The Pinnacle Awards honor projects that demonstrate exceptional beauty, creativity, ingenuity and craftsmanship in the use of granite, marble, travertine, limestone and other natural stones. The competition is open to MIA members around the world.
The winners were announced at the MIA’s Annual Awards Luncheon in Las Vegas on November 10, 2006, during StonExpo.
Eligibility
The Pinnacle Awards are open to all MIA member companies. Project teams must include at least one MIA member company. Projects submitted must comply with MIA standards as defined in MIA’s Dimension Stone Design Manual.Criteria
An independent panel of judges appointed by the MIA Board of Directors evaluated entries based on excellence in design and implementation, quality, workmanship and suitability of materials.Judges
Mark D. Rohde, AIA, Rohde May Keller McNamara Architecture, P.C., Albuquerque, NMMark D. Rohde is a founding principal of Rohde May Keller McNamara Architecture (RMKM) and has specialized in the design and planning of award-winning, high-profile public architecture for over a quarter of a century. Known for his “hands-on” approach to programming and planning, Rohde has focused on museums, libraries, educational facilities and health care buildings. A graduate of the University of New Mexico, with a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Rohde currently is in the design development stage for a new 200,000-square-foot cancer treatment center for the University of New Mexico.
Jon Anderson, Architect, Albuquerque, NM
Since opening his own design studio in 1991, Jon Anderson has received 18 local and regional awards from the American Institute of Architects, and his work has been featured internationally in books and periodicals. A graduate of the University of New Mexico, Anderson has 33 years of diverse local and national architectural experience, including 12 years with Antoine Predock Architect. Anderson recently completed the new Mini Cooper Dealership in Albuquerque and is currently working on the new University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning in association with Antoine Predock Architect.
Scott Lardner, President, Rocky Mountain Stone Co., Albuquerque, NM
CEO of one of the country’s most successful regional natural stone companies, Scott Lardner is immediate past president of the Marble Institute of America. In a career that started in 1983, the New Mexico State University graduate has worked in every aspect of the industry, including fabricator, sawyer, installer, sales, marketing and administration. Rocky Mountain Stone and its sister company, New Mexico Travertine of Belen, NM, are owned by five Lardner brothers.
Chuck Muehlbauer, Technical Director, Marble Institute of America
Previously the technical advisor to the Building Products Division at Cold Spring Granite Co., Muehlbauer is an expert in the quarrying, fabrication, anchorage, installation and maintenance of natural stone products. He has written and edited several papers published by the American Society of Civil Engineers and ASTM.
Commercial Interior Award of Excellence
Project Name:Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, GAMIA Member Company:Dan J. Sheehan Co., Inc., Savannah, GA, Stone Fabricator and Installer
Project Description:
The Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah brings a contemporary influence gracefully into the “oldest art museum in the south.” The Telfair’s addition of a 64,000-square-foot modern stone structure was designed by Moshe Safdie and Associates of Sommerville, MA, to complement its original (circa 1819) stone mansion and surrounding 18th and 19th century buildings. Moshe Safdie and Associates blended modern geometry with the color palette of Savannah by using the same Golden Beach limestone to flow through both interior and exterior.
Architect of Record:Hansen Architects
Stone Consultant:Jeffrey Matthews, Trade International (MIA Member)
General Contractor:Rives E. Worrell Co.
Stone Supplier and Fabricator:Henraux S.p.A.
Design Architect:Moshe Safdie and Associates
Judges’ Comments:
“Impressive scale for an interior space. Beautiful monolithic limestone. Excellent design - detailing execution. Very clean, open, airy design.”
Commercial Interior Award of Merit
Project Name:Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MDMIA Member Company:Rugo Stone, LLC, Lorton, VA, Stone Installer
Project Description:
The Levy Center is a new Jewish Chapel located at the U.S. Naval Academy. The architects were commissioned to design a small but heavily detailed religious space that provides a direct link to the Hebrew homeland of Israel. There was little hesitation by the designers in determining that the most appropriate material for the link was natural stone, and specifically that of which most of Israel is built, Jerusalem Stone. To strongly emphasize the link to Jerusalem, the design team provided as the primary focus of the project a 1500-square-foot, scaled-down replica of the Western (Wailing) Wall.
Architect:Boggs and Partners
Contractor:Whiting-Turner
Stone Supplier:Jerusalem Gardens
Judges’ Comments:
“Brilliant use of multiple finishes in the Jerusalem Stone. Traditional feel rendered in contemporary materials. Nicely detailed and executed. This space looks sacred. Excellent palate of stone, wood, glass and steel. Beautiful stone textures.”
Commercial Exterior Award of Excellence
Project Name:The Getty Villa, Malibu, CAMIA Member Companies:Carnevale & Lohr, Bell Gardens, CA, Stone Installer; David Carnevale, Project Manager
Project Description:
The Getty Villa renovation in Malibu was completed in January 2006. It was a complex project which included two distinct subprojects: the first being the complete renovation of the Getty Museum built in 1972, and the second being new construction of additional buildings directly adjacent to and surrounding the original museum. Stones used in this project came from Italy, Spain, Turkey, China, Greece and the U.S. They were specifically selected by the architect for their color and ability to support the design intent of the villa itself. Many trips were made overseas to the quarries to select exact blocks and oversee production of finished materials. In all, about 35 containers of stone were brought in for the project.
Architect:Machado & Silvetti Associates
General Contractor:Morley Construction Co.
Stone Sourcing Consultant:Jeffrey Matthews, Trade International (MIA Member)
Judges’ Comments:
“Clearly a masterpiece of stone usage. Unique design elements impeccably conceived. Unexpected patterns and rich combination of a variety of stonework. Contemporary yet timeless. The epitome of creative stonework.”
Commercial Exterior Award of Merit
Project Name:Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, GAMIA Member Company:Dan J. Sheehan Co., Inc., Savannah, GA, Stone Fabricator and Installer
Project Description:
The Award of Merit for Commercial Exterior presented to Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts was a second for the project, (it also earned an Award of Excellence for the Commercial Interior). The concave, convex and conical stone walls flow continuously between interior and exterior and elegantly protrude through glass ceilings, blurring the line between interior and exterior and opening the museum to natural light makes the structures accessibility astounding. The Telfair Museum’s guests can view the historic city from nearly every angle. The magnificent three-level stone grand staircase is the most visible feature from the outside and truly opens the center to Savannah’s most stunning views.
Design Architect:Moshe Safdie and Associates
Architect of Record:Hansen Architects
General Contractor:Rives E. Worrell Co.
Stone Supplier and Fabricator:Henraux S.p.A.
Stone Consultant:Jeffrey Matthews, Trade International (MIA Member)
Judges’ Comments:
“Clean, sophisticated and very elegant. Great use of stone and glass. Impressive scope of stone cladding. Beautifully monolithic limestone, continuity from exterior to interior that can only be accomplished with stone.”
Commercial Exterior Award of Merit
Project Name:Divinity School Addition, Duke University, Durham, NCMIA Member Company:Rugo Stone, LLC, Lorton, VA, Stone Supplier and Installer
Project Description:
The Duke Divinity School Addition reflects an age of skilled stone carvers of native materials, just like the buildings to which it is so sensitive in architectural design. Located between the lower court adjacent to the 1926 Duke Chapel and the 1970 “new Divinity Wing,” the 45,400-square-foot addition seamlessly completes the cloister that is formed by the Duke Chapel and the open loggia that links it to the original divinity building. The Chapel is Collegiate Gothic in style and largely constructed of Duke Stone ashlar cladding with heavily articulated Indiana limestone exterior trim elements. The 12 delicate arches, decorative bands, carved wall copings and the 12 historically accurate ornamental finials were created by master carvers in the same Rustic Buff Indiana limestone as the original buildings.
Architect:Hartman-Cox Architects
General Contractor:Skanska, USA
Indiana Limestone Supplier and Fabricator:Bybee Stone Co.
Stone Supplier for Duke Stone:Duke University
Pietra Serena Interior Flooring:Prostone S.R.L.
Judges’ Comments:
“The best in historicism. It takes courage to attempt replication of existing architecture of this nature. The goal was tastefully achieved in this instance. Beautifully recreates yesteryear building technology. Very impressive historical replication. Unsurpassed craftsmanship.”
Restoration Award of Excellence
Project Name:Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, Potomac Falls, VAMIA Member Company:Rugo Stone, LLC, Lorton, VA, Stone Fabricator and Stone Installer
Project Description:
In submitting this entry, Brett Rugo of Rugo Stone called it “a project that makes you feel like this is what being a natural stone contractor is all about. It is a labor of love with appreciation for the craftsmen of the past and present.” Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church is a new Catholic Church, but contains several statues, a very old and ornate altar and other artifacts collected from sanctuaries from as far away as Philadelphia and San Francisco. The task at Rugo Stone was to inspect loosely crated pieces of stone and statues, many of which were covered with 80 years of grime, and then restore them as well as re-carve various pieces - without the benefit of scale drawings, and only a few photographs.
Architect:Kerns Group Architects
General Contractor:Scott Long Contracting
Stone Supplier and Stone Fabricator:Prostone S.R.L.
Judges’ Comments:
“Impressive Old World craftsmanship with attention to historic continuity. Outstanding attention to detail. Well-crafted, thoughtful execution. Professionally done. Technically good.”
Residential Kitchen and Bath Award of Merit
Project Name:Grossman Residence, Boca Raton, FLMIA Member Company:Millennium Marble and Tile, Pembroke, FL, Stone Installer
Project Description:
The challenges in developing this beautiful kitchen were two-fold. The owners selected curved cabinets and five slabs of Juparana Mahogany from USA Granite, which featured a wavy pattern. After the job was templated, the major issue was incorporating the motion of the granite with the motion of the curved cabinets so there was a dual feeling of movement. Millennium Marble and Tile also installed stone floors throughout the house.
Stone Supplier:USA Granite
Judges’ Comments:
“Well executed, nice relationship of curved cabinetry, countertops and natural swirl pattern of stone. Technically challenging design. Good execution. Subtle simple exercise in scale and proportion. Clean design. Interesting use of curves.”
Residential Kitchen and Bath Award of Merit
Project Name:Kips Bay Show House, New York, NYMIA Member Company:Walker Zanger, Sylmar, CA, General Contractor and Stone Supplier
Project Description:
The Kips Bay Show House is a major fundraiser for the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club. The house highlights the best the nation has to offer in interior design. Many challenges had to be overcome in order to make the show house a success. From the delivery of supplies to the official grand opening, Walker Zanger had three weeks to make the bathroom completely functional and presentable. All the materials used in the bathroom design had to be fabricated onsite to fit the bathroom. Walker Zanger was the corporate sponsor for the project, supplied all of the stone and tile materials and vanity for the bathroom and was a strategic partner in implementing a seamless design between the master bedroom and bathroom.
Stone Fabricator and Installer:Lido Stoneworks
General Contractor and Designer:Larry Laslo Designs
Judges’ Comments:
“Unusual application of marble pattern. Nice use of material. Different and unusual module. Very clean blend of monochromatic elements in Calacatta marble. Great use of ‘classic’ marble.”
