Original name
Saint Catherine’s College
Other denominations
Catz
Original use
Housing/residence
Current use
Housing/residence
Architects
Arne Jacobsen
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
PRECAST ON SITE:
In larger and more complex construction projects, a concrete production plant may be installed on the construction site or nearby. The precast elements are moved into place once they have reached their maximum strength. This reduces transportation costs and ensures the concrete will set in the same environmental conditions as the building site. This may be more necessary with structures that combine cast-in-place concrete with prefabricated elements.
PRECAST IN FACTORY, WORKSHOP:
Any concrete element can be manufactured ahead of time and transported to the site once it has set. In this case, the control over geometry, appearance, finish and strength can be as strict as necessary. It can also be ensured that the pieces will be exactly identical to one another.
Prefabricated elements can be of any type: from façade panels and pavements to decorative elements (such as cornices or capitals) and structural elements (columns, slabs, beams, etc.).
These elements may be part of a commercial catalog or specially designed for a specific project. A series of pieces may also be sold as a coordinated and interconnected system to build a complete structure or even an entire building.
In its design, the element should account for aspects such as modulation, finishes, transportation, anchoring, installation on site, junctions between panels, the creation of openings and the relationship between the panels and joinery. The element may also be given characteristics that can improve the thermal insulation of the façade, for example. In that sense, they are often part of an industrialized system that offers a variety of responses to different construction situations and maximum versatility in terms of architectural solutions.
The aesthetic possibilities of concrete in prefabricated façade panel systems are endless in terms of size, shape, color, texture, hardness and a wide range of features.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
Beams are the horizontal load-bearing elements of the frame. Columns are the vertical elements of the frame and act as the building’s primary load-bearing element. They transmit the beam loads down to the foundations.
Trussed beams are the cheapest solution for the execution of large spans, in other words, when there are large distances between vertical supports. In reality, this type of beam is a kind of lattice, made up of a series of shorter braces (posts and struts).
Trussed beams are usually made of steel or wood, since some of the elements of the structure will be subject to compression and others to traction. As such, it is unusual for structures of this type to be built only with concrete. Using a combination of concrete for compression and steel to absorb traction results in better structural performance.
State of Conservation
Description
When Arne Jacobsen accepted the commission, he was under strict orders to respect all the traditions associated with British colleges. This had important architectural implications, both in terms of the program and in the layout and organization of the elements in the complex, referred to as “Catz”, which was the first building with a contemporary design on the formal and conservative Oxford campus.
The ‘college’ configuration might be considered an architectural typology in itself, with a layout arranged around quadrangles, or quads; their accumulation determines a large part of Oxford’s urban fabric. Catz is also organised around a quad, although the different elements of the program are split into two long parallel blocks for student housing, at the ends of which the dining room and the library are located, as independent buildings.
Although the complex is just a few minutes from the centre, because it is located at the edge of town, it is virtually immersed in a rural environment. The authors integrated the landscape into the design by opening one side of the quad, generating paths and cross-cutting relationships between the city and the landscape. In turn, the interstitial spaces incorporate gardens which interpret the English landscape tradition, with ponds located strategically to guarantee privacy for the programmatic elements that require it.
All of Jacobsen’s work shares a strict modulation, a preference for prefabrication, and a close relationship between structure and spatial and constructive systems. In this case, the extraordinary quality of the prefabricated concrete finishes, which take on an almost marble-like appearance, adds a remarkable slimness to the structural elements. In the Catz buildings, these load-bearing elements are what structures the spaces and defines the exterior image. In the case of the large halls of the dining room and the library, they also determine the interiors.
United Kingdom
Manor Road
South East (region) Oxfordshire (county) OX1 3UJ Oxford
Commission
1956
Completion
1962
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