Contemporary class

The design goal of the Camden Property Trust¿s reception space was to come up with a contemporary style that was not too ostentatious. Photos by Hickey-Robertson Photography

Stone flooring tile was chosen to dress up the space and complement the elaborate ceiling treatment in the elevator lobby.

The chairman of the Camden Property Trust Headquarters in Houston, TX, was looking for something modern, but not extravagant. That was the goal given to the architects of Kirksey who would be challenged to design a conservative, yet contemporary space.

The solution was stone. "Our goal was to create a space that was approaching cutting edge, without going over the edge," said Dan Hassebroek, senior associate and project designer with Kirksey. "Our client didn?t want a space that appeared too ostentatious, but it had to be new and different. The idea to use stone came from the desire to make a strong impact in both the reception area and elevator lobby."

In an effort to unite these reception spaces in a single theme, stone was used in both. "We wanted the elevator lobby and reception area to make the same impact and flow spatially," Hassebroek said. "Stone was the most bang for the buck." The stone successfully dressed up the lobby and complemented the elaborate ceiling treatment in the elevator lobby, according to Hassebroek.

Stone Marketing International supplied Rajah Black granite for the flooring. "Camden Property had some existing furniture in black granite," said Hassebroek. "We used that as a springboard."

The polished black granite was specified to cover the 1,500 square feet of flooring as well as for several miscellaneous spaces, such as desktops. The 12- x 12-inch tiles were laid in a typical square pattern through out the reception area and adjoining elevator lobby, and were highlighted by Luna Pearl granite accents. The Rajah Black granite tiles were also used for the accent flooring in the hallways.

"We didn?t have a lot of money in

the budget, so we had to keep it

simple," said Hassebroek. "Following completion of the project, we got a letter from the chairman of the board telling us that we achieved the desired affect of cutting edge contemporary, without the extravagance."