Boulder Headquarters

San Antonio, Texas

Boulder Contracting Company

Located amid the industrial periphery of downtown San Antonio, this 1960 building stood abandoned for more than a decade. During this vacancy it served as an impromptu dwelling and caught fire on multiple occasions. Much of the wood framing was compromised or fully destroyed, but the CMU walls and concrete foundation remained sound.

When a concrete contactor purchased the property, time and budget constraints, as well as a desire to showcase the durable properties of the original cement-based products, made re-purposing the ruin critically important. The design approach considered the industrial context, the structure’s turbulent past, and the desire for durability in the future. Burnt-out roof trusses were replaced but charred interior partition walls were saved and shored-up. Taking a cue from this material, the faces of new planks were carefully burned following an ancient Japanese wood-preserving technique and used to clad the building’s entry volume telling the story of fire and survival. This siding, along with rebar window protection and a perforated sliding screen for the prominent front window, create a dynamic and protective linear façade along the street.