2014 MIA Pinnacle Awards (Part 1 of 2)
Recognizing Excellence in the Stone Industry
Mouse over photos for captions
Every year applications from around the globe are submitted for the Pinnacle and Grande Pinnacle Awards, the Natural Stone Scholarship Award, the Craftsman of the Year Award, and the Migliore Lifetime Achievement Award.
The size, scope, ingenuity and creative use of stone in the Pinnacle projects is truly a remarkable effort in collaboration between MIA members and the design community. I applaud both for pushing the envelope of what can be fashioned with natural stone.
As mankind looks to connect with his/her environment, more structures will be created using natural stone. It is the only product that is 100% recycled, tested by time, and is completely created by the Earth.
Today we celebrate those people who want to give service to this industry, have dedicated their lives to the industry, the companies that uphold our proud traditions of quality with the Accreditation seal, and those who create the wondrous works in stone that inspire awe in mankind.
We thank all of the companies who submitted projects this year and remind all of our members that right now Mother Nature is creating more stones for you to use in the crafting of timeless structures and places to inspire the soul.
None of these awards would be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. A big thank you goes out to the following sponsors: Marmomacc for the Grande Pinnacle Award, Mapei for the Pinnacle Commercial Awards, Blanco for the Pinnacle Residential Awards, Coldspring for the Pinnacle Renovation/Restoration Awards, Polycor and TexaStone Quarries for the Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year Award, and Coldspring for the Natural Stone Scholarship Award.
I would like to congratulate all of the award winners, members of the Accreditation Class of 2014, and thank all of our members for making this a great year for the MIA.
Tony Malisani
MIA President 2014
The MIA’s prestigious Pinnacle Awards honor stone companies around the world for projects that stand out above the rest.
Judging the numerous entries was a challenging task. The final selection was for the coveted Grande Pinnacle Award, which honors the top overall project. This award is sponsored by Marmomacc, held in Verona, Italy.
2014 Pinnacle Awards Judges:
Mr. Daniel Lobitz, Partner
Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP
460 West 34th Street
New York, New York 10001
Hana Kassem, AIA, LEED, AP
Director
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Christian Pongratz
Pongratz Perbellini Architects
VRoooMSTUDIO
Via d.a. tridentina 9
37057 s.g.l. Verona, Italy
Jonathan Zanger
Immediate Past President,
MIA
Walker Zanger
1050 Amboy Avenue
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
Chuck Muehlbauer
Technical Director
MIA
Award of Excellence: Commercial Interior
Antero Resources Corporation
Denver, Colorado
MIA Member Company:
Las Vegas Rock Inc.
Jean, Nevada
Stone Supplier
Other Project Team Members:
Antero Resources Corporation
Client
McPherson Architecture
Architect/Designer
MATT Construction
General Contractor
YK Stone Center
(MIA Member Company)
Stone Fabricator and Installer
Stone:
Metaquartzite
Antero Resources Corporation is an independent exploration and production company engaged in the exploration, development and acquisition of natural gas and oil properties located in the Appalachian Basin. The company relocated its offices to One Union Station, the new five-story 110,000 sq. ft. office building adjacent to historic Union Station. The offices, designed by McPherson Architecture anchor the south end of Union Station Plaza, the centerpiece in the Union Station Redevelopment Project.
To highlight the focus of the company, McPherson Architecture was tasked with creating a geological theme that spoke to the Earth, its strata, and the valuable resources within. The design team created an atrium with spiral stairs to connect four levels of office space and facilitate communication between departments.
McPherson Architecture specified Las Vegas Rock’s Metaquartzite stone, quarried in the Nevada desert near Jean, NV. The Metaquartzite stone is very durable. There is a geologic patent for it because it is a bit of a geological anomaly. It is pure silica bonded by quartz making it a “glass grade silica sand” that has confounded geologists, but in a good way. It is the only specific deposit of this type of stone known of on the planet. The material has a high threshold for resistance to wear and has an extraordinarily high slip resistance in the polished finish. The stone was selected because it was dramatic and emotional, but not lavish.
The organic feeling of the stone set the tone for the office design, and people connected to the stone’s rich, bold colors and natural characteristics. The stone is often mistaken for petrified wood.
Award of Excellence: Commercial Exterior
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Headquarters
Agoura Hills, California
Photos commissioned by Nick Merrick of Hedrick Blessing. Photography by ZGF Architects.
MIA Member Company:
Las Vegas Rock Inc.
Jean, Nevada
Stone Supplier | Stone Fabricator
Other Project Team Members:
ZGF Architects
Architect
MATT Construction
General Contractor
Italian Marble & Tile Company
Stone Installer
Stone:
Metaquartzite
Photos commissioned by Nick Merrick of Hedrick Blessing. Photography by ZGF Architects.
Environmental stewardship, preserving the integrity of the surrounding environment, and crafting a sustainable, peaceful workplace were among the primary goals in creating a new headquarters for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. A four-phased master plan was envisioned by ZGF Architects for the selected site in Agoura Hills, CA. Phase 1, a 22,240 sq. ft. two-story office building which was recently completed, is net-zero energy and LEED-Platinum registered.
The split-face stone cladding manufactured by Las Vegas Rock, enhances the synergy between nature and technology by echoing the texture and color of the surrounding local stone. The rectangular building clad in strips of auburn, burnt orange, and deep-yellow Metaquartzite, pay homage to the area’s vivid landscapes and tile roofs. The exterior façade and landscape are juxtaposed with a neutral interior color palette and materials. Las Vegas Rock Metaquartzite is one of a kind. It is the only Silver Cradle to Cradle certified natural stone in the world.
Cradle to Cradle Certification provides a means to tangibly and credibly measure achievement in environmentally-intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality. This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; as well as instituting strategies for social responsibility.
Las Vegas Rock practices ecologically-conscious manufacturing. There is zero waste in production and 100% of the Las Vegas Rock by-product is repurposed. Due to the sustainability initiatives associated with the production of the Metaquartzite stone Las Vegas Rock provided for this project, there were several points awarded towards the LEED Platinum registration with Regional Materials and Innovation in Design credits.
Award of Excellence: Commercial Exterior
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Bourne, Massachusetts
MIA Member Company:
Kenneth Castellucci & Associates Inc.
Lincoln, Rhode Island
Stone Installer
Other Project Team Members:
Division of Capital Asset Management
Client/Project Owner
Perry Dean Rogers
Partners Architects
Architect
W.T. Rich Company, Inc
General Contractor
A. Grebelsky & Son
(MIA Member Company)
Stone Supplier | Stone Fabricator
Stone:
Ramon Grey Limestone
Among the many aspirations for the ABS Information Commons was to fill an existing surface parking area with a building that would knit the campus together in a thoughtful way. Massachusetts Maritime knew they wanted a building that would be special and different, but they also asked for a solution that would be contextually sensitive.
This became a challenge for the building form given a series of site constraints that included an existing wind turbine. The proposed building needed to be directly in-line with the primary wind direction for the turbine. Early wind studies showed a significant efficiency loss when utilizing a flat roof.
A wind study determined that the roof should be asymmetrically tipped to create a more aerodynamic form, thereby increasing wind speed and reducing power loss. The combination of the tipped roof plane and a non-orthogonal plan resulted in a form unlike any other building on campus.
This atypical shape made choosing the exterior material a key component in blending old and new. The solution for the new building was to combine an iron spot brick and gray limestone panel. The iron spot brick compliments the existing brown brick and the variegated grey limestone compliments the existing precast concrete. The typical 2 ft. x 7 ft. stone panel size is a nice counterpoint to the smaller brick unit and is far more sympathetic in scale to the existing concrete.
The stone panels run vertically with each panel being supported on its own relieving angle creating a solution that is specific to the building shape. The angle at the top of each panel is derived from the slope of the roof on that respective orientation.
Seen as a whole, this detail helps make sense of an otherwise foreign geometry and provides a thoughtful solution to a difficult problem.
Award of Merit: Commercial Exterior
Film Archive and Preservation Center
Santa Clarita, California
MIA Member Company:
Carnevale & Lohr, Inc.
Bell Gardens, California
Stone Supplier | Stone Installer
Other Project Team Members:
Packard Humanities Institute
Client
B.A.R. Architects
Architect
Trade International, Inc. (MIA Member Company)
Consultant
Morley
Construction Company
General Contractor
Stone:
Trani Biancone Belmonte
Trani Fondola, Pietra Serena
Carrara White Marble
The new building for the Film Archive and Preservation Center, inspired by the ancient Greek Stoa of Attalos with its two story colonnades and classical pediments, consists of nearly 105,000 sq. ft. of handset honed Biancone marble. Along the colonnades of the building are 64 fluted columns 14 ft. tall and 58 fluted columns 10 ft. tall.
They are installed over the buildings structural columns with 62 intricately carved lattice handrails set in between.
Dividing the floors of the colonnade is a 5 ft. tall entablature with massive 8 ft. x 2 ft. beams at its bottom, metope and triglyph carvings in its center, and 800 pound moldings at its top. Crowning the colonnade is a 4 ft. tall cornice consisting of 8 ft. long beams below five courses of moldings which are 4 ft. long. On four elevations of the building are classical Greek pediments comprised of cubic stone. Over 70,000 sq. ft. of wall cladding covers the building, all mounted with stainless steel clips attached to stainless steel framing.
Surrounding the building is 11,000 sq. ft. of honed Biancone paving, 6,000 sq. ft. of 6 in. thick honed Biancone cubic stair treads, and 6,600 sq. ft. of 3 in. thick tumbled Fondola limestone paving in random modules (the largest being 36 in. x 30 in.). A special tumbling machine was manufactured to achieve such large tumbled modules.
Lining the bottom of the building is 5,000 sq. ft. of natural roughback Fondola limestone.
Set at a five degree angle, it replicates the look of a stacked block foundation like those found in many structures from antiquity.
Award of Merit: Commercial Exterior
Spotlight on Broadway Map, Times Square, NYC
New York, New York
MIA Member Company:
Creative Edge Master Shop, Inc.
Fairfield, Iowa
Waterjet Stone Fabricator
Other Project Team Members:
Tully Construction
General Contractor
Snohetta Associates
Architect
Doyle Partners
Graphic Design
Dale Travis and Associates
Graphics Specification
Granicor, Inc. (MIA Member Company)
Stone Supplier
Stone:
Stansted Gray Granite
Peribonka Black Granite
The Spotlight on Broadway Map is a key graphics element in a multi-year project undertaken for the renovation of the Times Square entertainment district in New York City. The “spotlight” map is located outdoors in the granite pavement in the triangular “Bow Tie” that forms the heart of the Broadway theater district.
The graphic is a stylized map of the 40 official Broadway theaters, showing the locations of “Amsterdam, Sondheim, Majestic, Ambassador… etc.” and their main doors and locations in the district. The map depicts the area between 41st Street and 54th Street, centered on the intersection of 7th Avenue and Broadway. The color scheme is a light gray granite, with the darker gray of stainless steel lettering and black granite for the streets.
The low key gray-black theme was developed by Snohetta Architects throughout the renovation area as a neutral palette to form a contrast to the extreme color and liveliness of Times Square.
One technical challenge involved the potential of the stainless steel to be a slip hazard. This was addressed by a stainless bead applied by hot weld to the stainless surface. The result is an attractive, permanent, non-slip finish.
Also, attachment and inlay methods of stainless steel into the granite were engineered for the intense traffic and weather conditions. The granite blocks were cut to size and shape, and inlaid at the facilities of Creative Edge Master Shop in Iowa. Installation was completed by the employees of Tully Construction, the project’s general contractor.
Award of Excellence: Residential Interior/Exterior
Residence Navathani
Bangkok, Thailand
MIA Member Company:
Stones and Roses International Co. Ltd.
Samutprakarn, Thailand
Stone Supplier | Stone Fabricator
Stone Installer
Other Project Team Members:
Architects49 House Design Limited
Architect
Teamvis Construction Co. Ltd.
General Contractor
Stones:
Thai Travertine
Cream Limestone
Grey Basalt
Traditional Thai homes are usually built as a cluster of physically separated rooms arranged around a large central terrace. Interpreting the traditional typology of the Thai houses, the Residence Navathani consists in two parallel wings, separated by a large garden and a swimming pool. The objective of the stone architecture is to give a sense of unity and blend the building with trees, plants and other natural landscape. Trees are often allowed to grow in the central area of the traditional Thai house with plants always featured prominently to create a strong relationship with nature.
The choice of Thai travertine as the main stone for the building stems from the following objectives: first, the stone must display a strong natural character with contrasting color hues and crystalline veins, which contribute to blending the architecture into the landscape. Second, the design of the stone provides a sense of unity to the building.
The façade of each wing displays an array of columns of various widths and spacings and there is an alignment of the columns between the two wings. The texture is rough on the outside face of the columns and honed on the sides as it continues through the window to the inside of the house.
The two wings are connected by a long screen wall that separates the drop-off area from the private areas. This wall is pierced with square openings which helps to show a relationship between the two areas. The façade facing the entrance features stone in contrasting but related ways: the right hand wing is clad with honed stone on top of a large window, while the opposite wing displays a chiseled stone wall on the bottom with a large window on top.
The architecture extends to the outside of the right-hand wing with a private theater of a modern contemporary design. The stone featured on the façade changes to a minimalist grey basalt while continuing the column concept with the alternate textures grooved on the facing and honed on the sides.
Award of Merit: Residential Interior/Exterior
Residence Bangsen
Chonburi, Thailand
MIA Member Company:
Stones and Roses International Co. Ltd.
Samutprakarn, Thailand
Stone Supplier | Stone Fabricator
Stone Installer
Other Project Members:
Jon Somton
Architect
Lock-Build Group
General Contractor
Stone: Thai Travertine
This house sits along an array of lakes and canals which highlights the landscape of a golf course. A clear objective of the architecture is to focus on large openings to enjoy the view of the surrounding landscape. Serving the same purpose, the house has been set high on stilts, a clear reference to Thai traditional architecture.
The house seems to float in the air. The large cantilevered openings are framed by the stone cladding. Another objective of the architecture is to blend itself seamlessly into the landscape. The two objectives of the stone work were to focus on the large framed openings and to blend into the landscape.
The travertine chosen by the architect has a smooth and warm color which blends well with the wood cladding and landscape. It displays complex movements, crystalline veins, and color blends which accentuates its natural character.
The challenge was to display this natural character, while ensuring a perfect continuity in the opening frames. The color and pattern of the stone had to continue seamlessly along the four sides of each frame, while still featuring the natural character of the stone. This required long drying times in our factory, and detailed piece-per-piece touch-up to smooth outstanding features of the stone.
Award of Merit: Residential Interior/Exterior
Hadstan
Paradise Valley, Arizona
MIA Member Company:
Picasso Tile & Stonework
Tempe, Arizona
Stone Fabricator | Stone Installer
Other Project Team Members:
David Michael Miller Associates
Designer
Desert Star Construction, Inc.
Client/Builder
Stone:
Blue Limestone
Cream Limestone
Gray Limestone
This contemporary 18,000 sq. ft. home in Paradise Valley, Arizona is a perfect mix of Gray limestone used on all horizontal surfaces and Cream, vein cut limestone on all vertical surfaces. The Gray limestone flooring was mud packed to meet 1.5 in. wood flooring areas using uncoupling membrane throughout. Numerous hours went into the layout to insure architectural detail lines were met. Oversized tiles were planned to ensure all layouts met crucial lines per the design. Blue limestone was used setting the path to the front entry. All pieces at the edges were mitered to appear to be thick, block stone. The veneer walls were alternated in size to reach the exact width at the top band of the walls. The edge detailing created interesting shadow play, both day and night, at interior and exterior locations. This detail is also noted on the fireplaces. Blue limestone hearths, which floated at all locations, used the same quirk mitered edges.
Five showers throughout the main house share the same veneer and flooring materials. Blue limestone slab benches were fabricated to rest on a stainless steel frame. The shower floors were mapped out to the exact dimensions so there were no cuts, but rather the same size pieces continually framing the space to the center drain.