One of Cambridges oldest and best known colleges, Corpus Christi, has been undergoing extensive refurbishment, with Crittall Windows installed in an accommodation block on the historic site.
The College itself was originally founded in 1352 and holds the accolade of being the only Oxbridge college to be founded by the townspeople. Historically a college dedicated to research and teaching, Corpus Christi currently houses 210 graduates, 160 undergraduates and a number of staff. Following the design and construction of a newbuild accommodation project at Leckhampton House, on the Grange Road site in Cambridge, the next phase for main contractors, Barnes Construction was the refurbishment of the modernist concrete-framed GradeII listed George Thomson Building.
This building was originally constructed in 1964 as part of the campus that is dedicated to postgraduates, and is Grade II listed, housing 24 research students and four research fellows. The work involved replacing the existing Universal steel windows with profiles from the Corporate W20 and 2000 ranges from Crittall Windows, in a like for like scheme. In addition, a bespoke pressed steel surround was also fabricated to replicate the original subframe.
The Crittall windows and doors that were installed serve a dual purpose; maintaining the overall visual appearance of the traditional Cambridge architecture and significantly improving the thermal performance of the existing building. These new double glazed contemporary windows comply with the stringent conservation and environmental requirements. Together with the other refurbishment details, which include heating installation improvements, full refurbishment of the kitchen and bathroom areas, replacement of floor finishes and redecoration throughout, the building is now fully up to date for the academia of Corpus Christi College.
