St Catherine’s College—usually known as “Catz”—is Oxford’s youngest college and one of Britain’s most important post-war university buildings. Its present campus was designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen and opened in 1962, with the ceremonial opening following in 1964.
Jacobsen created an unusually complete architectural environment: he designed not only the buildings but also the gardens, furniture, lighting, fittings and many smaller details. The result combines the traditional Oxford college plan—a central quadrangle—with modern materials and a deliberately egalitarian layout. It even features a quad as can be seen in this watercolour.
St Catherine’s is regarded as one of Jacobsen’s major international works and as one of the most significant twentieth-century collegiate buildings in Oxford. The campus received Grade I listed status in 1993, recognising the importance of its architectural coherence and unusually well-preserved interiors and landscape.
Interesting facts...
Jacobson designed everything and I mean everything. The gardens, furniture, lighting, door handles, switches, sockets and even the college cutlery! everything you touch is designed to work together making this building really unique.
