TIME Names University of Oxford Life and Mind Building a Best Invention of 2026
A pioneer in its field. The most sustainable lab in the UK. And now, the University of Oxford Life and Mind Building is a 2026 TIME Best Invention.
TIME recognizes the Life and Mind Building for reimagining the typically energy-hungry lab building into a sustainable research hub. The building unites neuroscience, experimental psychology and biology researchers under one roof, emitting 41% less carbon and using 51% less energy than the average lab building. The design achieves these sustainability goals and lowers operating costs with renewable on-site solar energy generation and high-efficiency heating, cooling and ventilation systems. It also excels as a model of efficiency, accommodating 23% more people in 21% less space than prior facilities.
This recognition builds on a series of accolades NBBJ has received from TIME, including being named a TIME100 Most Influential Company, the Montage Health Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health being recognized as a TIME Best Invention in 2024, and TIME’s profile of NBBJ's New York office.
The Life and Mind Building’s inclusion on TIME’s 2026 Best Inventions list—honoring 300 innovations selected for originality, efficacy, ambition and impact—further underscores the global relevance of NBBJ’s work. It also adds to the project’s growing acclaim, including awards from Fast Company, Building Design, AJ Architecture, among others, as well as features in major publications such as CNN and Fast Company.
