Quaker Valley School District architects have revealed potential interior color schemes and materials for the proposed high school project.

Officials said they focused on sustainability and related issues when it came to selecting samples and had multiple discussions over the past few months about aesthetics and functionality.

It culminated in an April 16 presentation at Edgeworth Elementary School, led by BSHM architects partner John Orsini and Superintendent Tammy Andreyko.

“The finishes presented here are based on a number of opportunities associated with our new high school,” Andreyko said. “These opportunities include specific educational and collaboration programs, material and color relationships … material performance, longevity and maintenance.”

The proposed 167,000-square-foot school is on 150 acres of land off Camp Meeting Road. The district property straddles Leet Township, Edgeworth and Leetsdale. However, the school itself will be in the township.

Orsini pointed out the various pieces on display in the Edgeworth board room, including proposed carpeting for the media center and auditorium.

He said there was a lot of input from design team members choosing the pieces.

“It was a good process,” Orsini said. “We really take the input seriously. A lot of it is also about material sustainability in regards to being good stewards, also in regards to how the building is going to function five, 10 years from now. How these materials hold up is really critical in regards to the overall performance of the building.”

Andreyko narrated a virtual tour that included architectural designs made by BSHM and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects.

Administrative office spaces would have grey carpeting with a soft white on the walls. Accent colors included two shades of tan and a shade of green.

The auditorium would have a dark-colored carpet with gold strokes. Accent colors for the walls were black and a shade of tan.

Classrooms would have grey-shaded marmoleum tile flooring. North walls would have windows while the south walls would have storage areas. Accent colors include green grey mist, a shade of green and a shade of tan.

The media center would have carpet tiles with a pattern called “state of water.” Accent colors include black and three different shades of tan. Neutral earth tones dominated the presentation.

The student cafeteria would have polished concrete flooring in the serving area and linoleum flooring in the dining area. The service counter would be quartz and a shade of tan would be a public space accent color.

Board reaction

The board did not take any official action at the mid-April meeting regarding the interior presentation.

Material selection will eventually be the basis of the specifications during the bidding process.

Board member Giani Floro said he was impressed with what he saw from the design team.

“It’s a very exciting time,” Floro said. “There’s a lot of work being done behind the scenes with regard to function (and) how operations will look like — a lot of fine-tuning, a lot of going over fly-through projections. When you have the ability to look at items like that, you get a better understanding of how they might be used by our students, by our teachers. That gives us some better insight into flow and traffic patterns in and out of the building. The little things start to shake out in the design and development process at this time.

“Quite a lot of thought went into the selection of those colors based on a lot of research that the staff and our partners and architectural team as well as the design team put in. This is all a dynamic process.”

Board president Jonathan Kuzma agreed with Floro’s assessment.

“Incorporating the design elements that show the local colors, the school colors, the thought that’s gone into the different classrooms — that just doesn’t come about overnight,” Kuzma said. “That was a lot of work and it’s really good to see. Actually being able to see and feel some of the materials was a great experience as well. I think there is a lot to be excited about with this new project.”

Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities and administrative services, said paint samples were from PPG Paints. Flooring was from Shaw Flooring and Forbo Flooring and the furniture was from KI.

The district plans to create a classroom next school year in the current high school with the aforementioned materials and potential lighting fixtures and desks considered for the new facility.

“It is not to have as a presentation to all families throughout the district,” Gauthier said. “It is to see what works in the design before we proceed to further specifications and inspect some of these products. That’s the intention of this classroom.”

The virtual tour was posted on the district’s YouTube page.

School district officials in September set the maximum building construction costs for the proposed high school at about $72.1 million and the maximum project cost at $105 million.

Land development plans remain under review by the Leet planning commission. The next commission meeting is set for 6 p.m. April 25 at 194 Ambridge Ave. in Leet.

More information about the project is available on the district’s website under the Blueprint QV section of the “District” tab.

The current high school was built in 1926 and has undergone several renovations through the years.

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