The
Bayside Tower in downtown San Diego, CA, features an exterior facade of
Sunflower limestone - quarried in India and supplied by Southland Stone USA,
Inc. of North Hollywood, CA - and accented by Mesabi Black granite from Cold
Spring Granite Co. of Cold Spring, MN.
A mix of limestone and granite creates a signature look for a 36-story residential high-rise in the heart of San Diego’s downtown district. The Bayside Tower, as it is called, was designed by Amanat Architect of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - with the intention of being a flagship building among a series of revitalization projects led by Bosa Development.
According to Hossein Amanat of Amanat Architect, the area where the tower was built had stood vacant for many years. As a result, the Center City Development Corp. (CCDC), which is a branch of the Municipality of San Diego, CA, set a mandate to revitalize the area. Bosa Development, which has developed many buildings in the San Diego area, decided that the Bayside Tower would symbolize luxury living, and an extensive exterior palette of stone would set it apart from the surrounding architecture.
A
total of 15,000 square feet of limestone was employed for the project. All of
the stone pieces were mechanically secured to the building with anchors that
have stainless steel tips by an installation team from American Marble of
Vista, CA.
As a result, it was decided to use a significant amount of stone for the building’s exterior facade. A total of 15,000 square feet of Sunflower limestone - quarried in India and supplied by Southland Stone USA, Inc. of North Hollywood, CA - and 5,110 square feet of Mesabi Black - quarried in Babbitt, MN, by Cold Spring Granite Co. of Cold Spring, MN - was employed for the design.
Contrasting
colors and textures were a large part of the exterior design, explained
architect Hossein Amanat of Amanat Architect in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“We decided to use two types of stone,” he said. “The Mesabi Black has a very
rough texture that contrasts nicely with the light-colored limestone.”
Additionally, two types of finishes - bushhammered and honed - were applied to the limestone pieces. “The honed finish provided some highlight,” said the architect. “If you come close to the building, you notice further articulation and detail.”
The exterior stonework was installed by American Marble of Vista, CA, which specializes in single-family and residential high-rises as well as commercial work. “We did all the installation, which took about six to eight months to complete,” said Bill Kammerer, company president, adding that the install crew was comprised of approximately 20 workers.
Additionally,
two types of finishes - bushhammered and honed - were applied to the limestone
pieces. “The honed finish provided some highlight,” said the architect. “If you
come close to the building, you notice further articulation and detail.”
All of the anchoring calculations were performed by CDC in Texas. “They were extremely instrumental in this project,” said Kammerer.
Overall, those involved with the project deem it a success. As a residential waterside community with a chic stone exterior, the Bayside Tower accomplished the goal of being a landmark structure in downtown San Diego.
Sidebar: Bayside Tower
San Diego, CADeveloper: Bosa Development
Architect: Amanat Architect, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Stone Suppliers: Southland Stone USA, Inc., North Hollywood, CA (Sunflower limestone); Cold Spring Granite Co., Cold Spring, MN (Mesabi Black granite)
Stone Installer: American Marble, Vista, CA
Anchoring Calculations: CDC, Texas
