Chemistry Research Laboratory

Parking spaces are available for the CRL, but must be booked in advance by contacting reception on 01865 285000.  If you are visiting a staff member, they should also be able to book you a space; remember to collect your permit from reception!  There is plenty of space to park, but please watch out for bicycles, as the forecourt is a busy shared area.  Parking in Oxford is limited, but see the map below for city-owned spaces. 

• Oxford Blue Badge parking map (PDF)

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The main entrance to the building is up a set of three shallow stone steps with a central handrail.  There is also a ramp situated in front of the bike shed, which has no handrail, and might be a bit narrow for some.   Once up the ramp, turn right to reach the main entrance door.  The main door is a glass cylindrical automatic door.  There is quite a lip up into it, so please take care.  A security gate on the left hand side of reception provides access to the rest of the building.  There is a swing gate next to it for wheelchairs, and this is operated from reception.  

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The reception is directly opposite the entrance door.  There is a reduced height section on the right hand side.  Through the access barriers to the left of reception, there is a waiting area with small tables and swivel armchairs. 

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Accessible toilets

The accessible toilet for visitors is located off the atrium café on the lower ground floor. Exit the lift and turn left to reach the café, and the toilet is about halfway along the long wall on the right hand side.

For those with department access, there is an additional accessible toilet on the central ‘dirty corridor’ of each floor, by the emergency showers. To get to the one on the ground floor, go over the connecting bridge from reception and past the first set of write-up spaces and research labs. Turn right into the central corridor, and the toilet will be on your left hand side. This is the same layout on all floors. 

Standard toilets

There are four blocks of standard toilets on each floor, divided into two pairs. One pair is on the central ‘dirty corridor’, and one off the lift lobby. There are Men's and Women's toilets in each pair, and each has a cubicle with grab rails. 

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There are two passenger and two goods lifts in the building.   On the ground floor, the passenger lifts are located on the left hand side of the reception waiting area.  These are glass lifts with an internal rail, tactile buttons, and voice information, but there is no braille.  They are large enough for power wheelchairs.  These lifts will continue to work out of hours, although response times will be longer.  The goods lifts are located at the opposite end of the ‘dirty corridor’ from reception, between staircases two and four.  These are the large lifts which are used for transporting chemicals and equipment.  They have both braille and voice information. 

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There is a core staircase in each corner of the building, and a staircase which connects the ground floor to the atrium café at lower ground level.  All of these staircases have handrails on both sides, and contrasting tactile nosings.  All staircases are open tread, so please take care.  Access to the stair cores is through two heavy fire doors with narrow visual panels.  One of the doors to stair core three (nearest to the ground floor common room), has one side on hold-open, so this might be the best one to use if you find heavy doors a struggle. 

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There are various types of doors in the building.  The doors at either end of the bridge are glass, but not too heavy.  The heaviest doors are the sets of two doors which separate the stair cores from the corridors.  These have long handles and narrow vison panels.   The door to the basement meeting room is a glass double door, and there are two wooden doors to pass through to get to the Wolfson seminar room on the lower ground floor, which are also quite heavy.

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The Wolfson seminar room is located on the lower ground floor.  Exit the lift, and the seminar room is through the door on your right.  There are moveable chairs, with plenty of space to move around the outside of the room.   The presentation area is level, and you can reach the AV desk from a wheelchair.  This room has a projection screen and flip chart.

There is a meeting room in the basement, which is also on the right hand side as you exit the lift.  This has glass doors which open onto the corridor, a large central table, and moveable chairs (some of which have arms).  Those with larger wheelchairs might find the space ‘round the edge of the room a bit tight.  The lighting in this room can be adjusted using a dimmer switch.

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The common room for department members is located on the ground floor.  Exit the lift, turn left, and cross the bridge towards the labs.  Carry straight on past the write-up space and the first row of labs, and the common room will be on your left, almost directly opposite the end of the ‘dirty corridor’.  The common room has fixed chairs and some small moveable tables.  There are vending machines in one corner and a worktop with a sink and microwave.  This is standard height, but the tap is reachable from a wheelchair.

Breakout spaces are situated in the lift lobby of every floor apart from ground.  These have a coffee table, and fixed armchairs.  Some also have a tea point with the work surface at waist-height, however, it’s not too much of a stretch to reach the tap from a wheelchair!

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The Atrium Café is located on the lower ground floor, and provides hungry researchers with a range of different meals, drinks, and snacks.   Exit the lift and turn right to reach it.  There is a staffed servery counter on the right hand side, and while this has no lowered section, it’s a reasonable height for wheelchair users.  The ‘self-serve’ coffee machine is a bit of a stretch for boiling liquids, but you can also get hot drinks at the servery, where the staff are very happy to help.

There are rows of long tables and moveable chairs in the atrium, and the height of the tables is good, but might be tight on the knees for some wheelchair users!  As there is so much glass and concrete in the building, the atrium, while collaborative, can get quite noisy.  If you are a member of the department, you are welcome to eat in the common room if you fancy somewhere a little quieter.  Please do not eat in the write-up spaces.  There is a disabled toilet off the right-hand side of the café. 

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