Design Guidelines - Material Palette

Concrete

Concrete construction should match the warm-toned color of the existing concrete buildings. Since the cement used in the original building is no longer available, new poured-in-place concrete, dense aggregate large scale block, and precast concrete panels must have an engineered mix of cements, admixtures and aggregates that will match the color of the original buildings.

Stone

Cordova Cream and Ole Yella limestone may be used in honed, saw cut, or antiqua finishes. Stone must be horizontally coursed in patterns that respect structural bay dimensions. Ashlar coursing is recommended. All building corners must have a visible stone return of at least three inches in thickness. Quirk mitered corners are not allowed.

A warm colored mortar should be used to provide continuity with the stone. Select a mortar that is slightly lighter in color than the stone. Mortar joints should have a concave tooled joint.

Stucco

Stucco may be used to clad portions of buildings and to provide relief and contrast from basic wall materials. All arcade soffits should be stucco to harmonize with basic building materials and painted to match the color criteria established in these guidelines. Stucco is not intended to be a primary cladding material and should be used in limited areas on the façade; it may be most effective if used at higher levels of buildings. Stucco must be smooth to medium in texture with colors selected from the palette listed in this guideline. The UT System no longer allows synthetic stucco systems to be used.

Metal Panels

Metal panels are not allowed for the main systems of enclosure except as noted in "Specialized Buildings" below. Painted or decorative panels may be used for color accents in limited application. Metal panels may be used for sloped roofs.

Ornamental Stone

Infill panels of stone or stone accents may be used for wall decoration. Horizontal bands and special profiles may be incorporated into the design. Ornamental limestone types are to include Dryden (honed only), Leuders Buff or Leuders Grey, Indiana Limestone, or Oklahoma Sugarloaf (honed only). Grey or green slate may also be used.

Cast Stone

Special cast shapes or accent pieces may be used. An example of this use would be a cast sill at a window opening. Colored aggregates or cements may be developed to match the color criteria for stucco products.

Ornamental Tile

Ornamental tile may be used as decoration at the ground floor and as selected features of the elevation. Thin-set ceramic tiles should not be applied where they are subject to breakage. Ornamental tiles may have a flat, textured, semi-gloss or high gloss finish. Colors should range from earth-toned browns to muted greens and blues. Bright accent tiles may be selected from a range of yellow-orange, orange-red, and ochre colors.

Glazing

Clear glass must be used at all windows adjacent to the paseo and at building entries. Clear glass must be used for glazing inside building arcades. A light- to medium grey-tinted glass may be used at all other areas. Reflective glass is not allowed. Clear glass, ceramic fritted clear glass, or fluoropolymer painted fritted clear glass should be used at skylights. All overhead glazing is to be laminated in lieu of wired glass. Plastics are not to be used as a skylight material.

Storefronts, Mullions and Miscellaneous Metals

Brushed chrome or aluminum, dark anodized aluminum, and fluoropolymer-coated aluminum are suitable materials for storefront metals and window mullions. Steel channels, angles, brackets, and tie-rods should be hot-dipped galvanized or galvanized and painted. Break metal closure panels, such as those used with window systems, must be finished to match, harmonize, or complement adjacent materials. The acceptable color palette for painted metals is complementary to the major cladding materials as defined by this guideline. Hand rails should be hot-dipped galvanized steel, galvanized and painted steel, or anodized aluminum.

Tile Roofing

Flat clay tile roofing on sloped roofs is acceptable, though all sloped roofs should adhere to the guidelines set forth above. Tile must be Gladding McBean Flat Interlocking Tile #8 Mix Placer style or approved equal.