboratory and office buildings at the Oxford Science Park by the end of the year, Building can reveal.
The firm has been working on the Daubney Project for the past four years – firstly for original client Oxford Science Parks and then the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) which last autumn bought the site from Magdalen College, Oxford, and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC for £890m.
EIT is a global research and development organisation founded by US tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison, who is currently ranked as the world’s 7th richest man with an estimated net worth, according to last month’s Bloomberg Billionaires Index, of $204bn (£153bn).
Mace has recently been required to remove cladding from the partially built structures after the original design by Scott Brownrigg was ditched by EIT in favour of a revamp drawn up by Foster + Partners, which is behind another part of the EIT complex, the £300m Littlemore House and Littlemore Brook scheme, being built by Laing O’Rourke.
The revised plans for the Daubeny buildings, named after Magdalen College scientist and chemist Charles Daubeny, were sent in to local authority Oxford city council in February with Mace’s construction management plan for the work appearing over the summer.
The replacement contractor has not been formally named but Building understands Sir Robert McAlpine was told last week that it will be brought in to finish the work, set to be let as a design and build contract, which will now see the three separate blocks transformed into one large building.
In a statement, EIT told Building: “EIT has agreed with Mace Construct that its role on Daubeny will conclude at the end of 2026, following completion of the current package of work.
“Mace Construct has supported important early stages of the development over the past four years, and we recognise and appreciate the contribution its team has made to the project. The Daubeny project will continue to progress as it moves into its next phase of delivery under a new contractor.”
The job was paused last year following EIT’s purchase and as well as cladding, Mace has recently been removing plant from the completed buildings’ roofs to meet the new specification set out by the Fosters’ redesign.
In a statement, Mace Construct, which had been expected to be on site until 2030, said: “Following the completion of our phase of works at Daubney, Mace Construct will hand over the next stages of the project to a new contractor. Over the past four years, our team has been proud to play a significant role in the successful delivery of key elements of this important development.
“Our focus now is on concluding our activities by the end of the year and ensuring a smooth transition. We wish the client and the incoming contractor every success with the next phase of delivery.”
In the revised planning documents, EIT said the Fosters’ revamp will mean removing large sections of the six-storey site’s existing superstructure and connecting the buildings with two atriums, creating a single larger building with increased massing but a “more efficient use of space”.
Images show plans to demolish almost all of the three blocks’ top levels, parts of the lower floors and sections of the envelope while building new spaces connecting the buildings together.
The new atria will act as collaboration spaces for the two institutes, with the western atrium containing meeting rooms, seminar spaces, a cafe and a 175-seat auditorium, while the eastern atrium will house terraces, shared workspaces and a 250-seat auditorium.
EIT senior director of real estate Matt Abney said: “The existing scheme provided for three separate buildings, which restricts the ability for much needed collaboration between staff.
“To address this issue, it was determined that atriums between the buildings is a required intervention for the site.
“With these adaptations proposed, we will have the opportunity to provide state-of-the-art research facilities with spaces for automation and early-stage commercial development, as well as supporting the growth of the EIT Oxford campus, encouraging collaboration across teams.”
Earlier this year, McAlpine emerged as the winner on a scheme to turn a listed townhouse site on St James’s Square in Westminster into EIT’s UK head office.
The scheme, which has also been drawn up by Fosters and was given planning in August, will transform two grade II and grade II*-listed buildings at 11-12 St James’s Square and rebuild an extension to the rear of the site that was completed in 1990.
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