(ORLANDO, FL—APRIL 15, 2015)

Fifteen outstanding tile and stone projects were recognized at the fourth annual Coverings Installation & Design (CID) Awards, a program that honors outstanding design and installation of tile and stone in residential, commercial, sustainable and international projects. A panel comprised of notable editors, leading designers, installation experts, and representatives from Ceramics of Italy, the Tile Council of North America, Tile of Spain and National Tile Contractors Association evaluated nearly 150 submissions based on technical execution, unique material applications, and overall design and purpose, and awarded high honors to those projects demonstrating spectacular tile and stone applications. In total, $20,000 in prize money was awarded to the winning designers and installers during the inaugural CID Awards & Opening Night Celebration, held Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at the Orange County Convention Center.

“The projects submitted in the 2015 Coverings Installation & Design Awards program once again represent some of the highest levels of skill and creativity in the tile and stone industry,” said Karin Fendrich, Coverings show director. “Coverings congratulates and commends all the designers and installers from these winning projects for truly illustrating visionary designs and exacting installation techniques.”

Two extraordinary projects earned Grand Prize honors – one for exceptional use of stone materials and one for exceptional use of tile materials. The stone Grand Prize was awarded to BAR Architects and Carnevale & Lohr for their work on The Film Archive and Preservation Center in Santa Clarita, CA. In the tile category, PROCON Consulting Architects, Inc., JPRA Architects, and GSI Global Stone were awarded the Grand Prize for the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort in Honolulu, HI. All Grand Prize winners received $2,000 and a one-night hotel stay in Orlando during Coverings.

The Hilton Hotel Rainbow Tower, a noted Hawaiian landmark and 30-story tower, is covered by the world’s tallest tile mosaic mural originally designed by artist Millard Sheets in 1968. In 2013, after years of deterioration, PROCON Consulting Architects Inc., JPRA Architects, and GSI Global Stone took on the process of demolishing, replacing and reconstructing the original design. During this process, more than 31,000 porcelain tiles were glazed by using a digitally re-mastered industrial digital inkjet transfer. The architects also utilized state of the art FEA computer modeling technology during the design process, which factored in the wind speeds, weathering and the oceanfront-stress the 275-foot tall murals would need to withstand to ensure optimal performance of the carefully specified materials.
BAR Architects and Carnevale & Lohr partnered to design and construct the stone cladding of The Film Archive and Preservation Center. The project was comprised of two parts – the Collections Storage, a primarily underground structure, and the Stoa, inspired by ancient Greek Stoas. In total, the project’s exterior consists of more than 104,800 square feet of handset Belmonte and Fondola limestone sourced from Trani, Italy, as well as wood ceilings, terracotta roof tiles and bronze clad doors. The interior of the building, featuring architecture and motifs inspired by the Florentine monastery of San Marco, contains more than 11,000 feet of carved Pietra Serena Stone flooring. In addition to installer’s intense commitment to the historic use of natural stone materials, the arduous project required the coordination of a variety of trade specialties, including concrete, waterproofing, insulating, framing and structural steel. To ensure the highest degree of accuracy, a 35-foot tall model of the project was built in Italy, to showcase the selected stone and planned installation and construction methods before the complete build-out commenced in California.

The 2015 CID Awards recognized 13 other projects for exceptional work in tile and stone design and installation from around the world. Each of the below projects received a $1,000 cash prize for their remarkable achievements:

Winner, Commercial Stone Design
            Project:            Multi-Denominational Chapel
            Location:         Jacksonville, FL
            Designer:         Perkins + Will
Winner, Commercial Stone Installation
            Project:            Swift Plaza
            Location:         Concord, CA
            Installer:          Pennacchio Tile, Inc.
Winner, Residential Stone Design
            Project:            Tripartite House
            Location:         Houston, TX
            Designer:         Intexture Architects
Winner, Residential Stone Installation
            Project:            Private Residence
            Location:         Vaughan, ON
            Installer:          Rockford Tile Contractors
Winner, Sustainable Stone Design
            Project:            Alston & Bird LLP, Atlanta Offices
            Location:         Atlanta, GA
            Designer:         Carson Guest, Inc.
Winner, International Stone Design
            Project:            Hyde Park Gardens
            Location:         London, England        
            Designer:         Belsize Architects
Winner, Commercial Tile Design
            Project:            Vertex Pharmaceuticals Headquarters
            Location:         Boston, MA
            Designer:         Artaic
Winner, Commercial Tile Installation
            Project:            YMCA Mitch Park Aquatic Center
            Location:         Edmond, OK
            Installer:          Bentley Flooring
Winner, Residential Tile Design
            Project:            Chastain Park Master Bathroom Renovation
            Location:         Atlanta, GA
            Designer:         Rabaut Design Associates
Winner, Residential Tile Installation
            Project:            Contemporary Desert Oasis
            Location:         Gilbert, AZ
            Installer:          Alpentile
Winner, Sustainable Tile Design
            Project:            Lakes Regional Healthcare Phase II – Surgery and Birth Centers      
                        Location:         Spirit Lake, IA
            Designer:        RDG Planning and Design
Winner, International Tile Design
            Project:            The Garden of the Silhouettes
            Location:         Alicante, Spain
            Designer:         Esculpir el Aire
Award, Community Project
            Project:                        “Committed to Serve” Central Fire Station
            Location:                     Grand Prairie, TX
            Architect/Designer:    Montage 48/61 – An Artistic Partnership

To learn more about Coverings, and the 15 projects honored in the 2015 Coverings Installation & Design Awards program, please visit coverings.com/CID. The CID Awards is sponsored by TileLetter and Contemporary Stone & Tile Design.        

Coverings is the largest and most important ceramic tile and natural stone trade fair and expo in the United States. It features exhibitors from 40 countries and is the stage for introducing some of the most innovative tile and stone products in the world.

The exposition serves as a valuable resource for continuing education for all segments of the industry, with more than 75 informative, accredited seminars and live demonstration sessions throughout the show, all free of charge. Coverings attracts thousands of distributors, retailers, fabricators, contractors, specifiers, architectural and design professionals, builders and real estate developers, as well as journalists and bloggers who cover this vital and dynamic industry.

Sponsors of the show are The Ceramic Tile Distributor Association (CTDA), Tile of Spain/Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturer’s Association (ASCER), Ceramics of Italy/Confindustria Ceramica, National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) and the Tile Council of North America (TCNA). The show is managed by National Trade Productions.
Coverings 2015 takes place April 14-17 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. For more information, visit coverings.com or contact National Trade Productions, Coverings Show Management, 703-706-8257


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