The Rafael Vinoly Architects-designed Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford has topped out this week with construction due to complete by 2013. The build began in 2011 with a complex design which provides the 130,000 sq ft required by the prestigious institution for its mathematics department.

Sensitive to the historic architecture in the vicinity, the interior of the new Mathematical Institute will be light-filled but offer the necessary level of privacy necessary for a study environment. Teaching spaces will be set on a mezzanine level and grouped around a central social/study area to encourage collaboration.

A generous atrium will run the entire length of the building with informal gathering spaces throughout, enabling visual connections and impromptu meetings between faculty members on all floors. Pedestrian bridges and ‘feature stairs’ will offer fluid circulation channels.