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Community expectations of a structure that is ‘architecturally in tune,’ along with the client’s need to maintain a fully operational pump station throughout construction, guided the design process of the Moonlight Beach Pump station. As a result, the architect crafted a construction sequence that would add an additional story and maximize limited existing space to meet the goals of retrofitting the Station for continued use and future capacity. The concrete masonry and cast in place concrete structure’s top floor is approximately located at street elevation near the southeast corner of “B” and Third Streets in the City of Encinitas. The facility sits near Cottonwood Creek and in close proximity to Moonlight Beach, a popular destination for sunbathers and surfers. Because the project is highly visible to local residents and beach goers, special consideration was given to the roof form and materials for the building. The architectural design with its curved roof and textured walls borrows from a Polynesian vernacular reminiscent of beach culture. Fencing is not proposed for the west elevation and part of the north to present a friendly neighbor public face.

In a community where daylight is celebrated both socially and architecturally, the longitudinal axis of the pump station was located in the east west direction allowing the facility to provide natural light to its interior by creating a clerestory between the wall planes and the roof. The concave roof dips down toward the west with a four foot overhang to shade the clerestory on that exposure to minimize heat gain. The roof overhang on the east side of the building is extended to six feet to provide shade and rain protection for the double doors and the monorail. Solid glass block provides natural light for the main stairwell into the lower levels of the pump station and security on the exposed north elevation of the building.

The roof structure is a light steel frame with a deformed galvanized metal deck. The steel framing is preferred for its strength to span ratio, its durability and low maintenance. The metal deck is specified with perforated flutes to provide greater acoustic value, thermally insulated on its exterior face, waterproofed with a sheet membrane and roofed with a fluoropolymer coated standing seam panel.

Schematic Images - 2003

East elevation
North elevation
West elevation
South elevation
November 21, 2003 (BEFORE)
May 15, 2007 (FINAL)




American Public Works Association - Honor Award, 2007
Updated: January 29, 2008