When the design team at Gensler Houston was handed a project for student housing project for Texas A&M university, it knew it needed to create something which would stand out from other residential solutions.
Its solution, the Aspire College Station Luxury Student Housing block which boasts 15 storeys and 263 individual units, does that just that.
From the onset, the team knew they wanted to pay homage to the university’s heritage and history while adhering to strict copyright guidelines. The Century Tree, which grows near the Texas A&M Academic Building, is a special place for many students and alumni. More than 100 years old, the tree was one of the first planted on the university’s campus. The oak tree is notable for its size as well as its unique branches, many of which rest on the ground. “Using perforated metal to create the image of a grand oak tree was the perfect solution,” said Rocha. “We wanted to keep a mix of industrial and high luster materials.”
The Gensler team used custom Móz Digital Perforated Aluminum Wall Sheets in a powder coat Nickel colorway to create the one-of-a-kind oak tree image. Twenty one flat panels of ⅛” aluminum were used throughout the project—approximately 482 square feet of custom perforated metal in all. And instead of printing the image directly onto the material, the custom perforated metal used different hole sizes throughout the panels to create the image of a tree over the entire elevation. “It is a very important piece of the design, as it brings you into the building and gives you a sense of wonder,” said Rocha. “And the Móz team is great to work with.”
PROJECT DETAILS
Location: College Station, TX
Client (developer): Dinerstein Companies
Architect: Gensler Houston
Photographer: ©Gensler / Ryan Gobuty
