Page 2 - Demo

2 | November 2024
Radiant Elegance
Continued from page 1
In the past, Jones says one would be able to see the individual light bulbs because the lights are part of a strip. “Now they’ve fig- ured out a way to kind of blur the lights so that it truly does look like the full slab is lighting up,” she adds.
The thickness of the stone has to be just right in order to ensure the lumens (a unit of measurement that indicates the amount of visible light a light source emits) are bright enough so the stone is illuminated when backlit. There is another reason skill and thickness come into play and that has to do with skillfully shielding the weave on the back of the slab that often looks like honey- comb. “If you backlight it cheaply or with the wrong light, you actually project that honeycomb through the stone and it ends up looking chalky,” Jones adds.
Depending on the type of lights installed, a homeowner can opt to change the col- ors with the touch of a button. This can be especially fun with stones where there are a few colors at play within a pattern. “There have been so many advances in technology with LED lighting that most are operated with a light switch and a remote can change the color while it’s already in,” Jones says. Think of it like the lighting a homeowner installs in a swimming pool where one can
Tucker Design Awards
Slippery Rock Gazette
Photos (2) Courtesy Triton Stone Group
Translucent slab for a special
residential project.
change the lighting color by simply tapping a button on a phone app.
For those concerned about replacing burnt lights, Jones notes a smart installer will rec- ommend including a panel or other way to access the lighting so any lighting issues can be addressed easily.
Backlit stone might not work for every proj- ect but it certainly makes a statement in the right spots.
Megy Karydes is a Chicago-based writer. Find her at MegyKarydes.com .
All Project Photos © Jeff Goldberg/Esto
2100 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC
Marble melds nature, architecture, and sculpture together, elevating placemaking to its highest levels at 2100
Pennsylvania Avenue, a LEED Gold, mixed-use development on the north- east corner of George Washington University campus.
The design embraces the site’s chal- lenging geometry, carefully estab- lishing uplifting public space within encircling v-plan floor plates. The invit- ing 3-story entrance lobby rises into a grand 10-story atrium – a “forest” of daylit wood and stone, animating the prominent corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 21st Street – visible over a mile away. The playful signature undu- lations of the building – emulating the
iconic streamlined Flatiron Building and Barcelona’s Casa Mila – culminate in the public interior, where a sweeping mar- ble stair carries the rich pattern of var- ied stone textures from the street level lobby up 12 feet into the atrium ame- nities level.
Considering the need for a beau- tiful and durable material in all high traffic areas, the team chose natu- ral stone. Stone procurement started with exploring an array of medium to dark-colored stones to complement the brighter white oak and etched glass walls, with deeper tones and colors emulating a riverbed.
Unprecedented levels of fabrica- tion followed a thorough, 100% dry-lay review process, including all dimension
Pelli Clarke & Partners
2100 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC
stones, curving slabs, and the grand stair dry-set in relative position. While the dry-lay reviews helped ensure a smoother installation, there were still issues of unavoidable cupping. The most challenging parts to finish were the ramp and grand stair’s walls. In select areas, the installer had to grind and refinish the leather surface to match throughout. This proceeded after a careful review of additional mockups and input from the installers, architects, and owners.
2100 Pennsylvania Avenue show- cases how to conceive and implement natural stone to the highest levels of craft, elevating architecture to new levels of uplifting placemaking.
Please turn to page 3
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS
WDG Architecture, PLLC
Architect of Record
AKDO Intertrade
Stone Supplier
Lorton Stone, LLC
Stone Installer STONE
Dark Olive marble