St Mary of the Mount High School - St Mary Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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All study and recitation classrooms are lighted from the preferred direction south of east. The classrooms thus have the benefit of sunshine during the early hoius of the day. By a happy coincidence this aiTangement also makes available to all classrooms, without sacrifice in orientation, the breath-taking view across the city and up the Monongahela River Valley. Sharing the site of the high school is the new convent. Excepting that the sisters may enter the school corridors directly from the convent, the structures are com- pletely separated. The site plan arrangement provides separate outdoor recreation areas for the occupants of each building, screened from each other, and both courts screened from Grandview Avenue. Needless to say, those using the landscaped courts may enjoy the view across North Hills and down the Ohio River Valley. Designed by Marlier and Johnstone, Architects, the buildings are of steel frame and masonry. Fireproof construction, they are designed in the Contemporary man- ner. The exterior brick and stone trim match the old school across the street and thus indicate their relationship. But the new building is not a copy of the old. It incorporates the new window-wall technique wherein steel and glass replace the old weighty wall areas of masonry between windows. In addition to the added interest in contrasting textures of brick, steel and glass this new technique provides an opportunity to enhance the exterior design with contrasting colors. The introduction of strong exterior color, in turn, invites such decoration as the colored ceramic panel and painted metal cross adjacent to the main entrance. It seemed becoming, ho ve ' er, to apply this lively treatment to the school only. The same kind of design approach is used for interiors. For example, brick walls, laid in a decorative design, are used in the main lobby. It creates a study room of stone, brick, quarry, tile and metal as a transition to the more customary materials in the rooms beyond. This is characteristic of the work in Contemporary design which, among other things, adds interest to buildings by what might be called an architectural change in pace . Literally, it is a change in texture, color and combination of materials for the sake of animation in design. Obviously, the possible combinations are infinite but usually cost enters as one of the considera- tions and tends to establish limits. Within the areas of instruction, materials and equipment used are those cur- rently considered most appropriate for the various purposes. Where several possible methods or materials might have been used, the final choice was made for reasons of cost or durability or ease of future servicing or maintenance.

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