IQHQ at RaDD

The Research and Development District of IQHQ, a life sciences company, sits directly on the waterfront of downtown San Diego. Eight acres of office, retail, dining, premium event and public art space has transformed the waterfront area, creating a new district for residents and visitors to enjoy.  

Amongst the high-rise buildings and the bustle of this burgeoning district is a peaceful, welcoming space that features a sandstone boulder water feature, designed and constructed by OTL.  

Idea  

Across the span of 1.7 million square feet, the RaDD project is a truly unique combination of commercial properties, sitting right next to several residential buildings and not far away from San Diego’s famous Little Italy. The Navy Pier is also nearby, as well as the USS Midway Museum, and the district features five acres of green space.  

Tucked amongst the buildings of RaDD, OJB Landscape Architecture envisioned a quiet space with flowing water and a reflecting pool, where tenants and visitors could find a moment to rest and relax.  

The OTL team got to work creating an impressive water feature that would match the surrounding landscape and deliver best-in-class quality construction and design.  

Even though the water feature is at ground level, it is located directly over a parking garage, so the large natural stones— and the equipment needed to move those stones—had to fit within the working structural limits of the building.  

Natural stone can be both beautiful and challenging to work with. In this case, it was difficult to find natural boulders that were large enough for the design and would also fit within a crane’s capacity to move them. The team also had to find natural sandstone boulders that would match each other, as well as the color and texture of the boulders that were already placed in the surrounding landscape. Natural sandstone can be too soft for long-term water flow, so the search was on for boulders that were on the harder side and durable enough to withstand the effects of flowing water over time.  

The solution was to cut and stitch several smaller boulders together to appear as if they were larger, monolithic stones. The boulders had to be cut to tight tolerances, and then hand-chiseled to mask the saw marks. The team worked with skilled artisans to set the large stones on shims to be moved and placed into their location with proper spacing. Once in place, the stones were sanded by hand to refine and perfect the flow of the water. 

Impact 

The finished water feature at RaDD offers soothing waterfall sounds as water flows freely through large natural sandstone boulders into a reflecting pool. In the evenings, lights enhance the experience and provide a serene respite from a busy downtown, just steps away.  

As the Research and Development District attracts new visitors to its shopping, dining and outdoor space, this engaging water feature is certainly a welcome spot to relax, reflect and rest.