Harry Ritson has been to aquariums all over the world, cleaning up after fish, penguins, seals and other wet creatures.

	John Beale, Post-Gazette Harry Ritson, an aquatic environment expert working at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, sits in the dining room of the Blue House. Click photo for larger image.

As a foreman for Massachusetts-based Aquatic Environments, he works on filtration systems, which means he's away from home for months at a time.

For the next few months, he will be working on the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's new wing for polar bears, sea otters and walruses. But unlike most of his jobs, this one won't mean a long hotel stay.

He'll be living at the Blue House, an old house near the zoo entrance in Highland Park that has been renovated by zoo staff and decorated by a design professor and students from La Roche College.

It sure beats living out of a suitcase, Mr. Ritson said.

"I've been doing this for 15 years, building homes for aquatic creatures. This is the first time an aquarium built a home for me."

Mr. Ritson and another man from Aquatic Environments are the only ones now living at the Blue House, named for the color of its painted aluminum siding. But there are beds for up to seven contract workers or researchers, who stay as little as a few days or as long as a few months. Before the zoo bought the Blue House, visiting researchers often stayed at staffers' homes.

John Beale, Post-Gazette The Blue House near the zoo entrance houses visiting researchers. Click photo for larger image.

"When word gets out that it's done, it will be standing room only," joked Krystal Close, the zoo's human resources manager and coordinator of the house's renovation.

Last year, Ms. Close approached Lori Anthony, a La Roche design professor, to see if she was interested in making the Blue House a class project. When renovation started in the fall semester, 32 students were divided into three teams and asked to submit design proposals. The final plan was a combination of elements from all three proposals.

What is unique about the plan is that each of the three floors reflects a different habitat, with colors, fabrics and artwork tied to the theme.

The first-floor living space -- kitchen, dining room, living room and full bath -- was designed as an aquatic environment, with bright blues and aquas complemented by black and chocolate brown and zoo photos of fish.

The three bedrooms and one bath on the second floor suggest the African savanna, with soothing tans and beiges, elephant-patterned curtains and photos of giraffes, zebras and leopards.

The third floor -- a wide-open dorm-like space with four beds and a hammock -- is painted three shades of green. Everything from the leaf-patterned bedspread to the vine-motif bed frame to the photo of a tree frog was chosen to fit a tropical rain forest.

Students and others who worked on the house said the fun part was choosing the themes and finding colors and patterns that fit. Ms. Close, Mrs. Anthony and the students picked out many of the fabrics, furniture and accessories on shopping trips to Target, Home Depot and Value City.

"Sale was our favorite word," Ms. Close said. "We hit those big time."

Less fun was trying to watch the bottom line. Although the paint was donated by PPG, the zoo had to pay for everything else, including all new wiring, some plumbing, new fixtures and appliances, plaster repair and demolition. The 80- or 90-year-old house, which cost the zoo $70,000 in 2004, had dark paneling, dropped ceilings and no recent updates. Zoo staff provided most of the labor, and the students did the painting.

"We had never worked with a budget before," said Carrie Price, a fourth-year student from Baltimore.

"Working with a budget was one of the most valuable learning experiences," said their professor. "For other projects in school, the sky's the limit."

Ms. Close, who has a custom window treatment business and made some of the house's curtains, said the renovation/redesign ended up $3,700 under budget, an impressive feat for first-timers.

Miss Price and Amanda Butchko, a third-year student from Economy, Beaver County, said they also learned about working as part of a design team. About 12 students took part in the color selection meeting. Some wanted a neutral palette throughout while others were pushing for bright colors.

"We know the trends," Miss Price said.

"We were not the neutral people," Miss Butchko added.

Several weeks ago, a handful of students who stuck with the project from beginning to end took time between final exams to hang art and put on the finishing touches. The artwork consists of about 30 photographs of zoo animals and plants provided by Paul Selvaggio, the zoo's creative director.

Jason Stabile, a third-year student from South Park, helped hang images of a dart frog and gecko on the third floor. Keri McElhinny, a third-year student from White Oak, had painted several rooms on the second floor, where the bedspreads and photos reflect zebras and giraffes.

Mr. Ritson lived in the Blue House for two months this winter while expanding the filtration system to handle the zoo's increasing penguin population. Recalling unfinished floors that could leave your bare feet with a splinter or two, he was impressed by all the changes when he returned last week.

"It took a lot of creativity. It looks like they had a lot of fun doing it," he said. "It has a homey feel to it."

Tony Tye, Post-Gazette La Roche College interior design students have renovated an old house for the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Amanda Butchko, 21, a third-year student at La Roche, positions a photograph of a tree frog in the third-floor bedroom, which has a tropical rain forest theme.