New site bridges past, future
CRANBERRY TWP — A refurbished Virgin Mary arrived at the new Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School on Wednesday.
The statue, placed in the still-unfinished outdoor grotto visible from the school's chapel, is one of several pieces of art being brought over from the former North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh.
The grotto and chapel are two of the final pieces of the construction yet to be completed in the new 185,000-square-foot school.
The statue originally came from Saint Nicholas Church in Pittsburgh, the Catholic parish associated with North Catholic High School in the Troy Hill neighborhood, said Mike Arnold, chief facilities officer for the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
On Wednesday some of the architects and officials who made the project happen highlighted the energy-efficient design of the building as well as its Catholic heritage.
The new school will be ready for students, who will start on Sept. 2, the day after Labor Day.
The building meets specifications for energy-efficient LEED for Schools 2009 Silver Certification, said Rudy Marnich of Astorino, the architecture firm that designed it.
The building materials, including paint, adhesives, carpeting and walls, are all low in volatile organic compounds, Marnich said.
“The school doesn't have that heavy chemical smell to it,” he said.
Other LEED energy-conserving criteria includes polished concrete floors, lumber reclaimed from old barns and efficient use of water.
The architects also put emphasis on designing the school to have a lot of natural light in the classrooms and halls and to have an open feel, like a college campus.
“You kind of feel like you are on a college campus, rather than a high school, with the openness,” Arnold said.
The school is designed to hold as many as 1,000 students, a significant increase over the Troy Hill school which holds about 200.
School officials anticipate 250 to 300 students this year. Of that, about 120 will be recruited freshmen, while the junior, sophomore and senior classes will be mostly students who previously attended the Pittsburgh school.
The diocese has left one classroom wing purposely unfinished since it won't be necessary right away. That can be finished as enrollment grows.
Also, school official can have a chance to get feedback from students and teachers about what could be done differently when completing the final classrooms, Arnold said.
The process of transitioning the school from Pittsburgh to Cranberry Township began about 10 years ago, when diocese officials started brainstorming ways to increase enrollment and to expand the school's reach, Arnold said.The diocese brought in consultants and talked to students for ideas for the new school. That led to ideas such as movable desks, the use of natural light and the recognition of the heritage of the school, he said.In addition to bringing the Mary statue, the school will have the bell from the former school as well as stained-glass windows and a wall of fame to display sports memorabilia and trophies.Four years ago Astorino was hired to do engineering and designs for the building. The construction crew broke ground in June 2012 and the work is nearly finished more than two years later.The building cost $40 million, while site acquisition, site development and fees totaled $30 million, according to Astorino.Dealing with the topography and roads at the location was one challenge that the design teams faced, Arnold said.“I remember walking around here when it was just woods. It's not very flat, so we've had to change the area quite a bit,” he said.A new road, Hillmont Drive, was built to connect Franklin Road and Old Mars Crider Road. The entrance to the campus that buses will use is off the new road.The intersection of Franklin Road and Hillmont Drive also is receiving a new stoplight.There also is an entrance on Route 228, for traffic traveling west only, that required a new right turn lane to the road.Road work, landscaping and construction are expected to be completed by the start of school, Arnold said.The diocese plans to have a grand opening and open house ceremony in August to introduce the building to the public.
