Slippery Rock Gazette

Coverings 2013, the tile and stone industry’s largest international exposition, has selected four projects as top Platinum Projects in its annual Project: Green program.        

Established to recognize outstanding achievements in sustainable design and architecture that use tile and stone as an integral element in attaining green status, the competition is judged on how tile and stone are used in the project; design aesthetics; positive environmental impact; environmental innovation; and the environmental benefits of the particular tile and stone products used. 

This year the Coverings Project: Green competition is recognizing projects in four categories: Commercial Remodel, Commercial New Construction, Institutional New Construction and Residential New Construction. The following were given the ultimate accolade:

Northridge Fashion Center, Northridge, California: Platinum Project for Commercial Remodel. Following a major earthquake in 1994, the Northridge Fashion Center, a massive shopping mall in Northridge, California, required a thorough renovation. 

For the project, the owner/developer worked with a single manufacturer, Crossville, Inc., which supplied American-made, Green Squared^® certified porcelain tiles containing of a minimum of 20% recycled content to cover nearly all of the 150,000 square feet of common areas inside the mall. 

Light-colored tiles featuring both polished and unpolished finishes help to reflect light and support energy efficiency. Colors and textures were beautifully incorporated into the design work to create subliminal assistance with traffic routing throughout the mall.

Nature Research Center, Raleigh, North Carolina: Platinum Project for Commercial New Construction. The new Nature Research Center at the Raleigh-based North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, designed by the architectural firm O’Brien/Atkins Associates, incorporates a wide range of green building strategies. 

Granite was quarried and fabricated locally for the entrances, main lobby and a four-story monumental staircase designed to appear as though the structure floats unsupported toward the higher floors. Other green aspects include extensive use of recycled and regional materials, a green roof with native vegetation, locally quarried granite boulders and photovoltaic panels.

Noble and Greenough School – Castle Project, Dedham, Massachusetts: Platinum Project for Institutional New Construction. This project at the Noble and Greenough School involved the renovation and expansion of the Castle, a landmarked 19th century structure designed by H.H. Richardson and used primarily as a dining facility and faculty residence. 

Boston-based architectural firm Architerra and stone contractor Kenneth Castellucci & Associates demolished an existing wall, salvaging more than 90% of the exterior stone to reuse for the walls of a new terrace. 

The interior spaces of the new extension incorporate recycled ceramic tile, while a high performance building envelope and new insulation systems allow the footprint of the Castle to double with no increase in overall campus energy consumption.

Marc Rutenberg Homes’ Zero Energy America Castaway III Model Home, Palm Harbor, Florida: Platinum Project for Residential New Construction. The Castaway III Model home is the first completed residence in a four-house development by Marc Rutenberg Homes in the Tampa Bay area that aims at offering luxurious design combined with net zero electric bills. 

The house – designed by Marc Thee of Marc Michaels Interior Design – incorporates vein-cut travertine flooring; low-VOC paints, stains and sealers; and a bio-fuel burning fireplace with a split-face marble tile overmantle. 

The children’s bathroom features fully tiled walls rather than painted drywall. Tiles and countertops with recycled content were incorporated throughout the home.

Coverings has also selected two Gold Projects for their visionary ideas with regards to sustainability and the use of tile and stone. OrganicArchitect was cited for a Palm Springs, California condo remodeling that included extensive use of tile and stone to help maintain temperature in a warm climate along with sustainably harvested wood, EnergyStar appliances, and VOC-free finishes and sealants.

HDR Architecture, Inc. was singled out for construction of the new National Institute of Standards & Technology in Boulder, Colorado where 30% of materials consisted of recycled content, and low-energy glass was incorporated. The project achieved LEED Gold certification.

Coverings 2013 was held April 29-May 2, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn more about Coverings 2013 Project: Green and the Gold and Platinum Projects, visit www.coverings.com.