Client: Oxbow Development Group

Overview

Distilling the essence of the city was the primary goal when creating an Arcade for a new Credit Human in San Antonio.

This was achieved through brick, tile and traditional proportions used in the provincial Texas city for three centuries, but it’s the punched copper fixtures that bring the space to life at night. The Architects worked closely with the metalsmith that created the fixtures. His work had become evocative of a mid to late 20th century craftmanship in San Antonio.

17 suspended lanterns and four torches were designed to animate the Loggia that extends around three sides of the building. The quality of light creates a dramatic shift in the tone of the building from institutional to domestic when the lights come on and the Restaurants come to life.

Goals

Though the new Credit Human headquarters was larger than the scale of the immediate neighbors, the goal was to restore the historic pedestrian fabric of a blighted industrial neighborhood. Creating a cool arcade around the perimeter of the ground floor achieved half the goal, but the integration of the punched copper fixture brought scale and a quiet domestic quality to the street during the day and a festive magical quality at night.

Process

The Architect had worked with the Metalsmith in the past on small scale residential projects, but introducing this level of delicate refinement into an urban setting was a risk. After several mock-ups and a bit of experimentation with the size and finish, the first fixture was completed and introduced to unanimous support. After that the metalsmith team worked steadily to complete a series of fixtures that communicate a quiet beauty through craft.