Plans for the proposed home of the Oxford Institute of Digital Health (OIDH), part of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, have received international recognition with a World Architecture News (WAN) Gold Award in the Adaptive Reuse category.
The award celebrates innovative design that gives new life to existing buildings. The Oxford Institute of Digital Health plans, designed by NBBJ architects, detail how the Gibson and Harkness Buildings could be carefully transformed into a modern, sustainable space to support research and teaching in digital health.
A physical hub for the Oxford Institute of Digital Health, a second building for Oxford Primary Care, will be a vital step in bringing together the broad range of the Oxford’s expertise in one location, fostering the continued cross-discipline collaboration, innovation and agility that makes the University of Oxford world leading.
This award is a fantastic recognition of the vision and teamwork that went into developing the concept for the Oxford Institute of Digital Health. The building is not only a beautifully designed space – it very importantly shows us a way of building new life into past buildings, and with as low an environmental impact as is possible to achieve. It will deliver highly functional and future-proofed teaching and research space to support the way we want to work. It will bring researchers and educators together, spark new ideas, provide an inspiring setting for the next generation of digital health scientists, and will even save us costs. I hope this award will help inspire support to share our vision.
- Professor Richard Hobbs, Director of the Oxford Institute of Digital Health
The design creates a welcoming, collaborative environment for researchers, educators and students. The intention is to bring together experts in digital health in a purpose-designed space to support researchers working on topics such as artificial intelligence in healthcare, digital tools for managing long-term conditions, and the ethical use of health data.
While the project is presently paused awaiting funding and following planning approval, the designs reflect a strong commitment to sustainability and thoughtful reuse of existing structures. Key features include a new glazed roof connecting the two historic buildings to form a central, light-filled courtyard, designed to support informal meetings and shared working.
The architects’ plans reuse as much of the original building materials as possible, reducing the carbon emissions typically associated with demolition and new construction. The sustainability features include natural ventilation, solar shading, and the use of air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce energy use. A low-carbon stone façade was also highlighted by the WAN Award judges as a particularly innovative element.
The judges praised the project for its ‘exemplary approach to adaptive reuse with meaningful sustainability interventions.’
The proposed project will provide the OIDH with a physical space for researchers working on topics such as artificial intelligence in healthcare, digital tools for managing long-term conditions, and the ethical use of health data.
Watch the video about the vision for the OIDH
The Department is now actively fundraising for the building project. To find out more information or to support, please contact: oidh@phc.ox.ac.uk