Durability + Design (D+D) magazine announced the winners of its inaugural Elevation Awards competition on Thursday, September 14, at the CONSTRUCT 2017 event in Providence, Rhode Island.

The awards were designed to honor architects, interior designers, painting contractors, decorative artisans, manufacturers, and suppliers for outstanding projects completed between January 1, 2016, and March 1, 2017.

Seven projects were awarded in various technical and aesthetic categories, while one project was honored with a Judges’ Choice award for best demonstrating both compelling aesthetics and high performance through the use of coatings and other substrate treatments.

To evaluate the projects, D+D enlisted a panel of 12 industry experts representing the fields of color, design, specifications, renovation, and building envelope technology.

Technical Categories

The program’s technical categories included areas in which the selection and installation of coatings improved the appeal of a structure while also adding functional value, such as durability, energy performance, life extension, and maintainability.

The panel of judges included Joseph Berchenko, director of MasterSpec specifications at ARCOM; Ryan Dalgleish, chief operating officer for the Air Barrier Association of America; Andre Desjarlais, program manager for the building envelope systems research program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Steven Reinstadtler, market manager for construction coatings, adhesives, and sealants at Covestro; and Kenneth A. Trimber, president at KTA-Tator Inc.

Award-winning projects were:

·         Lef Farms Greenhouse Floor, in the renovation and retrofit category;

·         Peter Sutherland Sr. Generating Station, in the floor coatings and treatments category;

·         Ford Field, in the roof coatings category; and

·         Radius at The Banks, in the air barrier and moisture management category.

Aesthetic Categories

Meanwhile, criteria for the aesthetics group awards included the use of coatings to achieve appealing decorative treatments, integration with the environment, delivering high-impact design, or otherwise enhancing or complementing the structure's purpose.

The projects were evaluated by a judging panel comprised of Bernard Gunar Gruenke, president of Conrad Schmitt Studios Inc.; Frank Lewis, vice president of Sundek Products Inc.; Elizabeth Moss, LEED accredited professional (AP) and historic preservation specialist at Leslie E. Robertson Associates; Jill Pilaroscia, architectural and product color consultation at Colour Studio Inc.; Billy Rosbottom, creative director at Sto Corp.; Todd A. Scharich, decorative concrete specialist with the American Society of Concrete Contractors; and Jeff Theo, vice president of business development at Vulcan Painters Inc.

Award winners were:

·         Flows Two Ways – NYC 57 West Installation, in the distinguished residential exteriors category;

·         San Francisco Transbay Transit Center, in the public buildings category; and

·         Golden 1 Center, in the commercial exteriors category.

Judges’ Choice Award

Located in Sacramento, California, the Golden 1 Center was also honored with the inaugural Judges’ Choice award. The $556-million building is 100 percent solar-powered and uses 45 percent less water and 30 percent less energy than required under California regulations, according to the D+D panel.

Known as the greenest arena in the country, Valdez Painting Inc. and R&B Protective Coatings worked with Tnemec Co. Inc. and general contractor Turner Construction on the coating process.

“It’s a stunning building,” Gruenke said, according to the D+D recap. “The Golden 1 Center combines responsible environmental design with a high-quality aesthetic. Attention to detail includes clean lines and classic colors, meeting the high standard of quality for this award.”

For more information, contact: D+D, (800) 837-8303, www.durabilityanddesign.com