Specialized Experience Center Santa Cruz

Project Brief

• Size: 3560 sf (331 sq m)

• Location: Santa Cruz,  CA, USA

• Role: Project owner, agency compliance, lease, full design including all fixtures and built-ins, project execution and budgets.  

This was my (and the brand's) 2nd Experience Center globally. I had been looking at trail-adjacent properties in Santa Cruz for over 5 years and when this one came up next to Patagonia, I immediately began negotiating a favorable lease. With the promise of a good location, I sought and received backing for a Mountain Bike focused experience where riders could pedal out the door to the trail networks of Pogonip, UCSC and Wilder Ranch. This project essentially proved the model for the future global expansion of experience centers everywhere.  

I undertook extensive materials sourcing for the project including all of the exposed reclaimed lumber (thousands of board feet), all of the showroom decorative lighting, 2 machine bases that were repurposed into display tables and various other industrial parts.    

Project Highlights

Salvaged Wood 

I chose to keep the palette very simple. The primary materials are locally sourced reclaimed vertical grain Douglas Fir (VGDF) and hot rolled steel in various profiles. I sourced the Fir at several deconstruction yards in the area. After vigorous de-nailing the wood was reprocessed on vintage specialty equipment to accentuate the grain. The principle organizing motif is both of these disparate materials, steel + wood, abutted, possibly with a black oxide socket head bolt as the fastener. 

DARND

A good friend who works at an aquarium once observed: “there are no small leaks”.  I have the same opinion about “details”.  DARND stands for Details ARe Not Details. Even seemingly small elements can be considered and designed with intention —composition, material choice, even fastener selection all tell a story about values and point of view. 

Found Lighting 

Most new lighting is dreadful and expensive. All of the non-directional lighting for this project I salvaged from other buildings. Some came from a fish hatchery, others from a school gym, and 8 Kliegl lights from a theater, all sourced close to the venue. These fixtures are at least 60 years old and all needed to be re-wired and re-lamped which I did as a passion project. All lighting also had to meet California’s strict Title 24 energy standards which required close collaboration with compliance vendors and reviewing agencies. The Kliegl lights were turned into a large chandelier above the Community Table. Importantly, I only designed the chandelier and the lighting plan generally once the lights were found by chance --pointing to the importance of sourcing early in the process, before designs are finalized. 

Swing Out Stools 

I wanted seating that would be distinctive and also economical —something that did not rest on the ground would help in keeping the floor clean. Commercially available swing-out stools are expensive and I was unable to find salvaged units in quantity. In all, I used 18 of these stools, each laser cut from ½” hot rolled A-36 steel. The stools are height-adjustable via an Acme thread axle with a limit-stop. Particular attention was payed to the fasteners and good welding. Note that when using seating of this type, a boot rail is mandatory . 

Changing Room Serendipity  

When the dressing room was framed in, it became apparent that the manager’s mezzanine office had a direct view into the space. I considered several “quick fixes" but ultimately decided to just treat it as another design opportunity. I consulted with the outside repair lead for our neighbor, Patagonia, who validated my idea to use tent canvas. I provided a design to him and had the fabric sewn to fit a shop-made fir armature. I’m convinced the space came out much better than if it did not “need” a ceiling. I always try to be open to these last-minute opportunities that have the potential to strengthen the overall design and vibe. 

A very well piloted fly-through

This video was commissioned to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the opening, which, as luck would have it, was exactly a week before the the mandatory lockdown in California.