In 2018 Mark Cavagnero Associates (MCA) was engaged by St. Ignatius College Preparatory (SI) to provide concept design and programming services for a new educational facility on the SI campus in San Francisco, California. The project’s scope of work includes replacing approximately 56,000 square feet of existing buildings at the north end of the campus, all of which are part of the original campus construction and are approaching 50 years old. These buildings will be replaced by a new, flexible learning center that will expand the campus’ endowment of educational space, simultaneously establishing a foundation for SI’s future and reinforcing the school’s historical commitment to intellectual excellence.

The conceptual design for the new facility revolves around three three-story bars of flexible academic loft space. The approach was conceived in response to SI’s driving project requirement for adaptable learning spaces that will allow the school to accommodate changing pedagogic ambitions for future generations. The lofts can be subdivided into larger and/or smaller spaces in a variety of ways to support a variety of academic functions, and have a deep structural bay to minimize columns and maximize layout possibilities. The three bars are organized around the perimeter of the site, giving all of the lofts direct access to natural light, fresh air, and views of the natural world. In the center of the site, created by the opening between the academic bars, is a central double-height space, or Forum. The Forum is adaptable to a variety of academic and special event purposes, from learning center and student study space to gatherings of 800 to 1,000 seated for dinner. The three floor levels of the new building align with those of the existing Main Academic Building, connecting new to old at every level, creating one continuous place. The connection point at the ground floor creates a central, symbolic meeting place and new main entrance for the expanded campus.

MCA Team: Mark Cavagnero, Kang Kiang, John Fung, Felicia Dunham, Christopher Agosta, Sean Kelly, Anna Swistowska, Blake Perkins