Established in 1996, Oxford University’s Saïd Business School is one of Europe’s youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools, with a reputation for innovative business education. The School combines the highest standards of academic rigour with a practical understanding of business and wealth creation. Our faculty are engaged in boundary-extending research on key management issues, in dialogue with the wider intellectual community and with practitioners.
The Saïd Business School building, designed by Dixon and Jones, the architects responsible for the Royal Opera House in London, opened in 2001 in the centre of Oxford. In design it brings together over three millennia of academic tradition, from its classical amphitheatre, to the mosque-like columns, medieval cloisters, four horseshoe style lecture theatres, and its contemporary interpretation of the traditional dreaming spire.
Take a virtual tour of the School.
Sharing ideas
A key feature of the building is the provision of informal working areas. There are numerous open spaces throughout, including cloistered walkways and a large internal courtyard - all of which help foster informal interaction between students, faculty, staff and visitors. Professor Anthony Hopwood, formerly Peter Moores Dean of the School, comments: “I call these ‘democratic spaces’ because of the ease of interaction which they facilitate.”
Relaxing
The common room, a large semicircular space with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the School's landscaped grounds, is a relaxed area for easy socialising with fellow students, faculty and staff. The grounds contain the Fellow's Garden, a place for quiet reflection, the remains of Rewley Abbey, the very first seat of learning in Oxford, as well as space for a full size croquet lawn.
Studying
The School’s Library and Information Services comprise the two-floor state-of-the-art Sainsbury Library and the award-winning Virtual Library, an electronic gateway to a wealth of business information. The Sainsbury Library’s lower floor contains the library and IT helpdesk, a short loan collection, a rolling stack, an informal seating area and over 40 study desks, many of which are equipped with PCs. The upper reading room, with its distinctive vaulted ceiling and impressive views, is intended for quiet research and holds 90 fully-networked study desks.
Learning
Most classes take place in one of four wood-panelled lecture theatres, with desks, each with its own network connection, arranged in a horseshoe pattern to facilitate open discussion. These theatres contain dual screens to enable simultaneous use of a range of visual media, and there are numerous seminar and project rooms for small group work. There is also a 300 seat traditional style auditorium (opened by Nelson Mandela in 2002).