By Michelle Brown, consultant to Pavestone Company

The University Union plaza is divided into three use zones. The southern zone (seen at bottom) is adjacent to a small auditorium and serves as a quieter contrast to the other portions of the plaza. It contains a water element, planting areas, and an entry into the auditorium?EUR??,,????'???s pre-function area. The three zones, while needing to express different functions, also needed to read harmoniously as one space with strong visual ties on the ground plane.
Images courtesy of Pavestone

Traditionally, the outdoor plaza between university buildings is the focal point of college life. It is a high-traffic area that students and faculty use over and over again to get from one place to another. It is a meeting place where they gather to socialize. It is a place where they can sit in the sun and study or enjoy a picnic lunch or snack.

When officials at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Tex. sought to create an outdoor plaza adjacent to the new Brown Lupton University Union the goal was an end product that was both functional and visually interesting. The site of the plaza is surrounded on three sides by new construction consisting of the University Union building, the food service wing with cafeteria and dining terrace, the campus post office, an auditorium and campus housing facility. This makes it a very frequently visited area and the center of action at the university.

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Many Uses, One Space

Officials envisioned students using the plaza for gathering, dining, studying and special events. And there was a desire to enhance the spirit of the University by including the horned frog mascot in the plaza design. The goal was to have the plaza paving patterns depicting the mascot be highly visible from the interior of the Union as well as the exterior of the adjacent residence hall buildings.

Challenges and Hurdles

Ray H. Smith, President of Arlington Pavers, Inc., in Arlington, Tex. says limited time was the main challenge that was faced. ?EUR??,,????'??We went from a mudhole to a masterpiece in ten days,?EUR??,,????'?? he says. Smith cites limited access as another major hurdle his team had to overcome. ?EUR??,,????'??After base work was completed, access was limited to one opening in the building that we had to share with the landscaper and other trades,?EUR??,,????'?? he explains. ?EUR??,,????'??This access was right up the middle of the plaza, over our work. As we moved from side to side plywood was laid over our work and the landscaper drove off our unfinished edges with a track loader. This all was done on unsanded pavers because we still hadn’t cut in the frog at this point.?EUR??,,????'??

Divided into three use zones, the northern zone accommodates seating areas of various types and directly relates to the food service and student services functions. The central zone is the connecting zone, providing pedestrian linkage from the Campus Commons and the residence halls east of the site to the University Union and to the athletic complexes located west of the Union. This zone also serves as a focal point of the large campus commons green space to the east and includes two small amphitheaters and a stage area for concerts and large group gatherings. The southern zone is adjacent to a small auditorium and serves as a quieter contrast to the other portions of the plaza. It contains a water element, planting areas, and an entry into the auditorium?EUR??,,????'???s pre-function area.

Winner of the 2008 Design Award of Excellence by the National Concrete Masonry Association and the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, this is the only annual North American awards program that showcases design excellence and the architect?EUR??,,????'???s role in using concrete masonry for commercial, residential, and hardscape SRW and paver applications.
Images courtesy of Pavestone

The design concept was achieved in a very subtle, yet creative manner. Two concrete seatwalls diverge from the east passageway of the University Union and create the three distinct use zones.

Interlocking concrete pavers in various sizes and colors were used to create swirls, arcs and bands over the entire plaza area visually tying the three use zones together.

One of the most visually interesting and unique parts of the plaza is how the University?EUR??,,????'???s horned frog mascot image is incorporated into the paving patterns in the central connecting zone. The frog was designed to appear as if it were coming out of the swirls and arcs by using hues and tones of the surrounding pavers while allowing the swirls and arcs to run through the frog?EUR??,,????'???s body. The nose of the frog faces the stage area of the large student gathering area. It is a true work of art.

One of the most visually interesting and unique parts of the plaza is how the University?EUR??,,????'???s horned frog mascot image is incorporated into the paving patterns in the central connecting zone. The image is visible and discernable from both the University Union and adjacent buildings as well as by pedestrians on the ground.

Spectacular Results

In the end, the project team has taken the vision of university officials and created a unique outside gathering area that TCU students will be able to enjoy for many years to come. ?EUR??,,????'??Overall I’m very happy with the final outcome, says Smith. ?EUR??,,????'??This type of project only comes along a few times in any company?EUR??,,????'???s history so we were very excited to be selected.?EUR??,,????'??

Keeping all these goals in mind, the project team collaborated to create a one-of-a-kind outdoor space that has been honored with a 2008 Design Award of Excellence by the National Concrete Masonry Association and the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute.