In the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford's new university district, trees have been planted around the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. At more than 25,000 m², the Hopkins Architects building is the largest construction project in Oxford University's history. It opened in October 2025 and houses seven humanities faculties, the Oxford Internet Institute, and the Institute for Ethics in AI, along with a concert hall, exhibition spaces, lecture halls, and libraries. The development was made possible in part by a gift from Stephen A. Schwarzman, which has since risen to 185 million pounds.

Landscape architect Gillespies designed the outdoor space as a series of interconnected 'outdoor rooms': an arrival plaza for meeting and orientation, tranquil biodiverse gardens and planted terraces, sheltered courtyards, and bicycle routes with secure parking. The aim was to transform the formerly fragmented, heavily hardscaped former observatory district into a cohesive, green, and accessible campus.

Van den Berk Nurseries supplied the matching selection. Acer ×zoeschense 'Annae', with its compact crown and red to orange fall color, adds relief to the more intimate corners. Frequently transplanted specimen trees of Carpinus betulus immediately create defining green elements. A Liquidambar styraciflua and a Styphnolobium japonicum (Japanese pagoda tree) provide seasonal interest with fall color and late-summer flowering. The thornless Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis provides soft shade over the bicycle parking areas with its light, translucent foliage. A Liriodendron tulipifera and a Tilia cordata 'Greenspire' complete the planting.