Nature and culture come to the forefront as the design for California Memorial Stadium artistically blends natural systems with social and environmental function. The site improvements allow the stadium and its environs to be an active and contributing part of campus, not only during games, but every day of the year. The design takes its inspiration from several site-specific themes: wilderness, history, and academic and athletic achievements, which are expressed in the materials, grading and amenities. The site’s elevations change of more than 145 feet presented opportunities for dramatic views and spaces, but made accessibility a challenge, ultimately overcome through skillful and sensitive grading. The main plaza was formed conceptually by pressing the building into the earth, minimizing the visual impact to the site, while creating an accessible and significant public open space. Materials, as one approaches the stadium, become more refined, from a coarse stonewall to precisely laid paving. The paving pattern at the plaza is intricately designed and detailed, inspired by Ellsworth Kelly’s painting La Combe III at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Spirited quotations from alumni are engraved within the paving, acknowledging the university’s influence in world affairs.
