As the corporate presence in Austin continues to rise, office complexes are rapidly being developed and expanded. One such example has been the Barton Skyway office complex, which has steadily grown in phases over the years. As the corporate campus has expanded, a common denominator has been the use of stone - including slate from England for multiple buildings.

The architect for the complex is Merriman Associates Architects of Dallas, TX. According to the firm, the buildings on the campus were carefully positioned to emphasize the views and maintain a “campus feel.” A measure of continuity is gained by using stone for all of the buildings on the campus, including native stone veneer in some areas as well as interior paving.

Among the many stones used on the project, Broughton Moor slate was used for multiple phases of the project. The stone was quarried in England by Burlington Slate, Ltd., and supplied by Burlington Natstone of Plano, TX.

During the first phase, Burlington was called upon to supply honed Broughton Moor flooring in a random planking pattern. This included 2,820 square feet of tiles measuring approximately 16 inches wide x 2 cm thick in random lengths, as well as 1,100 square feet of tiles measuring approximately 6 inches wide x 2 cm thick in random lengths. Additionally, the lavatory tops are comprised of 2-cm-thick Broughton Moor slabs, and they required 390 square feet of slab material.

The general contractor for this phase of the project was Austin Commercial of Austin, while Intrepid Enterprises of Harvey, LA, served as the stone subcontractor.

Merriman Associates Architects also selected Broughton Moor flooring from Burlington for a later phase of the project, which houses high-profile clients such as Accenture and Intel. This phase utilized Broughton Moor in a honed finish using bands with widths of approximately 6, 9 and 14 inches x ½ inch in thickness. Following the design palette of the previous phase, the building also used Broughton Moor slate in a slab format for the lavatory tops.

In all, Burlington Natstone supplied 4,427 square feet of material for the second phase of the project, and the subcontractors were National Terrazzo Tile & Marble, Inc., and JGR Tile & Stone Corp., both of Austin.

According to Philip Harding of Burlington Natstone, the use of Broughton Moor slate allowed for an increased level of visual interest for the flooring, as it offered variety in its color as well as its veining pattern.