New York Hotel Leads 2015 Pinnacles
LAS VEGAS – The stone supplied by Walker Zanger of Perth Amboy, N.J., for the Park Hyatt New York hotel won the top prize in the 2015 Pinnacle Awards from the Marble Institute of America (MIA).
Judges cited the use of more than 300,000 ft² of marble and onyx for the luxury NYC lodgings in awarding the Grande Pinnacle, signifying the most-outstanding work in the annual competition. The judges’ commetatry noted “the elegant mix of a wide range of stone provides a well-balanced and harmonious interior,” and called the project “impressive in scope and detail.”
The MIA honored 14 projects for 2015 in commercial and residential work, including two new awards. Tithof Tile and Marble took the initial prize for Kitchen of the Year for a project in Lake Forest, Ill., while Walker Zanger’s location in Sun Valley, Calif., received Bath of the Year for work on a showcase home in Pasadena, Calif.
MIA would like to thank the sponsors of the 2015 Pinnacle Awards: MAPEI (Commercial Awards), GranQuartz (Residential Awards), Coldspring (Renovation/Restoration Awards), Vitória Stone Fair-Marmomacc Latin America (Kitchen and Bath of the Year), and Marmomacc (Grande Pinnacle Award).
All photos courtesy Marble Institute of America
Grande Pinnacle
Award of Excellence – Commercial Interior
Park Hyatt New York
New York
Stone Supplier, Stone Fabricator: Walker Zanger, Perth Amboy, N.J. (MIA Honoree)
Client: Extell Development, Hyatt Hotels Corp.
Architect/Designer: Yabu Pushelberg
General Contractor: Lend Lease
Stone Installers: Port Morris Tile & Marble Corp. (MIA member); V.A.L. Floor (MIA member)
Stones: Bianco Piove Marble, Grigio Fantastico Marble, Persian White Onyx, Cassini Marble
Click photo for gallery
The Park Hyatt New York, which comprises the first 21 floors of One57, the famous “Billionaire’s Building” on West 57th Street, is the flagship of the Park Hyatt brand. Infiltrated with art and eclecticism, bespoke furnishings and sumptuous materials lend a residential feel to the hotel’s common areas and private spaces, designed by Toronto-based Yabu Pushelberg Architects.
Intimate in scale, the public areas are divided into a series of linked rooms. The notion of compartmentalization is carried through to the guest rooms and suites, where custom signature elements are layered with a tasteful, chic mix of materials and furnishings.
The stone chosen for the Park Hyatt is as exotic and eclectic as the guests that the hotel welcomes. The guestrooms and lobby walls are clad in Bianco Piove marble from China. Less than 20% of the quarried material was accepted for the more-than 300,000 ft² of Bianco Piove used; each room and elevation was laid out in the factory, to blend the material harmoniously.
The floors of the lobby are paved in Italian Grigio Fantastico marble, and the ballroom is draped in more than 4,000 ft² of hand-selected backlit Persian White Onyx. Again, each material was laid out before and after fabrication to assure that the rigorous selection process was maintained.
The design team, the developer and the stone supplier made 15 trips in three years to Italy and China to select materials and to ensure that the production of the stone exceeded all of the clients’ expectations.
Kitchen of the Year
Private Residence
Lake Forest, Ill.
Stone Fabricator, Stone Installer: Tithof Tile & Marble, Northbrook, Ill. (MIA honoree)
General Contractor: Legacy Custom Homes LLC
Stone Suppliers: Terrazzo & Marble Supply (MIA member); Stone Source Midwest
Interior Designer: Frank Ponterio Interiors
Millwork: NuHaus
Stone: Pietra del Cardosa, Calacatta Borghini Marble
Click photo for galleryThe 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 Chicago North Shore. 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. With the recent introduction of the revolutionary Perfect Match and Slabsmith software programs, Tithof had the ability to digitally layout every slab project and create a virtual representation of the project for approval prior to cutting.
This residential kitchen project was performed in conjunction with Legacy Custom Homes/RSD, Frank Ponterio Interiors and NuHaus/Exclusive Woodworking.
Bath of the Year
2014 Pasadena Showcase House
Pasadena, Calif.
Stone Supplier, Mosaic Stone Fabricator, Mosaic Stone Designer: Walker Zanger, Sun Valley, Calif. (MIA Honoree)
Stone Installer: Maria Carillo Construction
Designer: Designs of the Interior
Stone: Tangent Astral Night Calacatta, Café Bruno Marble, Tangent Zephyr Calacatta Marble, Studio Moderne Mosaic Calacatta Marble, Paradigm Calacatta Marble, Tangent Apex Calacatta Marble
Click photo for gallery
For more than 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, such as windows and fireplaces.
The designers selected a color palette of greys, taupe, cream and peacock. 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.
Award of Excellence – Residential Interior/Exterior
“Bar with a View”
Boston
Stone Fabricator, Stone Installer: United Marble Fabricators Inc., Watertown, Mass. (MIA honoree)
Client: Nancy Haviland
Designer: Lewis Interiors
Designer/Builder: Adams & Beasley Associates
Stone Supplier: Marble and Granite Inc. (MIA member)
Stone: Honey Onyx
Click photo for gallery
When United Marble Fabricators was hired 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 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” 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, the originally specified glass shelves with wood nosing were replaced with PPG Starphire ultra-clear glass that was to be rabbeted into the ¾” 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” mitered edge with an eased edge profile, and a 4” backsplash was installed to meet the illuminated full-height backsplash.
Award of Excellence – Residential Interior/Exterior
Massachusetts Residence
Boston
Stone Supplier/Stone Fabricator: Walker Zanger, Perth Amboy, N.J. (MIA honoree)
Design Architect: Brian Hemingway Architect Ltd.
Architect of Record and Collaborating Design Architect: Flavin Architects LLC
Design Landscape Architect: Ron Herman Landscape Architect
Landscape Architect of Record: Zen Associates
General Contractor/Stone Installer: Thoughtforms Inc.
Interior Design: Pembrooke & Ives
Stone Fabricators: Polycor Inc. (MIA member); Granites of America (MIA member)
Stones: Virginia Mist Granite, Oxford Black Granite, Bleu de Savoie Marble
Click photo for gallery
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 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.
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.
Award of Excellence – Renovation/Restoration
Fashion Tower New York
New York
Stone Supplier: Walker Zanger, Perth Amboy, N.J. (MIA Honoree)
Client: Waitex International
Architect. Designer: GRT Architects LLP
Contractor: SCK Teamwork
Stone Fabricator: Rugo Stone, LLC (MIA member)
Stone Installer: SITU Fabrication
Stones: Calacatta Regina Marble, Pietra D’Avola Limestone
Click photo for gallery
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.
Award of Merit – Commercial Exterior
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Houston
Stone Erector: Dee Brown Inc., Garland, Texas (MIA honoree)
Architect: Gensler
Client: Houston Museum of Natural Science
General Contractor: Linbeck Construction Co.
Stone Suppliers/Fabricators: World Wide Stone Corp. (MIA member); IMC (MIA member)
Stones: Mexican Travertine, Absolute Black Granite
Click photo for gallery
The Houston Museum of Natural Science has been a significant part of Houston’s cultural and educational fabric since 1909, hosting millions of visitors. The current campus was opened in 1969, and several renovations and significant additions have updated the institution over its history. The most recent addition adds roughly 230,000 ft² of space dedicated to a paleontology theme.
It was decided that the façade material on the addition should be in keeping with the cladding on the adjacent existing building. A search was begun to seek out a suitable travertine material as the major cladding component. Varying size formats, thicknesses, and configurations were explored. Honeycomb-backed panels were found to be at too high a price point. Several travertine possibilities were eliminated due to cost, issues with physical properties, and availability of sufficient quantities.
Ultimately, the search lead to the selection of vein-cut travertine sourced from Mexico. It was also decided that an Absolute Black granite base would be complementary. Stone panels were configured in several size formats, with the larger size range being around 5’ 9”X 4’ 5” with a 6cm thickness.
Stone was largely erected on aluminum anchors, which were supplied in continuous lengths. This anchorage method worked well with the engineering requirements associated with the backup wall, and also served to increase the erection rate of the stonework.
Prior to mobilizing for erection, there was significant time associated with finalizing material selections, processing shop drawings, generating engineering submittals, and tracking material production. Once erection began, a moderate-size crew spent roughly five months onsite to complete stone installation.
All told, the exterior stone skin elements totaled roughly 21,000 ft².
Award of Merit – Commercial Exterior
Eaton House
Dublin, Ireland
Stone Installer: Eclad Limited, Dublin, Ireland
Client: Eaton Corp.
General Contractor: John Sisk & Sons Limited
Design Architect: Pickard Chilton
Architect of Record: Michael Collins & Associates
Stone Supplier: Savema S.p.a. (MIA member)
Stones: Arandis Gold Granite, Blanco Cristal Granite, Bianco Carrara Marble
Click photo for gallery
Eaton Corp. is an international power management company based in Cleveland and operating in over 175 countries. When they established their Corporate Global Headquarters in Dublin, they were mindful of their enviable environmental record.
They identified the ex-IBM Headquarters building in Dublin and commissioned American architects Pickard Chilton to develop a design solution that both respected the adjacent historical structures while being contemporary in style and performance. The project retained the existing 33,000 ft² structure, but added a new façade that harmonized with the existing Georgian surroundings while performing to the highest environmental standards.
Material choice was fundamental to achieving these objectives. A strategic decision was made to use linear coursed natural stone, both for performance and appearance. John Sisk & Sons were selected as the General Contractor and worked in collaboration with Michael Collins & Associates, the local architect of record. EireGramco Limited was selected as the stone supplier and was installed by Eclad Ireland.
Arandis Gold granite from Namibia was selected after extensive investigation as the most suitable material for the façade. The honed 24” long x 2½” tall x 4” deep pieces were fabricated in Italy by Savema S.p.a. Exacting standards were established for the stone as it was such a vital element of the aesthetic and technical design. As a result, no stones were rejected during the on-site inspection.
The 16,000+ ft² of external cladding, completed in six months, required a maximum crew of 30 men.
Award of Merit – Commercial Exterior
Mitchell Park Library
Palo Alto, Calif.
Stone Supplier/Fabricator: Las Vegas Rock Inc., Jean, Nev. (MIA honoree)
Architect: Group 4 Architecture
Client: The City of Palo Alto
General Contractor: Flintco Construction
Stone Installer: International Tile
Stones: Metaquartzite
Click photo for gallery
The Mitchell Park Library is 56,332 ft² of new construction on approximately 3.4 acres in a community park in Palo Alto. The approximately 40,000 ft² library is the newest and largest of six libraries in the Palo Alto City Library system.
The city sought to replace its previous library and community-center buildings with a new joint-use facility. Appropriateness, quality, and durability of materials were key. This project was designed to serve the community for generations.
The building envelope is clad in stone, standing-seam metal, stucco, and other long-lasting materials. The green roofs are designed to insulate the building, and are planted with grasses and drought-tolerant materials that require little supplemental water.
Materials such as Las Vegas Rock’s Desert Blend metaquartzite stone cladding are regionally-sourced, meeting LEED-NC’s standards of extraction.
Award of Merit – Commercial Exterior
Tarrant County Civil Courthouse
Fort Worth, Texas
Stone Erector: Dee Brown Inc., Garland, Texas (MIA honoree)
Architect: HKS
Client: Tarrant County
General Contractor: Yates/Vendigm JV
Stone Suppliers/Fabricators: Coldspring (MIA member); Mezger Enterprises
Stones: Sunset Red Granite
Click photo for gallery
The Tarrant County Civil Courthouse occupies a full city block and continues the expansion of the courts and municipals area of downtown Fort Worth. The design basis yields a relevant building complementary to adjacent structures, while displaying unique design character.
Elevations utilize granite as the key finish, with complimentary brickwork. Continuing above are granite field panels, ledges, column wraps, and copings. Significant to the design are the varied planes that create reveals and shadow lines.
The west elevation serves as the main entrance. Its curved facade begins with pitched-faced granite bellied-out to emulate cubic stonework common to historic Texas courthouses. Another configuration of granite panels creates a vertical visual element, and borders the radial portion of the west main entry.
Also utilized on the west elevation are two historic carved limestone angels. These were removed years earlier from an adjacent courthouse by the same stone contractor. The reuse of the angels required exploratory work to establish a restoration protocol to remove layers of paint, caulking, and pollution. Some re-fabrication was also required. The installation of the angels required a special crane permit and leave-out of the structure above to accomplish installation.
Erection of the facades was challenging. The varied planes as well as tolerance issues of backup walls resulted in the use of more than 500 different custom anchors.
All told, the stone subcontractor’s onsite erection of the exterior skin materials spanned roughly 15 months and encompassed 57,000 ft² of completed stonework, not counting around 87,000 ft² of brickwork, interior stonework and concrete blockwork completed by the same subcontractor.
Award of Merit – Commercial Exterior
Ark of Return
New York
Stone Engineer: PICCO Engineering, Concord, Ont. (MIA honoree)
Client/Owner: United Nations
Architect: Rodney Leon Architects
General Contractor/Stone Installer: Precision Stone Inc. (MIA member)
Master Craftsman: Corsanini Studios
Stone Fabricator: Union Marble & Granite Industry Inc.
Stone Supplier: ABC Worldwide Stone Inc. (MIA member)
Stones: Olympia Danby Marble, Mountain White Danby Marble, Black Absolute Zimbabwe Granite
Click photo for gallery
The first permanent memorial erected at the United Nations in New York, the Ark of Return is a touching tribute to the men, women, and children of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. It was erected to “acknowledge the tragedy and consider the legacy lest we forget.”
Shaped out of gleaming white marble to represent a vessel, it symbolizes a slave ship that has “returned” to stand as a reminder for future generations to never repeat this tragedy. Various design elements incorporate facets of the voyage from Africa across the ocean. The triangular entrance of the structure into the interior space symbolizes the “Door of No Return” in the slave castle located on Gorée Island, Senegal, West Africa, where countless enslaved Africans were taken, against their will and pushed upon the ships to endure the Middle Passage across the ocean, never to return again.
A carving on one of the interior stone panels depicts the haunting interior of a typical slave ship. A map is also carved into the stone in the interior space depicting the triangular slave trade and those various routes across the Atlantic. As such, numerous triangular patterns of marble comprise the structure itself.
A full-scale hand-carved figure with outstretched hand made from Black Absolute Zimbabwe Granite, combined with its white hand-carved marble “robe” is a touching reminder of the humanistic element. It is fitting, therefore, that master carvers spent hours carving this “Trinity Figure” that embodies the spirits of the men, women and children that have perished. A tear flows from its eye that fills a white marble pool, utilizing water as a cleansing and spiritual element.
Award of Merit – Commercial Interior
The New York Palace Hotel
New York
Natural Stone Contractor/Stone Supplier/Stone Fabricator/Stone Installer: Kenneth Castellucci & Associates Inc., Lincoln, R.I. (MIA honoree)
Owner: Northwood Hospitality
Architect: Brennan Beer Gorman Architects
General Contractor: Shawmut Design and Construction
Stone Fabricator: Euromarble Srl (MIA member)
Stones: Bianco Carrara Marble, Nero Marquina Marble, Rosso Verona Marble, Salome Marble, Port Laurent Marble, Limestone Chenille, Portoro Marble, Belgian Petit Granit
Click photo for gallery
In 1882, Henry Villard, one of the nation’s most prominent railroad financiers, commissioned McKim, Mead & White Architects to create a residence at 455 Madison Ave in New York; these structures became known as the Villard Houses.
In 1970, then-owner Harry B. Helmsley, who successfully managed to blend a contemporary 55-story hotel tower with the existing historic Villard Houses. It was called the Helmsley Palace. Today known as The New York Palace Hotel, this landmark luxury hotel has become the premier venue for weddings, business gatherings, and social events.
The hotel was owned by Northwood Hospitality, who in 2013 commissioned the all-encompassing $140 million renovation to upgrade the public spaces and guest rooms. The process was undertaken while the hotel was fully operational. The intent was to incorporate modern design elements, state of the art technology, and new accents that would match and enhance the existing appointments of this stunning architectural masterpiece. The lobby spaces were transformed by using natural stone. The walls and portals are trimmed in molded and carved classic white marble and the floors are inlaid with intricate broad sweeping repeating patterns using multiple colors of richly contrasting marbles.
Early in 2015, the hotel was sold to Lotte, a Korean company. The name is now Lotte New York Palace.
Award of Merit – Commercial Interior
Canadian Museum of Human Rights
Winnipeg, Man.
Stone Consultant/Detailer/Engineer: PICCO Engineering, Concord, Ont. (MIA honoree)
Client/Stone Installer: Gracom Masonry Ltd. (BRXTON)
Owner: Government of Canada
Design Architect: Antoine Predock Architect PC
Executive Architect: Smith Carter Architects
Construction Manager: PCL Constructors, Inc.
Stone Supplier/Stone Fabricator: Gillis Quarries Limited
Stone Fabricators: Alabastros Aragoneses
Stones: Tyndall Stone, Mongolian Basalt, Spanish Alabaster
Click photo for gallery
The Canadian Museum of Human Rights is the first and only Canadian national museum built outside Ottawa, the nation’s capital; it was established to celebrate the evolution and future of human rights. Winnipeg, as the geographical “centre” of Canada, is a fitting location.
The design of this magnificent structure purposely incorporates many natural materials. The entranceway, deep into the earth, is meant to symbolize the roots of entry into humanity itself. Visitors are led through a complex series of vast spaces and ramps, which showcase stone in a variety of ways.
Locally quarried Tyndall stone was ultimately selected for the exterior and interior main wall cladding. Basalt clad walls, floors, and columns are a stark choice but naturally align within the context of the museum’s design. Snaking gallery ramps are clad in back-lit quarried alabaster from Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, which create a dramatic effect.
The complexity of the design coupled with the use of numerous natural materials required careful integration. Three-dimensional drawings were a necessity and Autodesk Revit® was selected as the Building Information Modeling (BIM) software for the project. Deliberation and teamwork characterized the venture and in the end extraordinary technical challenges forced rewarding collaboration.
Award of Merit – Commercial Interior
Zýmē Winery
Cariano, Italy
Stone Supplier/Stone Fabricator: Grassi Pietre Srl, Nanto, Italy (MIA honoree)
Architects: AcMe Studio Associato Di Architettura – Verona
Stone Installer: VGC
Stones: Pietra di Vicenza Giallo Dorato, Rustic Green
Click photo for gallery
The new Zýmē Winery arose from a pre-existing nucleus, an ex-quarry dating back to 1400. Today, it is used to age wine in wooden barriques. Grassi Pietre supplied all stone elements for this project. Pietra di Vicenza Giallo Dorato was used throughout the installation—this stone was chosen because of its aesthetic connection to the stone originally found in the quarry.
Three ramps of internal shaped stairs were created using 3cm-thick Giallo Dorato installed on an iron structure and glued with cement. A small kitchen was built to bring guests in a full sensorial path. Grassi Pietre also created a far-future design inside Zýmē —pentagonal cells of Giallo Dorato that form “The Archive,” an extremely elegant shelving used to age wine after bottling.
The barrel cellar was hewn from an ancient sandstone quarry. Each cell (78x56x60 cm, weighing 85kg each) was installed with hydraulic lime glue and glass fiber net to ensure that the structure would be fully supported. This ensures that the structure will not collapse and helps reduce the risk of “domino effect collapse” in case of earthquake or breakage of one element.
In addition to the interior installations, Grassi Pietre also supplied 120 square meters of Rustic Green to pave the external entrance to the winery.
Award of Merit – Commercial Interior
Alston & Bird LLP
Atlanta
Stone Supplier/Stone Fabricator/Stone Installer: Marmi Natural Stone, Norcross, Ga. (MIA honoree)
Architect/Designer: Carson Guest Interior Design
Client/General Contractor: Skanska USA Building Inc.
Stones: Calacatta Caldia, China Black Marble, Galala Extra Marble, Calacatta Viola
Click photo for gallery
The timeless beauty of natural stone is the heart of one’s experience upon entering the headquarters of this international law firm. Marble’s lasting strength reflects the firm’s stability, long history, and quality. Wood veneers provide a warming counterbalance to the light colors and black and white of the marbles.
The firm wanted a contemporary, functional and sustainable design in their new offices. The designers had the advantage of working with the law firm for more than 30 years. They understood the value of timeless design incorporating advanced technology to achieve its objectives.
The connecting elevator lobbies continue the signature Calacatta Caldia, China Black, and Galala Extra marble floors of slab and tile. Walls of the conference-level elevator lobbies and reception are Calacatta Caldia slab material and the reception desk stone is Calacatta Viola. A variety of other stone is used throughout the firm.
For durability and sustainability, stone was a natural choice for public area finishes and continued a firm tradition of using a variety of marble and granite for conference table and countertops. The firm received LEED certification and is currently the third largest law office in the world to achieve LEED Gold certification for sustainability. The Department of Energy has just completed a case study on the firm’s energy efficiency gained through use of LED lighting and advanced control systems.
Award of Merit – Restoration/Renovation
John Hancock Lobby Renovation
Chicago
Stone Installer: W. R. Weis Company Inc., Chicago (MIA honoree)
Client/Owner: Hearn Company
Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB)
Stone Supplier/Stone Fabricator: Eclad USA Inc. (MIA member); Lacroix A & Fils Granit Ltée(MIA member)
General Contractor: Hearn Construction Co.
Stones: Bianco Carrara Marble, Aspen Gray Marble, Absolute Black Granite, Atlantic Black Granite
Click photo for gallery
Last year, W.R. Weis was contracted by Hearn Construction Company to provide a long overdue renovation to the interior lobbies of the iconic John Hancock Building in downtown Chicago. The lobbies were originally done with travertine, which had been stained darker by a previous owner, giving the original lobby pallet a dated look.
The combination of stone and water are a beautiful part of any project, requiring a tremendous amount of coordination and precise fabrication. The water feature for this project appears standard at first glance but, as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. This project features a customized piece of art that hangs from the ceiling, above the fountain, and interacts with the water in the pooling area of the fountain. Together the artwork and reflection from the fountain create the stars in the sky.
This project took several months to complete. Bianco Carrara marble from Italy was used for the main interior floor. The main walls of the fountain were also done in Bianco Carrara. Absolute Black granite was used to intensify the mirror effect of the water inside the fountain. The new revolver and vestibule stone was Atlantic Black granite.
The centerpiece is LUCENT (2015), commissioned by The Hearn Company, deriving its name from the Latin lucere, meaning “to shine.” Created by internationally-renowned sculpture Wolfgang Buttress, this artwork represents the 3,106 brightest stars visible with the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere. Simple and elegant, LUCENT measures 14’ in diameter and is illuminated by fiber optics to create an ambient, pulsing glow.
Award of Merit: Renovation/Restoration
Cosmos Club Historic Fireplace Restoration
Washington
Stone Supplier/Stone Fabricator/Stone Installer: Rugo Stone LLC, Lorton, Va.
Client: Cosmos Club
General Contractor: Whiting Turner Contracting Co.
Stones: Bianco P Marble, Campan Vert Marble, Antique Virginia Soapstone
Click photo for gallery
This wonderfully-executed fireplace surround was carved over 100 years ago. At some point in the time of the Cosmos Club’s existence, the fireplace was dismantled and casually stored in the crawl space below the private club’s main level. A building manager discovered it and asked Rugo Stone to help salvage and restore the fireplace to its original grandeur.
Rugo Stone’s team entered the 3’ crawlspace and carefully removed the pieces, which were covered with dirt and filth. Adding to the challenge was the fact that there were no drawings to identify the piece locations in the assembled fireplace, creating a puzzle. The pieces were taken to the studio at Rugo Stone and dry-set to determine what was missing and what needed to be re-carved.
After five weeks of careful and intensive cleaning, technicians were able to remove almost all of the filth and refinish the marble to bring back the bright white luster hidden beneath decades of dirt. The stone was identified and re-carved using Bianco and marble from Rugo Stone’s inventory of rare and precious stones.
The hearth was broken into many pieces, requiring it to be reassembled, cleaned, and re-polished. New pieces of a rare French marble, Campan Vert, were required to complete the hearth. Again, the match was found in Rugo Stone’s inventory of rare stones. The firebox itself was originally built in Virginia soapstone, which had to be cleaned and restored.
Rugo Stone’s skilled masons performed the installation of the marble and decorative cast-iron surround in its original location in the main foyer of this grand traditional building.
Get the news of the industry with Slab & Sheet, the weekly e-newsletter from Stone Update. Sign up for free delivery here.
For the latest industry info, check Stone Update on Twitter and Facebook.
