Grand Pinnacle Award
2000 L Street 
7 Bryant Park
New York, New York

The carefully detailed stone-clad lobby of 7 Bryant Park is the result of an extraordinary effort by the design team to procure exactly the right materials and achieve the highest level of craftsmanship.

A thirty-story speculative office building at the southwest corner of Manhattan’s Bryant Park, the tower makes the most of its proximity to an important green space with a sculpted facade overlooking the park and a generous public space at ground level.

The defining element of the design is a pair of mirrored conical forms carved out within the rectangular massing of the tower at the corner diagonally opposite the park.

The conical motif is repeated in the ground floor entry lobby through the arrangement and detailing of the stone elements. Mocha Crème limestone is used for the walls and Moleanos limestone for the floors, with accents of Calacatta Caldia marble and Jet Mist granite.

Limestone was chosen as the primary stone for its warmth, richness, and light tone, with the more richly grained white marble and black granite adding contrast to the palette.

On the floor, the triangular contour of the cones is represented by contrasting panels of white marble with black granite accents against a field of beige Moleanos limestone.

On the walls, the motif is represented by shallow conical recesses in the Mocha Crème limestone.

Oversize cubic stone panels were individually carved with a CNC router, then assembled on-site over a sloped structural steel frame. To create the illusion of cones carved out of a continuous flat wall, a close visual match between the thicker carved slabs and the adjacent flat slab panels was essential.

Finally, for the elevator lobbies, Calacatta Caldia marble, with a bright-white background and light veining, was chosen to provide balance and brighten the palette.

Natural Stone Institute
Member Company

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners 
New York, New York
Architect

OTHER PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS

Marmi e Graniti d’Italia
Stone Supplier

Stone Truss Systems
Stone Installer

STONE

Mocha Crème limestone
Moleanos limestone
Calacatta Caldia marble
Jet Mist granite

Judges’ COMMENTS

Executed with pinpoint precision, this extremely innovative, well detailed lobby delighted the jury, who also loved how the conical wall motifs and the triangular floor panels meet “on point.” They admired how the concave curve of the limestone panels

reflects the mirrored conical motif within the exterior façade. The project exhibits superior stock control in unforgiving lighting conditions – showcasing texture and craftsmanship.

Architectural Carving/Lettering/Sculpture
Mosque in Shali City
Chechnya, Russia

A rare white marble is the primary stone used for interior and exterior cladding of the new religious center in the town of Shali in the Chechen Republic of Russia.

The project, which implemented careful marble supply, marble consultation, and installation work, started in 2016 and was completed in July 2019.

This mosque, which is designed with traditional Uzbek rhythm with many white marble spindles and columns, is to become the major attraction in the very center of Shali town in Chechnya and will be among the biggest in Europe with a projected capacity of up to 20,000 worshipers.

The completely white Thassos marble, which is found only in one small island in Greece, had been selected for its color and sparkling nature. This marble provides a very high sunlight reflection quality which is an added value especially in warm regions.

The rare and specialized supply of this raw material was an additional challenge in the time frame given.

All the white marble pieces for the cladding were minimally 3cm in thickness and had been dry installed with profiles.

Colored granite, onyx, and marble inlays displaying flowers and eastward symbols in the exterior and interior arches created visual interest and contrast to the overall white mosque.

Managing the handling, transportation, and installation of the entire project was an overall feat.

The weight of the massive spindle columns, elaborate artifacts, column capitals, and balustrades created a particular challenge.

Given the enormous height of the minarets at 63.3m, and the weight of the elaborate and delicate marble pieces, special care had to be given to transporting them 2,000 km by road and seaway.

All artistic elaborations were done by state-of-the art machinery and then finished by hand. Careful stone consultation was implemented in-house which allowed the opportunity to deliver adjustments wherever needed.

Natural Stone Institute 
Member Company

FHL Kiriakidis Group
Drama, Greece
Stone Consultant/Supplier/Installer

OTHER PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS

Abdukaxxar Turdiev
Architect/Designer

Trion A.K.G. Marble
Stone Installer

STONE

Blue Bahia granite
G603 granite
Mary Gold granite
Baltic Brown granite
Onyx K21
Indian Green marble – interior
Indian Green granite – exterior 
Giallo Reale marble
Rosso Alicante marble
Tunas Green marble
Thassos marble

Judges’ COMMENTS

Not many things inspire to this level. Monumental and awesome. The mosque impressed in both sheer size and for the quantity, variety, and scope of all that marble detail and execution. The organization and management of the project was a sheer feat.

Commercial Exterior
Oklahoma City LDS Temple
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view the essential idea of a temple as that of a place specially set apart for service regarded as sacred.

This condition of excellence was LDS communitiy’s offering unto the Lord. It was in every respect the best the people could give – erecting a structure befitting a house of the Lord.

The exterior of the 15,500 square foot Oklahoma City LDS temple was redesigned to improve the overall massing, entry, and tower of the structure.

The tower’s steeple was raised 10 feet from the existing height to better correspond to the revised entry.

The cut stone design allowed for thickened cubic base material and incorporated thickened pilasters as well as cubic cornice profi les which added depth.

The bulky stones at the base of the entrance creates the look of columns flanking the main entrance doors.

The floor plan was slightly modified for more effi cient use of the building, and ventilation issues were addressed. Working from the air barrier out, it was determined to add 4˝ of insulation into the hat channel design and incorporate a mechanical stone setting system.

The client selected the use of Moleanos limestone for its warm color. 40 containers equaling 1,600,000 pounds of cubic blocks of the limestone was shipped from Portugal to China for fabrication, resulting in 350,000 pounds of finished stone.

The exterior design incorporates local architecture, culture, and motifs to give the temple a tie to its geographic location.

Classical architectural elements such as the egg and dart, rosettes, and acanthus leaves were used throughout the building.

Specific regional motifs of wheat and the Indian Blanket wildflower were selected to root the building in its surroundings and local community.

Natural Stone Institute 
Member Company

IMS Masonry
Lindon, Utah
Stone Installer

OTHER PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS

VCBO Architecture
Architect

Bestview International
Stone Fabricator

PICCO Engineering
Stone Engineer

STONE

Moleanos limestone

Judges’ COMMENTS

Beautiful sculptural blocks of limestone are so tailored, crisp, and clean. This faith makes a point of cladding their temples in stone and should be celebrated. Control and execution are well done. This temple looks like it has been here forever, and it will be. The exceptionally clean design offers no opportunity to hide a defect. Extremely challenging for both the supplier and installer.

Architectural Carving/Lettering/Sculpture
Arizona State University Barrett & 
O’Connor Washington Center
Washington, DC

Arizona State University’s Washington Center is a historic building located just two blocks from the White House and is home to various ASU programs and research facilities.

As a homage to its home in the southwest desert, a 40 foot by 10 foot metaquartzite feature wall greets visitors in the lobby. This wall largely pays tribute to two significant women, Ambassador Barbara McConnell Barrett and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, for whom the center is named.

Conceptually, the idea of the feature wall was to simulate if a slice of a canyon was extracted and displayed.

The sculptural windswept finish on the feature wall was as much a process as an idea. It all revolved around knowing that a specific expression was desired.

With this in mind, the blocks were selected for uniformity to mirror the tectonic intersections found in nature.

Sandblasters undertook the carving of the stone the same way a sculptor would. They carefully raked each panel in an undulating motion, creating a wave effect very similar to what Mother Nature does over centuries.

Time was taken transitioning from panel to panel to create the continuity needed for a continuous flow. Dramatic lighting is used to highlight the sculpted stone, capturing the relief and detail of the surface.

The result: a hybrid of digitally developed modeling and hand-finished circumstance that bridges the line between natural and computer-generated form.

The design was modified with the addition of a logo wall, which was also carefully accomplished.

The logo was designed to be disguised within the panels, only revealing itself when caught by the meticulous eye of visitors. As a result, the vibrant stone was crafted into one of the center’s most integral design features. Fusing nature and urbanity, the captivating stone allows visitors to experience a microcosm of the beautiful desert landscape native to the university’s home.

Natural Stone Institute 
Member Company

Las Vegas Rock
Jean, Nevada
Stone Fabricator

OTHER PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS

CORE Architecture + Design
Architect

Stone Source
Stone Supplier

Boatman & Magnani
Stone Installer

STONE

Metaquartzite

Judges’ COMMENTS

Excellent in all four criteria. Unique, individualized expression in a vertical plane. Bas relief is impressive with its expression of a sense of place, a sense of land forms. Great appreciation for the artistic hand of the sandblaster. If the wall makes me want to touch it, it is meaningful and successful.

Commercial Exterior
Church Street United Methodist Church Expansion
Knoxville, Tennessee

Originally designed by the New York firm of John Russell Pope with the help of local architect Charles Barber of Barber McMurry Architects,

Church Street United Methodist Church was built in 1930-31 by Worsham Brothers, with TL Yon as the stone mason.

Between 1945 and 1956, the stained-glass windows designed by the Charles Connick Studio of Boston, Massachusetts were installed in the nave of the church.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and described as “one of the most important church buildings in the South,” the 1931 CSUMC building is a unique structure that needed expansion, renovation, and renewal to further its continued service to the church congregation and community at large.

The exterior envelope of the original building was clad in sandstone and trimmed in limestone and had to be matched.

Tennessee Marble Company was recommended to the general contractor because of their reputation.

Once selected, they were responsible for sourcing, fabricating, and finishing the limestone for the project that took over a year and a half to fabricate from block to crate.

In an early examination of the current building and design details, they provided helpful feedback for the limestone coursing on the quoined window surround to line up perfectly with the sandstone coursing, as does the original building.

Tennessee Marble Company was also asked to hand carve and match a thistle detail that required site visits, photography, hand drawing, and ultimately the skilled craftsmanship of their master carver.

There were hundreds of carved arch pieces, many of which were on a radial wall, that also had tapered arch bottom pieces.

This detail required advanced programming of their 5 axis CNC machine, then the handiwork of their master carver and his apprentice, and finally the perfect sandblast combination.

Natural Stone Institute 
Member Company

Tennessee Marble Company
Friendsville, Tennessee
Stone Fabricator

OTHER PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS

Hartman-Cox Architects
Architect

Silvara Stone Company
Stone Quarrier/Supplier/Fabricator

Polycor
Stone Supplier

Johnson & Galyon Construction
Howard Masonry
Stone Installers

STONE

Indiana limestone

Crab Orchard sandstone

Judges’ COMMENTS

An excellent example of precisely how to utilize stone in a modern addition to a historic core structure. Adding hand carved stone decorative matching pieces was the seamless icing on the cake.