Pinnacle Awards Point to Stone’s Excellence
LAS VEGAS – With the 2011 Pinnacle Awards classically inspired design and a continued focus on sustainability meshed in the international natural-stone-design competition.
Projects spanning the globe from Thailand to Ireland, with other projects closer to home, received plaudits in the annual award program from the Marble Institute of America.
The competition honors projects that demonstrate exceptional beauty, creativity, ingenuity and craftsmanship in the use of granite, marble, travertine, limestone and other natural stones.
Britishstoneworks of Lakewood, Ohio, took the top prize – the Grande Pinnacle Award, sponsored by Marmomacc – for its work on the Spirit of the Ocean Fountain in Santa Barbara, Calif.. Britishstoneworks received an award designed by Tobia Scarpa of Venice, Italy, plus an all-expense paid trip to Marmomacc 2012 this September in Verona, Italy.
Judges for the 2011 Pinnacle Awards were Ron Fiegenschuh, Lehman Smith McLeish, Washington; James McCrery, McCrery Architects, Washington; Christian R. Pongratz,
Pongratz Perbellini Architects, Verona, Italy; and Brett Rugo, Rugo Stone LLC. :Lorton, Va.
The honors were presented during the MIA’s annual Awards Luncheon at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas in Las Vegas in late January.
Grande Pinnacle Award (sponsored by Marmomacc)
The Spirit of the Ocean Fountain
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Click image to enlargeStone Installer/Carver: Britishstoneworks, Lakewood, Ohio (MIA honoree)
Client: Santa Barbara Courthouse Legacy Foundation
Architect: Robert Ooley, AIA
Styrofoam Model: Satellite Models
Stone Supplier: Stoneyard Building Materials
3D On-site Scanning: Scansite
Stone Carver: Hunt Studios
Stone: Santa Barbara sandstone
The original Spirit of the Ocean Fountain, first created in 1927, fell apart due to neglect natural deterioration. A CNC production center generated a styrofoam model of the original, based on a 3D scan. Artists molded clay and plaster to the styrofoam and, using photos of the original fountain, reproduced decayed or missing pieces to create a full reproduction.
Click photo to see “after“
Carvers then used chisels, custom-tipped to match orignal tools, to carve five boulder-cut blocks of locally-sourced Santa Barbara sandstone craned into the courtyard of the Santa Barbara courthouse. Carvers worked in public within a 40’ X 40’ on-site studio during the seven-month duration of the project. The goal was to preserve as much history as possible, and also preserve the original artist’s style and artistry.
