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Purcell Architects has won planning permission for a new phase of development on the campus of Arne Jacobsen鈥檚 grade I-listed St Catherine鈥檚 College in Oxford.

Its proposals will deliver a new graduate centre with 78 student bedrooms, a new Middle Common Room and a seminar room, through the introduction of four new pavilions on the site.

Jacobsen designed the college鈥檚 main campus in its entirety, with his approval required for the landscape gardening, furniture, the cutlery and the species of fish introduced to its ornamental ponds. It was built between 1960 and 1964.

Since Jacobsen鈥檚 death in 1971 additional buildings have been delivered by the Danish architect鈥檚 assistant, Knud Holscher, and Stirling Prize-winning RIBA past president Stephen Hodder.

Purcell鈥檚 design, approved by Oxford council earlier this month, builds on the second phase of Hodder鈥檚 work and is described by the practice as following his typology 鈥渁s sensitively as possible鈥� for the expansion, which the college said used up its 鈥渓ast available鈥� development space.

Three of the four new buildings will provide graduate accommodation; the fourth 鈥� the graduate centre 鈥� is a bronze-clad cylindrical structure that references Hodder鈥檚 use of stainless steel.

Purcell senior architect Matthew Tromans said that at three storeys, all of the new buildings were the same height as the other buildings on the site, and used the design grid that permeated the campus.

鈥淚t is hugely rewarding working with St Catherine鈥檚 College on this exciting project,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey have a wonderful architectural legacy of which they are proud custodians.

鈥淭his design continues the established visual language at St Catherine鈥檚, sensitively extending Hodder鈥檚 earlier works.

鈥淭he graduate centre references both Hodder and Jacobsen鈥檚 work, being purposefully 鈥榥ew鈥�, yet of its place.鈥�