TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY CENTER

Location: Lubbock, Texas

Architect: Holzman Moss Architecture

Texas Limestone: Lueders buff smooth plus insets of sea trace limestone

Limestone influence on the building design: Six feet below grade, at a Texas limestone quarry near Abilene, a very unique form of limestone reveals a record of marine life from 270 million years ago. Densely formed yet delicately figured, “sea trace” limestone bears the trails traced by creatures in prehistoric seas. Architect Malcolm Holzman of Holzman Moss Architecture recently used this sea trace stone to good effect in the new Student Union Building at the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock, Texas. “During the design process,” he says, “I visited the quarry and discovered a stone that was distinctive because of its irregularities. Its three-dimensional surface immediately caught my attention.”

As the building design progressed, the design team wanted to create a contrasting feature in the smooth buff limestone selected for the interior and exterior solid surfaces of the building. Referring to the decision to use the sea trace limestone, Holzman comments “We used the pattern of networks of small furrows and large scattered undulations to create accents of shade and shadow in animated wall surfaces.” The mix of the smooth and highly textured blend complete the student center’s exterior to give the building a distinctive appearance that is nevertheless in harmony with the university’s rich architectural heritage.

ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL

Location: Houston, Texas

Architect: Curtis & Windham Architects

Texas Limestone: Cordova cream-colored smooth and textured panels

Background: In the year 1946, Hiram A. Salisbury looked to England for inspiration when he designed the first buildings on the St. John’s School campus, which is connected to St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. He blended Cotswold-inspired stone walls and gabled roofs with collegiate Gothic forms and details constructed from some very versatile Texas limestone.

New Campus Center Design: Curtis & Windham Architects has built on the legacy of the original school to create the new Campus Center, which houses classrooms, offices, and a 10,000-square-foot dining hall for this now elite and growing prep school. The new building addresses modern needs, such as a parking garage, kitchen facilities, and technology labs. However, the architects chose to keep Texas limestone as a consistent campus material, using stone quarried from the same source as seven decades before. Now, the entry court at St. John’s is artfully framed by buildings united in appearance and vision even though they are separated by several generations.

Russell Windham, principal, Curtis & Windham Architects, Houston, observes, “The character of the stone was important because we had no pattern to match from the existing stone, but rather a series of rules as to how the cleft units went together. We worked with the scale of openings, eave heights, and other cues from the original building, although we had to create new forms with greater volumes. We honored the spirit of the original details, including arches that are self-supporting within a steel frame structure.”

The planning and design process brought in many other inspirations, too. “To address the large dining hall, historical precedent was instructive, allowing us to break down one space into smaller compartments with different ambiances. We were inspired by the Hall of Christ Church at Oxford, England, for stone details and the use of color in floors and ceilings. Baker College Commons at Rice University became the influence for scale and classical proportions to make a great room, while the Trumbull College Dining Hall at Yale helped us better understand one-story side aisles that allow clerestory windows above.

According to Michael Driskill, the architectural project manager, “Working with the quarry was fantastic. The shop-drawing process was so clear that we always knew the process of design to fabrication to building would go beautifully.” He adds, “Texas limestone was a critical path item on this 16-month project. School administrators signed off early on shop tickets and drawings, even before the contract was completed. The quarry dedicated a sizable team of craftsmen to the project throughout construction, which helped us come in on schedule and within budget.”