Think Global, Quarry Local

The green movement, cost concerns and lifecycle are driving increased interest in using regional stone on a variety of new projects

By Bruce Buckley

As design firms craft the next generation of buildings around the state, for those in the masonry world it seems that everything old is new again. Many firms are seeing a return to the use of traditional, regional stone on a variety of projects, as developers seek a balance of cost considerations, environmental sensitivity and building lifecycle.

Rob Barnes, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Dee Brown, Inc., in Garland, says that although DBI has been working globally for more than 25 years, he’s seeing a greater interest in domestic stone.

“With the devaluation of the dollar, it has made out domestic products more competitive,” Barnes says. “I’m seeing more domestic product now than we have in the last ten years.”

And architects and developers are choosing stone for projects ranging from institutional work to new high-rise condominium towers.

“We’re seeing solid masonry from the base up to the top on some of these residential towers instead of seeing it transition to stucco on the upper levels,” Barnes said. DBI is currently working on the 33-story Azure condo project in downtown Dallas, which will feature nearly 55,000-sq-ft of limestone veneer.

Bradley Clay, executive director of business development at Brazos Masonry in Waco, says that with rising costs in other building materials, masonry stacks up well compared to other options.

“People have started to lean back toward all masonry construction,” Clay says. “We’re competing with tilt wall again. In terms of time and cost we’re neck and neck with tilt wall.”

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“By the time some of these [school] bonds are paid off, a [non-masonry] building could be worn out,” Clay says. “If they go with total masonry, they will have something that will last for 70 to 100 years.”

Another potential boon to masonry is the emerging green movement. As owners look to achieve LEED certification, masonry is often getting the green light.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, there are opportunities to gain dozens of points toward a LEED rating using masonry in areas such as sustainability, thermal characteristics and sourcing of materials.

As part of that process, many firms are looking to local quarries for stone. A primary way to gain LEED points is to harvest materials within a 500-mile radius of a project.

The $200 million Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin is relying on regional materials to help it become the first hospital in the nation to achieve platinum LEED certification.

Whitetail Construction of Leander tackled the $2.5 million masonry job which included nearly 500 tons of regional stone. The 480,000-sq-ft four story building and 145-ft-tall tower were clad in Leuters roughback limestone out of Leuters, Texas, which was cut between 4-in and 6-in thick.

Other than the prominent tower, the project’s signature element is its stone “wayfinding wall.” The wall, crafted in red split-face sandstone, bisects the entire building from east to west, providing a landmark that will help people stay oriented within the building.

“People will know where they are by where that red stone wall is,” says Joe Kuspan of Columbus, Ohio-based Karlsberger Architecture, the project’s architect.

The red sandstone originated from the Quito quarry of Pecos, and is the same stone seen in many traditional Texas courthouses in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Stone is also used extensively on the grounds, including exterior sandstone benches in a dry stack pattern with cast stone bench seats. Whitetail also created a healing garden using many of the same materials. The space will also feature a granite waterfall and a white limestone fountain in a broken pattern.

Stevan Edwards, superintendent at Whitetail, said the Dell Children’s Medical Center is one of a growing number of LEED projects his company is taking on.

“Seems like we’re hearing it talked about on most jobs now,” Edwards says. “You’ve got to do your LEED program these days.”

Rob Barnes of DBI says he’s seeing an increased interest in masonry’s application to LEED as well. Last year, the company completed its work on the 151,000-sq-ft Frisco City Hall and Public Library project. The $27 million traditionally-inspired facility features extensive stone work sourced within the region, including Hadrian limestone from Texas Stone Quarries in Garden City and granite from Cold Spring Granite in Marble Falls.