SURF CULTURE
San Diego’s rich surf culture is celebrated throughout the building. A large mural by surf legend and artist Andy Davis hangs at the front entry paired with wood long- boards by Danny Hess of San Francisco- based Hess Boards that recall historic boards used by Hawaiian royalty. An array of 46 short boards adorn each residential community and showcases the artistry and technical skill of local shapers who are helping to change the surfing industry by utilizing more sustainable manufacturing techniques.
Through research of the great surf culture of San Diego, the design-build team realized the high toxicity levels of traditional, mass-produced surfboards. Dozens of traditionally made surfboards would have created a dangerous fire hazard and negatively affected the indoor air quality. Each board’s significant carbon footprint (more than 600 pounds of CO2 for a typical 6-foot board, according to the non-profit group Sustainable Surf, Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was more than the team or university wanted to commission—and would send the wrong message about SDSU’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
The team partnered with SDSU’s Center for Surf Research and STOKE Certified, a sustainability certification program for surf and ski tourism operators, to learn about emerging methods to produce environmentally friendly surfboards. Working with wood, hemp, entropy resin and upcycled Styrofoam, leading sustainable surfboard shapers, including Hess; John Wegener of Encinitas, Calif.-based Wegener Surboards; Mark Price of San Clemente, Calif.-based Firewire Surf- boards; Chad Kaimanu Jackson of Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Hemp Surfboards; and Marc Sanchez of San Diego-based REECO Surfboards, created the boards for Zura Hall. Building signage mounted with each board shares information about its shaper, design process and inspiration, as well as material/toxicity content.
“It makes sense on so many levels that SDSU incorporate local surfing culture, art, creativity and sustainability into this redesign,” says Dr. Jess Ponting, director of the Center for Surf Research and co-founder of STOKE Certified. “This project will hopefully broaden exposure to eco-friendly surfboards and further spur the industry to become more sustainable.”
ZURA SPIRIT
The renovation of Zura Hall is the first collaborative design-build project completed by the CSU system. HMC Architects with Mahlum and Balfour Beatty Construction worked together with the campus to complete the renovation in just two and a half years. The accelerated schedule was made possible by the nature of the design-build process that requires the whole team— owner, architect and contractor—to work together to meet programmatic, budgetary and design goals.
“SDSU’s goals for their students were at the forefront of everyone’s minds as decisions were made,” recalls Kristina Singiser, AIA, LEED AP, senior project manager at HMC Architects.“Our process streamlined design and construction and blurred the traditional team lines.”
Renovated Zura Hall welcomed its first residents for the Fall 2015 term. Since opening, it has set a new standard for SDSU’s housing trajectory and has raised the bar for student living environments within San Diego and the CSU system.
Eric J. Hansen, MBA, Ph.D., LEED Green Associate, director of Housing Administration at SDSU, notes: “The renovation of Zura Hall was nothing short of transformational. Not only were the systems and finishes replaced after 45 years of hard residential use, but many operational and community challenges were rectified. Just as important, the Zura spirit has been reborn; incoming students embrace their new environment with greater levels of engagement, satisfaction and academic performance. Zura is now the benchmark with which all other SDSU renovations and new construction are measured.”
Retrofit Team
Architect: HMC Architects, Los Angeles, and Mahlum, Portland, Ore.
General Contractor: Balfour Beatty Construction, San Diego
Interior Design: Mahlum
M/E/P Engineer: Randall Lamb Associates, San Diego
Structural Engineer: Saiful/Bouquet Structural Engineers, Pasadena, Calif.
Civil Engineer: Nasland Engineering, San Diego
Landscape Architect: Land Lab, Neil Hadley, San Diego
Mechanical Design-Build Subcontractor: Atlas Mechanical Inc., San Diego
Plumbing Design-Build Subcontractor: Sherwood Mechanical, San Diego
Electrical Design-Build Subcontractor: Dynalectric, San Diego
Window Subcontractor: Centex Glazing, La Mesa, Calif.
Materials
Resilient Flooring: Patcraft
Acoustical Linear Wood Ceiling: USG
Vinyl Casement Windows: VPI
Ceramic and Glass Mosaics: Daltile
Carpet Tile: Interface
Fixtures: Sloan, Zurn, Moen, Mansfield, Kohler, and Elkay
Paint: Sherwin-Williams
Lighting: Architectural Lighting Works and Cooper Lighting
Slate: Vermont Structural Slate Co.
Surfboards: Wegener Surfboards, Firewire Surfboards, Hemp Surfboards, Reeco Surfboards, and Hess Boards
Artist Mural: Andy Davis
Surfboard Lockers: Mahlum in partnership with Heartwork
Lounge Furniture: Ligne Roset
Broom Chairs and Stools: Emeco
Study Rooms: Turnstone
Lounge Furniture: Bernhardt
Interior and Exterior Tables: Ohio Design
Outdoor Mia Lin Tables: Knoll
Outdoor Fire Pits and Heat Lamps: Restoration Hardware
Student Rooms: Foliot
Office Furniture: Teknion
Outdoor Lounge Furniture: Kannoa
Outdoor Furniture: Loll
Concrete Pool and Ping Pong Tables: James Dewulf
Reclaimed Wood Benches: John Beck Steel