Heritage Buildings
Behind the carefully renovated exteriors of the Airmen’s Mess, Airspeed 1 and HQ, you’ll find contemporary Grade-A offices and dry lab space for rent
Having undergone a complete back-to-frame refurbishment, all the buildings overlook the Quadrangle development – with the gym, café and sports pitches a stroll away. On Thomson Avenue lies the original Airmen’s Mess where squadrons gathered to relax, refuel and discuss daring missions. This imposing, stand-alone building is available as whole or split space. Its 5,182 m2 (17,000 sq ft) has been comprehensively refurbished to include new air conditioning, LED lighting and shower facilities.
Formerly the headquarters of the RAF and the Atomic Energy Authority, the prestigious HQ now provides high quality offices and laboratory accommodation. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, it’s built with modern operations in mind, but still retains many of its distinctive 1930s features and character.
On Eighth Street are Airspeed 1 and Airspeed 2 – old WW2 accommodation blocks. During refurbishment we discovered unopened airmen’s letters, some of which we were able to reunite with the authors’ descendants. Each Airspeed building forms part of Harwell’s commercial property to let – offering dedicated parking and 1,829 sq m (6,000 sq ft) of occupiable space. From high, LED-lit ceilings to the latest amenities, the two buildings have been fully modernised throughout.
Heritage Buildings specifications
-
121 Minimum size
-
1,858 Maximum size
-
Open plan & individual rooms
Suitable for offices and dry laboratory space
-
Available as fitted out
CAT A office available
Download individual building brochures
178 m² (1,915 sq.ft) to 2,567 m² (27,631 sq.ft) of Grade A office space to let.
The HQ Building is a comprehensively refurbished building centred around the Campus’ cultural quarter offering the highest quality office plus a range of onsite amenities.
The Grade A office suites are available now. This is an opportunity for both start-ups and established businesses to become part of a cutting edge collaborative community driving the global future of science and technology
Unit 7 Library Avenue is situated at the heart of Harwell’s Space Cluster. The building is neighboured by the Satellite Applications Catapult, RAL Space and Oxford Space Systems.
With over 100 space companies located at Harwell, this is a perfect opportunity to help grow your business in the space sector.
Recently refurbished
Air-conditioning, new lighting, carpet flooring, WCs, showers and kitchenettes
LED lighting
Energy efficient
Car parking
Allocated spaces directly outside
EPC
To follow refurbishment
Companies thrive when their people do. Harwell is designed to bring out the best in your teams, whether you’re a two-person start-up or a FTSE-listed multinational. Our campus combines beautiful countryside with city-level facilities, including on-site food and drink and numerous sports clubs, covering rugby to archery. The facilities are set to expand too, with cutting-edge conference spaces, a new hotel, and contemporary homes in our residential quarter all due to open soon.
Harwell is located in beautiful countryside just south of Oxford, one of the fastest growing cities in the UK.
Oxford city centre is just over 20 minutes, drive away, Heathrow is 55 minutes by road, and nearby Didcot Parkway station connects you to London Paddington in just 42 minutes. The launch of Crossrail and the upgrade to the Didcot Parkway Line mean it will soon be possible to reach central London Underground stations in under one hour.
There is a shuttlebus service through the day to Didcot Parkway and Oxford.
At Harwell, your neighbours are some of the most innovative science and engineering organisations in the world. Our collaborative approach supports companies of all sizes, and companies here have access to a wide range of practical business support and funding, from grants and tax breaks to venture capital opportunities. What’s more, being at the centre of the Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem allows you to easily attract and recruit talented candidates from a wide range of fields.
Harwell is your gateway to a lively, 6,000-strong community – as well as a unique opportunity for holding talks with leading thinkers, scientists and senior politicians from across the globe. Make new connections at Connect Harwell, our central forum which links up over 200+ companies at inspiring events. And collaborate in our range of meeting room and conference spaces. The campus also organises free Special Interest Groups and Forums, C-Suite symposiums, and hosts university placements and apprenticeships for students in Science, Engineering, IT and Business.
One of Harwell’s greatest strengths is the way it brings people together. And basing yourself or your organisation here gives you easy access to the UK’s most unique professional clusters: Space, Quantum, Health Tech and Energy Tech. Each cluster gathers businesses, organisations and people from across the campus and the UK to share ideas, take risks and attract funding – and ultimately, solve the biggest problems facing our planet.
Where wellbeing comes first
Wildflower areas. Fresh air. Leafy walkways and views out to the rolling Oxfordshire countryside. Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Harwell is as beautiful a place for your employees to work as it is inspiring – giving easy access to green space, nature, and various walking and bike trails. A real pleasure to stroll around, the campus also runs a Bicycle Loan Scheme for staff to hire manual and electric bikes.
Get in touch
How’s your tomorrow looking?
To find out how your future could look at Harwell contact our expert team.
Harwell spans over 75 years of research excellence already sealed in many publications. For Harwell’s development team it felt important that some of the physical inheritance that many in our local community and our visitors relate to, is kept. That heritage collection is the perfect blend of campus legacy with a contemporary twist. The space has been thoroughly modernised and adapted to suit the needs of our businesses, whether they are an office function or a dry laboratory use.
Monika Zemla
Associate Director, Harwell Management Office
Related news
Other Developments
