Oxford’s giant new lab building has a secret hidden in its facade

As researchers approach the front doors of Oxford’s new Life and Mind Building (LaMB), they’re greeted with a towering concrete facade, rendered with a rippling surface effect. What first appears to be a mere stylistic choice actually encodes something more special: Each of the concrete’s waves and dips is derived from the brain scan of an Oxford researcher. 

Designed by the architecture firm NBBJ, the LaMB is a massive, 269,000-square-foot space that brings together two departments...