The use of indigenous materials to enhance interior features can add local color and flair to traditional spaces.
The use of indigenous materials to enhance interior features can add local color and flair to traditional spaces. At the University of Texas at Austin, efforts to embrace regional history in the expanded administrative and hospitality areas of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium extend to walls, surfaces, furniture and branding. Most significantly, locally acquired mesquite wood provides dramatic accenting. "We manipulated the wood in numerous ways," says Lydia O'Neal, project designer at architectural firm Heery International in Atlanta. "End cuts were used to create sculpted and flat wall panels. Because of its durability, mesquite makes excellent flooring, too. We in-filled the mesquite with black epoxy to enhance the graining to heighten contrast with adjacent materials."
