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Corporate Campus Offers a Walk on the Beach

With Sandy Terrazzo Microaggregate

Creating a great place for work and fun was a clear objective for Viasat in designing its new campus expansion in Carlsbad, CA, which opened to employees at the beginning of 2019. If anything can lure back workers following the downturn in air travel and a mass exodus from the office that hit the company during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the New East Campus. Offering ample enticements to return to the office, the site speaks a tangible “you matter” to its employees and visitors.

The satellite internet, defense communications, and in-flight wifi provider is Carlsbad’s largest employer, with over 2,500 on the payroll when construction was planned. On a 23-acre property acquired in 2015 across the street from its existing headquarters, the new campus was touted as the largest development in the city.

Work at Play

Designed to assertively underscore Viasat’s playful culture of innovation and exploration, the employee-centered architectural plan creates an atmosphere that offers abundant opportunities for interaction between employees, clients, and visitors. Parking structures are tucked away on the low side of the site, highlighting 5.3 acres of open space within the campus. Informal meeting spaces and unexpected recreational amenities are scattered throughout the outdoor space, from hammocks, swings, and fire pits, to bocce ball courts and putting greens, with plenty of shade and 100 beach cruiser bikes at the ready for exploration of the grounds.

In building #12, a three-story public atrium brings the beach indoors, with wood-planked walkways that mimic a boardwalk leading outdoors. Surrounding the walkway is an elegantly simple epoxy thin-set terrazzo floor reminiscent of a sandy beach. Smith Consulting Architects of San Diego specified terrazzo as the main flooring material throughout this public atrium space based on its easy-care durability; however, it also offered the design flexibility needed to fulfill the Southern California-casual concept.

Viasat Atrium

 

Viasat Atrium

Shifting Sands

Viasat AtriumThe design team worked with the terrazzo contractor on the project, T.B. Penick & Sounds of San Diego, to create the desired custom look. A mix of mother-of-pearl and amber glass aggregate created a visual sense of walking on the sand of one of the famous local beaches. A micro-blend mix was meticulously crafted with an unusually low percent of aggregate—just five percent— in a composition heavy with filler sands. The process required selecting the perfect aggregates and fillers and adjusting the percentages of the materials to achieve the exact tone and texture for the architect’s design intent.

For the contractor, the project was unusual in that such a low percentage of aggregate is challenging to work with and achieve a consistent finish.

“It was challenging to lay down flat since you can’t rely on the aggregate as a gauge when troweling down this material,” said Jason Avila, Project Developer with TB Penick. “We were glad to rise to the challenge and to provide the owner and architect with a floor they are truly happy with.”

Award Winner

Viasat AtriumA member of the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association (NTMA), the contractor was awarded one of the association’s 2021 terrazzo Honor Awards for the installation. TB Penick & Sons was founded in 1905 and has offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas as well as San Diego. The NTMA’s annual Honor Award program recognizes outstanding terrazzo projects installed by its member contractors. Each year, winning installations are outstanding examples of workmanship and artistry, demonstrating some of the impressive feats that are possible with terrazzo.

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