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California Private School Debuts Renovated Library

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/04/23

Santa Catalina School, a private school in Monterey, Calif., recently debuted the complete interior renovation of the campus’ Sister Mary Kieran Library, according to a news release. Santa Catalina is an all-girls private school for day students and boarding students in grades 9–12 and a co-ed learning environment for students in grades PreK–8. The school partnered with Anderson Brulé Architects for the project’s design and Avila Construction as the design-build contractor.

“The much-anticipated completion of our beloved library was a collaborative effort involving our project partners and our greater Santa Catalina community,” said Dr. Barbara Ostos, Head of School. “The guidance and planning of our project team were paramount in the project’s successful delivery as we worked to completely transform our library’s physical spaces and functions. Our new library gives our students inspiring new places to collaborate, discover, engage, and relax.”

The 14,000-square-foot, two-story space was originally built in the late 1960s and was upgraded to become a contemporary learning space. Features include a second-floor mezzanine, reading nooks, social spaces, collaboration areas, personal rest space, and new technology like interactive wall displays and teleconferencing equipment, the news release reports. The library also partnered with the school’s health & wellness program to add a kitchen, wellness coaching rooms, and multi-purpose space.

“The school is very close to my heart, and it was an honor to work alongside the talented ABA/Avila team in support of its continued success,” said ABA co-founder and Santa Catalina School alumna Pamela Anderson-Brulé, FAIA. “This transformed library is the outcome of close collaboration, hard work, and a shared commitment to the school’s educational vision.”

Sustainability features include high-performing window systems; improved building envelope insulation; an efficient MEP infrastructure; improved accessibility; and improved fire, life, and seismic safety systems.

“Our design-build team’s investment throughout the planning process was key to designing in step with the larger Santa Catalina community’s programmatic and experiential goals for the renovation,” said project architect Jason Hull, AIA. “Pam’s connection to the school was a strong asset in working with faculty, students, and other members of the school community to define the project’s goals and vision.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

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