St. Mary’s Dominican High School is a private, all-girls high school located in New Orleans. St. Mary’s Hall became the new home for St. Mary’s Dominican High School in 1963 when the school moved from its original site on St. Charles Avenue. The current campus has grown with the addition of the O’Farrell Complex in 1993 and the Siena Center in 2006. The Gayle and Tom Benson Science and Technology Complex and renovation for St. Mary’s Dominican High School consists of approximately 17,000 square feet of new construction and 12,400 square feet of minor renovations and retains Aquinas Hall.
The first level of the addition provides a main entry for the students to St. Mary’s Hall with a two-story lobby space and includes the technology center and relocated adoration chapel.
The second level of the addition is a mix of lab spaces, prep rooms, and support spaces. There are a total of 10 science labs; including 8 traditional labs with prep rooms, 1 robotics lab and classroom, and 1 science research lab.
One aspect of the project was to improve accessibility to the existing St. Mary’s Hall. To achieve this, BKA designed a centrally located elevator and stair along with an extension of the second floor to connect the new addition with the existing hall.