2015 MIA Pinnacle Awards
The winners of the 2015 Pinnacle Awards were announced at the MIA Awards Luncheon at TISE 2016 in Las Vegas, NV. For the 8th year, a Grande Pinnacle Award was presented to the best overall project.
Grande Pinnacle: Best Overall Project
Walker Zanger
Perth Amboy, New York
Park Hyatt Hotel
New York, New York
The 2015 Grande Pinnacle Award was presented to Walker Zanger (Perth Amboy, NJ), for their work on the Park Hyatt New York.
The architectural firm involved with the project, Yabu Pushelberg, was also honored.
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Above: Jonathan Zanger (center) receives the Grande Pinnacle from GianPaola Pedretti (Veronafiere) and 2015 MIA President Dan Rea (Coldspring). |
The Park Hyatt New York project includes an exotic and eclectic mix of stone, including Bianco Piove marble from China, Italian Grigio Fantastico marble, and back-lit Persian White Onyx.
Over three years, no less than 15 trips by the design team, the developer, and the stone supplier were made to Italy and China to select the very best in materials and to ensure that the production of the stone exceeded all of the client’s expectations.
The Pinnacle Award judges commented that “the elegant mix of a wide range of stone provides a well-balanced and harmonious interior.” They called the project “impressive in scope and detail” and also hailed the exquisite material selection and creative layout.
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Over three years, no less than 15 trips by the design team, the developer, and the stone supplier were made to Italy and China to select the very best in materials and to ensure that the production of the stone exceeded all of the client’s expectations. |
Pinnacle Award of Excellence: Residential Interior / Exterior
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MIA Member Company: Walker Zanger Perth Amboy, New Jersey Stone Supplier | Stone Fabricator Walker Zanger Other Project Team Members: Brian Hemingway Architect, Ltd. Design Architect Flavin Architects LLC Architect of Record & Collaborating Design Ron Herman Design Landscape Architect Zen Associates Landscape Architect of Record Thoughtforms, Inc. General Contractor | Stone Installer Polycor, Inc. Granites of America (MIA Member Companies) Stone Fabricators Stones: Virginia Mist Granite Oxford Black Granite Bleu de Savoie Marble |
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Walker Zanger
Perth Amboy, New York
Private Residence
Massachusetts
As Sheila Gibson Stoodley writes in an article about this project in Robb Report, “Brian Hemingway is sensitive to light in the best way possible.”
“The Vancouver, British Columbia - based architect wanted this 22,000-square-foot home near Boston to glow like a lantern at night, and he attained that goal on behalf of the homeowners.” The wood and stone that Hemingway favored for the home informed the space’s color palette. So critical were these materials that settling on a shade of stain for the Douglas fir and the finishes to be used on the Virginia Mist granite took months of consultation.
Walker Zanger, the stone supplier, worked with the owner and with Colin Flavin, a Boston-based architect who partnered with Hemingway, to choose, detail, and fabricate the granite.
The stone is used indoors and out, heightening the boundary-blurring effect that the design team desired.
The real artists here are the architects, Hemingway and Flavin.
So deft were they at inviting nature into their creation that, from certain angles, it can be hard to tell where the outdoors stops and starts.
“There are deliberately no window treatments, so that Mother Nature weaves the most beautiful textural backgrounds,” says interior designer Andrew Sheinman, of New York’s Pembrooke & Ives. He oversaw the interiors, working alongside his colleague Michael Lewis. “The seasons change the look and aspect of the house,” says Sheinman, “and we wanted to play on this.”
Bleu de Savoie marble, from France, is used in the baths, to contrast with the Virginia Mist granite and soften the palette to give the baths a spa-like serenity. Hand-chiseled Oxford Black granite is used on exterior landscape walls, to tie the Virginia Mist seamlessly to the natural stone outcroppings.
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This 22,000 square foot residence near Boston seamlessly blends the same stones used inside as outside, including Virgina Mist granite, Oxford Black granite, and Bleu de Savoie marble. |
Pinnacle Award of Excellence: Residential Interior / Exterior
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MIA Member Company: United Marble Fabricators, Inc. Watertown, Massachusetts Stone Fabricator | Stone Installer Other Project Team Members: Nancy Haviland. Client Lewis Interiors Designer Adams & Beasley Associates Designer | Builder Marble and Granite, Inc. (MIA Member Company) Stone Supplier Stone: Honey Onyx |
United Marble Fabricators, Inc
Watertown, Massachusetts
Private Residence
Boston, Massachusetts
When United Marble Fabricators was hired by builders Adams & Beasley Associates to furnish, fabricate, and install all of the stone and tile in this unique two-story penthouse within the Four Seasons in Boston’s Back Bay, the immediate focus of nearly all parties involved was more on the stunning views of Boston Common than of the stone and tile surfaces that would eventually adorn the kitchen and bathrooms. That entire focus, however, would quickly shift to the meticulously designed first floor wet bar nestled into the corner of the two-story living room.
Lewis Interiors and Adams & Beasley Associates designed a wet bar that would attract attention, specifying ¾ inch Honey Onyx for the bar countertop and full-height backsplash. LED panels would be installed behind the backsplash to illuminate the entire surface without creating any “hot spots” traditionally associated with backlighting of natural stone.
As the design process evolved, it was decided that the originally specified glass shelves with wood nosing would be replaced with PPG Starphire ultra-clear glass that was to be rabbeted into the ¾ inch onyx backsplash so that the floating shelves would appear to be glowing as they floated, uninterrupted by moldings of any other materials.
The team first crafted and installed the backsplash, which was fabricated from shop drawings, delivered to the 15th floor by elevator, and installed prior to any base cabinetry. The countertops were fabricated with a 2 inch mitered edge with an eased edge profile, and a 4 inch backsplash was installed to meet the illuminated full-height backsplash.
The spirit of collaboration was alive and well on this project as the skilled fabricators and installers of both stone and millwork worked interdependently with the singular goal of a striking wet bar that would captivate any and all guests of this stunning penthouse unit and rival the sweeping views of Boston Common.
Pinnacle Award of Excellence: Renovation | Restoration
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MIA Member Company: Walker Zanger Perth Amboy, New Jersey Stone Supplier Other Project Team Members: Waitex International Client GRT Architects LLP Architect | Designer Designer SCK Teamwork Contractor Rugo Stone (MIA Member Company) Stone Fabricator SITU Fabrication Stone Installer Stones: Calacatta Regina Marble Pietra D’Avola Limestone |
Walker Zanger
Perth Amboy, New York
Fashion Tower
New York, New York
The Fashion Tower, an Art Deco-era skyscraper in New York’s Garment District, was originally designed by Emery Roth in the mid-1920s. It is unique among the District’s buildings for its ornamental motifs referencing the apparel industry and for being occupied to this day by the garment trade.
Motivated by the resurgence of the Fashion District and the building’s unique history, the architects restored the ornate facade of the tower’s base while sensitively incorporating a contemporary stone lobby.
Earlier renovations completely destroyed intricate detailing at the entry and obscured a sandstone facade with layers of grey cementitious coatings.
A minimal all-glass entry, set back from the line of the masonry, was added into a full-restored carved stone archway. Recognizing the importance of details that refer to the district’s history, the restoration ensured that the portal is once again flanked by polychrome terracotta panels with peacock motifs. These peacocks rejoin surviving stone ornaments that include winged putti holding shears and draping fabric and women clutching spindles and admiring their reflections. A delicate façade cleaning revealed a brightly veined sandstone cladding.
In order to improve the lobby, portions of the existing mezzanine were removed to make way for an expanded double height space. In keeping with the exuberant decorative program of Fashion Tower’s façade, GRT Architects took cues from fashion to create the pleated marble wall on the interior. The interior design represents a cross section through the history of stone fabrication technology—a collaboration between two past MIA Pinnacle award winning companies, Walker Zanger and Rugo Stone.
To achieve the faceted marble surface, both offsite CNC fabrication and onsite handcraft was employed, realizing a contemporary design in a classic material. Drawing upon the building’s history to prepare it for the next hundred years of service, the renovation reasserts the importance of fashion and style in a dynamic neighborhood.
Pinnacle Award: Kitchen of the Year
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MIA Member Company: Tithof Tile & marble Northbrook, Illinois Stone Fabricator | Stone Installer Other Project Team Members: Legacy Custom Homes, LLC General Contractor Frank Pomterio Interiors Interior Design NuHaus Millwork Terrazzo & Marble Supply (MIA Member Company) Stone Source Midwest Stone Suppliers Stones: Pietra del Cardosa Stone Calacatta Borghini Marble |
Tithof Tile & Marble
Northbrook, Illinois
Private Residence
Lake Forest, Illinois
This elegant residential kitchen project was jointly designed with Legacy Custom Homes/RSD, Frank Ponterio Interiors and NuHaus/Exclusive Woodworking.
The goal of this project was to fabricate and install marble slabs in a fashion that mimicked the custom millwork in the rest of this estate home on the Northshore of Chicago. John Tithof and Jason Cranmer, along with the fabrication production team, executed this project on behalf of Tithof Tile & Marble. The client wanted the panels to appear as if carved from dimensional stone blocks rather than the classic full height stone splash.
“One of our primary focuses is keeping the end user involved through the templating and layout process to ensure every client knows what their project will look like before anything is cut or installed. The evolution of this process has changed in recent years, gone are the days of blue tape and visualizing the completed job. With the recent introduction of the revolutionary Perfect Match and Slabsmith software programs we have the ability to digitally layout every slab project and create a virtual representation of the project for approval prior to cutting. With completion of our recent renovation project the Tithof Fabrication shop is now by far the most advanced in our market, if not the country.”
Pinnacle Award: Bath of the Year
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MIA Member Company: Walker Zanger Sun Valley, California Stone Supplier | Mosaic Stone Other Project Team Members: Maria Carillo Construction Stone Installer Designs of the Interior Designer NuHaus Millwork Stones: Tangent Astral Night Calacatta Café Bruno Marble Tangent Zephyr Calacatta Marble Studio Moderne Mosaic Paradigm Calacatta Marble Tangent Apex Calacatta Marble |
Walker Zanger
Sun Valley, California
Pasadena Showcase
Pasadena, California
For over twenty years, Walker Zanger has been a participating vendor for the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. Each year, a house in the Pasadena area is selected and transformed into a showpiece by some of the leading interior designers in Los Angeles. The house selected for the 2014 Showcase is known as the Flint House and was originally built for Robert Flint and his wife Margaret Grey Flint in 1915, in the English Arts and Craft style.
Designs of the Interior was selected to design the Master Suite Wing and teamed up with Walker Zanger to remodel the master bath. Due to the historical aspect of this landmark, major construction was limited and the designers were barred from removing historical pieces, like windows and fireplaces.
The designers selected a color palette of greys, taupe, cream and peacock. Sleek fixtures graced the freestanding oval bath tub, while nickel finishes adorn the shower and sink. Walker Zanger’s Tangent Collection, which consists of decorative marble and limestone mosaics, lined the floors and the shower and bath walls. The floor contains starburst mosaic pattern made out of Calacatta marble and Flannel and Ash Grey limestones.
The shower fixtures were highlighted by a strip of Café Bruno marble tiles and surrounded by a teardrop mosaic pattern in Calacatta.
Inspired by a blend of abstract geometrical shapes and mid-century modern design, Designs of the Interior considered Walker Zanger’s Tangent Collection the perfect choice for transforming this master bath into a magnificent show piece that complements this home’s original architecture.
Join us next month as the Slippery Rock presents more Pinnacle Awards of Excellence, and the Awards of Merit.