Custom-Finished Limestone Panels Used on UCSD Project

Over 21,150 square feet of StoneLite® were used as exterior stone siding on Otterson Hall. And each one incorporated a “raked\” finish that accomplishes a chiseled appearance where scored lines contrast with one another. The custom-finish was icing on the cake for architects and project managers who chose StoneLite® as an alternative to conventional stone cladding because of budgetary and seismic concerns. In fact, builders so much liked using natural stone composite panels that they incorporated them into the interior of the building as well.

Designing a building like an Otterson Hall, it\’s important to consider details like a custom finish and explore all of the possibilities that exist for what stone to use and how to use it. Otterson Hall houses UCSD\’s Rady School of management and is located on a campus that designs its buildings to complement other neighboring university buildings. So Otterson Hall had to not only properly represent the financially and managerially savvy programs of the students it hosts, it also had to fit seamlessly with the existing university buildings nearby.

As a designer, when your building materials give you the ability to accomplish something conceptually with your project, you\’ve found what you\’re looking for. In the case of Otterson Hall, the design fits seamlessly with the history of the university. The building has been compared to a ship heading out to sea and UCSD is a designated sea and space grant institution with a very high level of research activity. Can you think of any other buildings where the design embodies the institution it represents? Leave us a comment and let us know!