Venue Hire

The Researchers Common Room decorated for the department BBQ

The Department of Earth Sciences is home to spacious social zones, lecture and conference rooms, a library and a stunning entrance atrium.

Many of our teaching and communal spaces are available to hire to groups from across the University, as well as external parties. These are suitable for a large variety of purposes, including conferences, training courses, seminars and lectures, and summer school teaching.

Available Spaces

  • Elementary Lab (capacity 48, seated)
  • Mineralogy Lab (capacity 40, seated)
  • Computing Lab (capacity 38, seated at individual PCs)
  • Seminar Rooms 1 and 2 (each room has a capacity of 40, seated, with the option to remove the dividing wall for a total capacity of 80)
  • Conference Room (capacity 25-30, seated, multiple seating configurations available)
  • L2 Meeting Rooms 1 and 2 (each with a capacity of 6, seated)
  • Researchers Common Room (RCR) and Roof Terrace
  • Atrium

Photographs of each space are shown in the gallery below. Tours of available spaces can be arranged upon request.

A virtual tour of the Department is available here: Earth Sciences Virtual Tour | University of Oxford

Equipment and AV

All lab spaces and both the seminar rooms are equipped with lectern PCs. All rooms aside from the RCR and Atrium have display screens or overhead projectors. Please provide information on your AV and technical requirements at the time of booking. Our IT Team can assist with set up if your event is within the working day.

AV Equipment

Meeting Room 1

Panacast 180 degree camera and audio

Mineralogy Lab

PTZ Camera and Stem Audio

Seminar Room 1

PTZ Camera and Stem Audio

Meeting Room 2

Panacast 180 degree camera and audio

Elementary Lab

PTZ Camera and Stem Audio

Seminar Room 2

PTZ Camera and Stem Audio

Conference Room

Panacast 180 degree 4k video intergraded Audio

Computing Lab

PTZ Camera and Stem Audio

  

 

Software available on PCs in the Computing Lab (last updated Sept 2023)

  • Microsoft Office
  • Kofax Power PDF Advanced
  • CorelDraw
  • 7-zip
  • Uniflow Client
  • FireFox
  • QGIS
  • MatLab
  • Sophos Central Client
  • ERMapper

The building is covered by the Eduroam network. Guess Wi-Fi access is available on request.

We have poster boards available to hire.

Rates of Hire

Hire fees are available upon request. We offer a special rate for University of Oxford groups. A charging code must be provided at the time of booking.

Restrictions

Please note that availability may be reduced between Monday and Friday during term time due to undergraduate teaching.

Events taking place out of hours (between 5pm and 8:30am, or on a weekend) must be run in collaboration with a member of the Department of Earth Sciences for security purposes. 

Catering

We are able to supply refreshments for your event within working hours at additional cost. Alternatively, you are welcome to make your own catering arrangements, however these must be communicated in advance.

Contact

For all booking enquiries please contact Reception at reception@earth.ox.ac.uk, or call 01865 272000.

Image Gallery

Photograph of the Department of Earth Sciences building from the opposite side of South Parks Road
Photograph of the Department Atrium. There is a large space with a reception desk and display cabinets, and three upper floors open to the space. The walls are painted white and the floor is a dark grey.
Photograph looking down into the atrium from the top floor.
Photograph of the Seminar Rooms. There are four rows of red chairs with brown wooden desks in front of them facing two large projector screens. Behind the screens are floor to ceiling windows. There is a large world map on the far wall.
Photograph of seminar room 1. There are four rows of red chairs with wooden desks in front of them facing a large projector screen. A podium is next to the screen and behind is floor to ceiling windows. On the far wall is a world map.
Photograph of Seminar Room 2. There are 4 rows of red chairs with wooden tables in front of them facing a large projector screen at the front of the room. Next to the projector is a podium with a computer on it and floor to ceiling windows.
A photograph of the mineralogy lab. There are 4 rows of wooden desks in front of 2 large white boards and a lecturing podium. There are large windows on the far wall.
A photograph of the mineralogy lab. The photo is taken facing 5 rows of wooden desks with black chairs behind them. There is the corner of a lecturing podium in the bottom right of the image and you can see a blank laptop screen. There are large windows.
A photograph of the elementary lab. There are 5 rows of wooden desks and black chairs looking at 2 large whiteboards and a lecturing podium with a computer on it. There are large windows on the far wall. A tray of rock sits on one of the desks.
A photograph of the elementary lab. There is a lecturing podium with a laptop looking at 5 rows of wooden desks and black chairs. In the back of the room are large wooden cupboards. There are large windows on the far wall.
A photograph of the computing lab. There are rows of white desks with 4 computers on each desk in front of a black chair. At the front is a large whiteboard and there are floor to ceiling windows on the far wall.
A photograph of meeting room 1. There is a white table in the middle of the room with 6 red chairs around it. A TV screen is on the wall behind the table. The walls are white and there is a glass door.
A photograph of meeting room 1. There is a white table in the centre of the room with 6 red chairs around it and a TV screen on the wall behind it. A geological map is on the far wall.
A photograph of meeting room 2. There is a white table with 5 red chairs and 1 white chair around it pushed up against the wall. A TV screen is on the wall above the table. There is a glass panel on the far wall looking into the corridor.
A photograph of meeting room 2. There is a white table with 6 chairs around it and a TV screen on the wall above the table. There is a framed picture next to the TV screen. The far wall is glass and the rest are white.
A photo of the RCR. There are 4 red sofas in the middle of a large room arranged facing each other around 3 white coffee tables. The far wall is all floor to ceiling windows . The floor is wooden.
A photograph of the RCR kitchen. There are two white counters facing each other covered in blcck and silver kitchen appliances. The far wall is red and the floor is wooden. There is a silver sink next to the wall.
A photograph of the tables in the RCR. here is 3 round, white tables along a wall with 4 red chairs at each. The floor is wooden and the wall behind the tables is white with glass panel in the top half.
A photo of the RCR. The image is of a large room with a wooden floor and glass window walls. In the middle there is some open red wooden doors showing the entrance to the RCR. Along the wall there is a white counter with high counter chairs and plants.
A photograph of the RCR. There are 2 long rows of red sofas facing each other around white coffee tables on the left side of the room. Behind them is a glass window wall. In the background is the RCR kitchen. The floor is wooden.
Photograph of the RCR terrace, with a view of Oxford in the distance
Photograph of the RCR terrace, with a view of Oxford in the distance
Photograph of the RCR terrace, with a view of Oxford in the distance
Photograph of the conference room with a long table surrounded by red chairs. There is a large screen at the end of the room.
Photograph of the conference room with a long table surrounded by red chairs. There is a large map at the end of the room.
Photograph of the atrium common area, with tables and chairs and large windows along one side
Photograph of the atrium common area, with tables and chairs and large windows along one side