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A NEW GATEWAY BUILDING
PALO
ALTO, CALIFORNIA
Photography:
David Wakely Photography
Jury
Comments: The building is nicely scaled and
detailed. As a gateway to a shopping center, the quality of
the design gives the shopper a good first impression and
sets a high level of expectation for the shopping
experience. Overall, the jury found the project to be very
skillfully done.
Announcing the “front door” to the Stanford
Shopping Center, the new gateway building houses a premier
restaurant and financial institution.
The design requirements for this project were to: provide a highly visible building with three important corners; use materials to convey elegance, quality and permanence; adhere to a tight budget through design flexibility and use of low maintenance materials; and provide a good fit within the context of Stanford.
A major element used to meet these requirements is concrete masonry, which is used both as a structural system and exterior finish, demonstrating CMU’s versatility as a construction and finish choice, as well as its capability to deliver the project on budget. Special modules of 4” x 16” x 8” smooth face concrete masonry units were custom colored, recalling the buff colored stone and masonry used to build the nearby Stanford University Campus. The horizontal mortar joints are deeply raked, while the vertical joints are struck flush to accentuate the horizontality of the single-story 10,000 square-foot building.
The efficiency of the structural wall enclosure allows the quality of large glazed openings and entrance elements of the facades to be enhanced with complementary materials. The building design is highlighted by a glass corner “tower” rising 24 feet with a clerestory “lantern” marking the major intersection. Crisp aluminum windows and shading devices read light and transparent in contrast to the solid mass of exterior masonry bearing walls. Integrally colored concrete columns supporting steel canopies create arcades at the south facade to announce the building’s entrances and provide a shaded outdoor dining area next to the landscaped garden setting.
ARCHITECT:
ELS Architecture and Urban Design
2040
Addison Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
Geno
Yun, AIA
Associate Principal/Project Architect
Carol
Shen, FAIA
Resource Principal
Alice
Cheng
Christopher Jung
Design Team
STRUCTURAL
ENGINEER:
RMJ & Associates
GENERAL
CONTRACTOR:
Devcon Construction
MASONRY
CONTRACTOR:
John Jackson Masonry
BLOCK
PRODUCER:
Calstone Company, Inc.
OWNER:
Stanford Management Company
