Oxford University’s Big Data Institute was opened this month by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammons.

The Big Data Institute is the first centre in the U.K. for the analysis, integration and interrogation of large complex data sets for research into the causes and consequences, prevention and treatment of disease.

It is a distinctive three-storey purpose-built facility for over 500 researchers specialising in high-speed data computation. At its hub is a dedicated data centre that has enough computing power to perform 600 trillion computations per second.

The building contains a mix of cellular and open plan offices wrapping around a timber-clad atrium with a glass and steel feature staircase linking the floors. The lower ground floor houses a café, seminar rooms and an audiovisual meeting suite as well as breakout space for researcher interaction.

The Big Data Institute is the second phase of the £115M Li Ka Shing Centre and is adjacent to its sister building, the Target Delivery Institute. Both buildings were delivered by Mace. The Big Data Institute is the tenth major project by Mace for Oxford University, and the fifth major project on the Old Road Campus.