Janet Leys Shaw Mactavish (15 August 1925 – 19 February 1972) was a Canadian architect notable for her innovative design of schools and university buildings. Among her noteworthy works are two circular university buildings: Stirling Hall, the physics building at

Queen's University Queen's or Queens University may refer to: *Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK **Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950) **Queen's University of Belfast ...

in Ontario (1962); and the

McIntyre Medical Sciences Building The McIntyre Medical Sciences Building is part of the McGill University campus in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A concrete building built in 1965, it is known for its circular shape. The McIntyre Building is the central hub of the McGill University F ...

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

in Montreal, Quebec (1965). She was a graduate of McGill University's School of Architecture. Through the 1950s and 1960s, Mactavish worked for the architectural firm Marshall and Merrett. She was a colleague and friend of architect Dorice Walford. Mactavish designed many schools, including

Beaconsfield High School Beaconsfield High School (commonly known as Becky High) is a girls' grammar school in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The school takes girls from the age of 12 through to the age of 18 (A-levels). In order to gain admission into Beaconsfield High ...

(1958), Valois Park and Lakeside Heights (now École Pointe-Claire) on the

West Island The West Island () is the unofficial name given to the cities, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Dorval, Pointe-Cla ...

of Montreal. Her modern designs and published ideas were known for their application of pedagogy to architectural planning of schools, for cost savings from the reduction of exterior walls, and for the focus on reduction of indoor congestion and corridor traffic between classes. "Mactavish's schools and U- and L- shaped structures ... illustrate the rational, economic planning ideas popular in the 1950s. Her major idea to decrease costs was to reduce the amount of space given over to circulation." Adams, Annmarie and Peta Tancred, ''Designing Women: Gender and the Architectural Profession''. University of Toronto Press, 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mactavish, Janet Leys Shaw 1925 births 1972 deaths McGill School of Architecture alumni Architects from Montreal Artists from Montreal Anglophone Quebec people Modernist architects 20th-century Canadian architects 20th-century Canadian women artists Canadian women architects