A touch of the Orient will be coming to Abingdon when new office buildings for a large Scottish life assurance company are built on the Abingdon Business Park in Wyndyke Furlong.

The Japanese-style buildings for Standard Life have been described by the Vale of White Horse District Council's own consultant architects as "calm and rational " in character - a "worthy addition" to the business park.

Standard Life Investments declined to reveal the cost of the project, but it is believed to run into several millions of pounds. The plan is for two office buildings, each two storeys high, facing each other across a partially enclosed courtyard area.

The long outer walls will be made largely of a translucent glazing system, and the courtyard is designed to provide a relaxing space for workers with an Oriental theme.

There will be large hanging timber trellis screens suspended from poles between the two buildings, a sunken water feature, timber decking and bamboo plants.

Work is expected to start this autumn and should be completed in a year's time. The offices will be for rent and form part of Standard Life Investments' large property portfolio.

The district council's planning and development committee has approved the designs.

Committee chairman Jerry Patterson said: "This is certainly going to be an unusual and fascinating building which has won our approval and fits in well with other individualistic buildings on the business park."