Saint Catherine's College (Oxford) Foundation

Window Replacement Project

St Catherine's College, Oxford, was founded in 1962 as a result of the vision of historian Alan Bullock, a vision which not only enabled him to establish the first new undergraduate college in Oxford for many years, but also gave him the insight to choose Danish architect Arne Jacobsen to design the buildings. This was a bold decision in 1960, but Jacobsen rewarded Alan Bullock's courage with buildings that were destined to become not only the architect's own favourite creation but also a classic of modern architecture that achieved the accolade of Grade 1 listing (the highest award for architectural merit in the UK) in 1993. Jacobsen's striking design succeeded in incorporating elements of the traditional Oxford college into an unambiguously modern creation, expressing the full maturity of the architect's late work. Besides the architecture, he designed the gardens, furniture, lighting, and cutlery, creating an environment that reflects his genius both inside and out, and that was described by the renown architectural historian Sir Nicholas Pevsner as "the perfect piece of architecture." Architects from all over the world regularly visit the College to admire Jacobsen’s creation.

The College buildings are framed by two long blocks of student accommodation, with large windows that look over the quad and gardens. There are 320 windows, each with 5 separate panes, two of which are sash windows and three of which are fixed. One entire side of each room is window, and Jacobsen originally intended that these would be protected from sunlight by slim bronze "fins" projecting over the windows, a feature which would also provide privacy for the rooms' occupants. However, the funding available did not permit these sun-shields. The original windows were installed as single-paned panels, requiring net curtains to be permanently drawn to provide privacy. From an aesthetic point of view, the College has never achieved the appearance that Jacobsen intended; indeed he intensely disliked the net curtains although he accepted the need for them.

In 2002, the windows were in need of replacement; 40 years of use resulted in considerable wear and tear. When considering how best to do this, the College saw an opportunity to combine a necessary maintenance exercise and the need to reduce heating costs with a major improvement to the buildings. Accordingly, the College decided to replace the existing windows with new double-paned glass with integral Venetian blinds, technologies that didn't exist in Jacobsen's time. This would transform the appearance of the College, bringing it finally to one of which Jacobsen would have approved, and completing his original vision. The cost of replacing the College's original windows was $3.2 million and the Replacement Windows Project Fund was established to secure donations.

In 2003, the Arne Jacobsen Foundation of Denmark pledged a challenge grant of $1.6 million towards the project. The Arne Jacobsen Foundation was established from the royalties generated by Arne Jacobsen's designs. Under the terms of the agreement, the Foundation agreed to match donations to the project up to $1.6 million in total. With support from the Replacement Windows Project Fund, the College raised $1.6 million to secure the matching gift from the Arne Jacobsen Foundation.

The St. Catherine's College (Oxford) Foundation simultaneously worked to secure a supplier of replacement windows for the College. The original manufacturer of the College's windows had long since gone out of business. The demands imposed by English Heritage to preserve the look of the original windows, by Oxford City Council to meet modern building codes, and the Arne Jacobsen Foundation to ensure that Jacobsen's architectural vision be maintained greatly complicated the selection of an acceptable design and supplier. After a year of negotiations between all the parties concerned and with the considerable assistance of Ray Girard of Girard & Associates of Massachusetts (USA), Peerless Products, Inc. of Kansas (USA) was commissioned to supply a replacement window prototype. The window was installed in 2003, and final approval of the design and supplier was secured. Consequently, an order was placed with Peerless Products, Inc. to supply all of the replacement windows. Installation was completed in 2004.