Focus on Coverings, a wide range of awards

Mar 26, 2004

26/03/04 - The winners of the Prism & Spectrum Awards, assigned to the best architectural projects demonstrating creativity and achievement in the use of natural stone (Prism) and ceramic tiles (Spectrum) were announced during the first day of Coverings 2004.

The Prism Stone Awards 2004 for Architecture was presented to Studio Gang Architects LTD for their “Masonry Variations” natural stone facade installed at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

The winning project in the Spectrum Award 2004 was “The Harper Pool,” a swimming pool in a private residence at Daytona Beach, Florida, created by Dosha Porta from Michelle Griffoul Studios. (The in-focus section contains a description of the two winning projects).

Again in the afternoon of Tuesday 23 March, in the Italian pavilion, Assopiastrelle announced the winners of the Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition Award 2004, presented to the three best architecture projects featuring the use of Italian ceramic tiles.
The Bernard Tschumi firm of architects won the ‘Institutional Architecture’ award for the new design for the Architecture School at the Florida International University in Miami, while David Paul Brems from Gillies Stransky Brems Smith Pc picked up the ‘Commercial Architecture’ prize for the innovative installation of ceramic tiles for exterior cladding at the brand new Clearwater Center built by Sahara Construction in Bountiful (Utah).
The third award, for Interior Design, went to the Jones Studio Inc. firm of architects represented by architect Edward R. Jones for the unique artistic and technical characteristics of the project carried out for the Walner residence in Scottsdale, Arizona. (The in-focus section contains photos of the winning projects)

During the Italian Cocktail, Assopiastrelle Chairman Sergio Sassi presented the Distributor Award 2004 to William Stephenson, President of Virginia Tile of Farmington, Illinois (pictured). The company, founded in 1928 in Michigan, now has seven brand showrooms in three states and distributes its products via thousands of retailers, all supplied by a 18,600 square metre warehouse.

Spectrum1.jpgSpectrum Award 2004Spectrum Award 2004

“The Harper Pool,” a swimming pool in a private residence at Daytona Beach, Florida.
Created by Dosha Porta from Michelle Griffoul Studios.

The swimming pool, the exterior and interior pool area and the steps all underwent refurbishment, while the thermal baths and the waterfall were built from scratch.
The aim of the project was to create a swimming pool and thermal baths area that would be eye-catching and fun.

The high-thickness channel piece was specially designed for the pool edge and was glazed in four colours to create a sense of continuity and movement.
The decoration is provided by ceramic pieces depicting fish, crabs, shells, octopuses and other marine life , as well as a mermaid almost two metres in length fixed to the swimming pool walls and steps. The coral-coloured glaze was also specially designed for this project. All the tiles were fixed to the concrete pool using a thin layer of mortar prior to application of the plaster.

prisme1.jpgPrism Stone Awards 2004Prism Stone Awards 2004

Winning project: Masonry Variations, natural stone facade installed at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
Designer: Studio Gang Architects LTD

The “Masonry Variations” natural stone façade project initially began as a search for technologies and tools for cutting stone into thin sheets. The ultimate aim of the project was to create a structure that would explore the possibilities of using stone in the architecture of the future.

The result was a suspended marble facade weighing more than 680 kg. What began as an effort to create something lightweight for a building with ground loading limitations was transformed into a translucent marble façade consisting of 619 interlocking pieces. It is a kind of jigsaw puzzle suspended from the museum’s vault ceiling.

The members of the design team for the “Masonry Variations” stone facade are the architect/artisan team of Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang Architects and Matthew Stokes Redabaugh, International Masonry Institute; Peter Heppel and Associates, consultants for structural design; and Thorton-Thomasetti Group, engineers.

tschumi.jpgCeramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition Award 2004Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition Award 2004

‘Institutional Architecture’ award : Architecture School at the Florida International University in Miami
The Bernard Tschumi firm

‘Commercial Architecture’ prize: Clearwater Center built by Sahara Construction in Bountiful (Utah).
David Paul Brems from Gillies Stransky Brems Smith Pc