Once again, the German Natural Stone Award — one of the most important and respected architectural awards in Germany — will be presented at the show. This marks the 17th occasion that this award will recognize high-quality architectural design and contemporary implementation of sustainable projects using natural stone. The German Natural Stone Award is traditionally presented as part of Stone+tec Nürnberg. In the coming year, the award presentation will mark the conclusion of the architectural seminar organized by the German Natural Stone Association. Held on the day before the trade fair, the seminar will focus on professional building techniques with natural stone. A lecture by renowned Munich architect Christoph Sattler will be a special highlight of the seminar.
The German Natural Stone Award underscores and pays tribute to the significance of natural stone in contemporary architecture. The award is presented every two years by the German Natural Stone Association (Deutscher Naturwerkstein-Verband, DNV) in cooperation with the Association of German Architects (Bund Deutscher Architekten, BDA). The objective of the competition is to highlight natural stone as an extraordinary example of a durable and sustainable building material, which, due to its natural characteristics, can be used in conjunction with other materials for user-oriented, innovative, and high-quality construction and design. The jury focuses on criteria such as material-specific processing methods, architectural and urban construction quality, aesthetic impact and functional flexibility of use. The nomination takes place in four categories and all the projects nominated for the award will be on exhibit as part of the architectural seminar on May 12, 2015, as well as in the Stone+tec trade fair halls. Detailed information in the form of competition documents are available for download at: www.deutscher-natursteinpreis.de.
On the day before the trade fair, the Association of German Architects invites the public to an exchange of technical information about building with natural stone. The lecture program for the architectural seminar highlights the expert use of natural stone in facades and as a flooring material as well as the history and characteristics of German natural stone. As a special highlight of the seminar, Munich architect Christoph Sattler examines the use of natural stone in architecture from cultural and sustainable perspectives. Sattler is considered to be one of the most important contemporary architects in Germany. In 1991, he and his partner Heinz Hilmer won the idea competition involving Potsdamer Platz/Leipziger Platz in Berlin, which gave them the opportunity to rebuild an entire city district in the heart of a world-class city. His most famous works in the capital city of Berlin include the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Gemäldegalerie at the Kulturforum, and the Potsdamer Platz train station.
“We are delighted that we were able to obtain Christoph Sattler, one of Germany’s star architects, as a speaker for our architectural seminar,” said Reiner Krug, Managing Director of the German Natural Stone Association (Deutscher Naturwerkstein-Verband, DNV). “His projects express a tremendous appreciation for natural stone as a building material and demonstrate once again that natural stone is ideally suited for all areas of modern architecture.” DNV has organized guided tours of the trade fair which will focus specifically on architecture-related topics. Additional information about the seminar and the tours is available on the DNV website: www.natursteinverband.de
With a special show at Stone+tec 2015, the German Natural Stone Association and the German Stonemasonry Association (Bundesverband Deutscher Steinmetze, BIV) want to shine a spotlight on the performance of German companies specializing in natural stone processing. Under the title “Made in Germany,” they are inviting German natural stone producers and stonemasons to exhibit special workpieces — preferably made using local natural stone — in a special exhibition space. Whether sculptures, furniture, facade details or kitchen units – what they are looking for are exhibits whose exclusivity and elegance express the creative features and diversity of natural stone as a material. Tender-related details and application documents for participating in the special show are available online at:
