THE Blavatnik School of Government in Jericho is starting to take shape as building work entered its 80th week yesterday.

It is hoped that the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter building – one of the newest and most prominent in the city – will be finished by the autumn.

After a topping out ceremony in January, workers began the final stages of construction, including the difficult task of putting the school’s many glass panels in place.

About 100 workers have been on site every day, with that number set to rise to 200 in the coming months.

It is estimated that 1,500 workers will have worked on the project by the time it is finished.

This week Calum Miller, chief operating officer at the Blavatnik School of Government, said: “We are very excited to see our building taking shape.

“There is much hard work still to do but the main structure is now complete, the glazing is being fitted and work on the interior has started.

“The building is living up to Oxford’s tradition with great attention to detail and high-quality workmanship.

“Like all new homeowners, we can’t wait to settle in and invite the neighbours over for a cup of tea.”

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The school is being funded by a donation of £75m from Ukrainian-American billionaire Leonard Blavatnik, given to the university in 2010. According to business magazine Forbes, Mr Blavatnik has a net worth of more than £12bn.

In January he joined construction workers and university dons to mark a major milestone for the project during the topping out of the new building.

At the ceremony, a final pour of concrete was put in place at one of the building’s top levels to symbolise the fact it had reached its tallest point.

When the school is finished it will be capable of housing about 550 people at any one time, with space to host functions for up to 200 people.

The university has said the ground floor will also be open to the public, where it will feature art exhibitions and other open events.

The whole building has also been given a rating of “excellent” on the BREEAM scale, the second highest on the internationally-used environmental rating system.

It is to feature natural heating and ventilation systems and its concrete structure is capable of storing heat.

There are also solar panels on the roof, as well as rainwater tanks.

But the school has come under fire in the past for flouting city rules on building height.

Oxford City Council’s guidelines say that no building within 1,200m of the 23-metre Carfax Tower may be taller than 18.2m.

The Blavatnik building is 22.5 metres high.