Ground broke last week on the new $11 million science building at Shady Side Academy, an energy-efficient facility with a rain garden, rooftop solar panels and motion lights.
The 22,000-square foot, U-shaped building will sit on the 130-acre senior school campus along Fox Chapel Road.
Dubbed the McIlroy Center for Science and Innovation, it will feature a brick-and-glass design and stand two stories, adjacent to the McCune Library.
“The (building) will enhance our inquiry-based approach to teaching science,” said SSA Senior School Head Sophie Lau.
Designs will support students as they engage in the work of research scientists, Lau said, collaborating with each other as they collect, analyze and present data.
Construction is expected to be complete by summer 2018.
The McIlroy Center will house the science department, including 10 flexible lab spaces for physics, biology and chemistry, plus larger, more responsive spaces for research.
There will be a special projects room adjacent to the faculty office suite, separated by a glass partition, giving students supervised access to research space.
Los Angeles-based architectural firm Frederick Fisher & Partners designed the building.
Academy President Tom Cangiano said SSA is witnessing an unprecedented level of energy around science and technology, and they are becoming distinctive strengths of the school.
“Our students are blazing new trails, from robotics to Science Olympiad to independent research,” Cangiano said. “We have teachers with advanced degrees and real-world experience connecting the classroom to the real world of science.”
Despite the growing strength of its science and technology programs, current facilities limit how fully students can realize their potential, said Director of Communications Jen Roupe.
One large multi-purpose lab is shared by all science classes and the classrooms are separated from the lab, making it difficult for teachers to move smoothly from concept to demonstration, she said.
Roupe added that space for long-term, student-led research projects and for programs like Science Olympiad and robotics is lacking.
“Construction of the new building will allow the spaces currently occupied by science in Rowe and Memorial Halls to be renovated into a maker space/fabrication lab for computer science and robotics, giving those technology programs a much-needed, dedicated home,” Roupe said.
The center will sit along the campus entrance and become the cornerstone of a new academic quad with McCune Library, Hunt Hall and Rowe Hall.
Cutting-edge features are expected to reduce environmental impact and support teaching opportunities. They include a rain garden that collects storm runoff, rooftop solar panels that supply electricity and energy-efficient windows that allow natural light to flow into classrooms. The site design also includes an outdoor amphitheater for classes, performances, lectures and events.
Roupe said the goal is to earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Total fundraising for the McIlroy Center is $14 million, which includes a $3 million endowment for maintenance. Efforts have brought in about $10.3 million so far.
A seven-figure naming gift was donated in 2016 by SSA alum Peter McIlroy '61 and his wife, Pam. Three generations of McIlroys have attended SSA.
“The Academy prepared me well for college and for life, and Pam and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to give back,” McIlroy said.
Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2 or at tpanizzi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tawnyatrib.
