Orlando-- Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics) and the Italian Trade Agency recently announced the winners of the 2019 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition. After much deliberation, an international jury of design experts selected eight projects that demonstrate creative use of Italian ceramic and porcelain tile by North America-based architecture and design firms and students. With a record number of high-quality submissions in three built categories – residential, commercial, institutional – and one student category, the jury faced the difficult task of choosing the top designs. Among steep competition, the jury ultimately selected five winners and three honorable mentions.

As the longest-running awards program of its kind, the Tile Competition has attracted submissions from some of the world’s most prestigious design firms for over 26 years. The prize package for built project winners includes $3,000 cash and an expenses-paid CEU-accredited trip to Bologna, Italy to attend Cersaie with a VIP delegation of North American specifiers and journalists. Contractor and distributor teams involved with each winning project will also be awarded a cash prize for their valued contribution.

COMMERCIAL WINNER
Firm: tvsdesign
Project: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Tiles: La Faenza; Casalgrande Padana; Marca Corona; Coem; Tagina
Distributor: Ceramic Technics; Walker Zanger; Associated Imports
Contractor: Spectra Flooring

With a goal to re-invent the guest experience and create a progressive, contemporary sporting environment, Mercedes-Benz called on tvsdesign to build an iconic sports stadium. The firm designed 100,000 square feet of space and specified high-performance Italian tile collections for the floors and walls throughout the building. Marca Corona’s Deluxe collection covers the floors in the Suntrust Club Exhibition Kitchen, while La Faenza’s Neoclassica tiles create a bold statement wall. Floors throughout the building are outfitted with Casalgrande Padana tiles from the Basaltina, Pietra di Sardegna and Metallica collections, and the Mercedes-Benz Club features Marca Corona’s Work floor tiles. Tagina’s DeTails collection adds a decorative element to the Delta Sky 360 club, and Coem’s Sequoie wood-look tiles are featured in the AMG Lounge. 

COMMERCIAL HONORABLE MENTION
Firm: Dubbeldam Architecture + Design; Jill Greaves Design; Dialogue 38
Project: Walper Hotel
Location: Kitchener, Canada
Tiles: Casalgrande Padana; Edimax Astor; Atlas Concorde
Distributor: Stone Tile International
Contractor: Trisect Construction Corporation

Since 1893, the Walper Hotel has played a pivotal role in Kitchener’s social and cultural scene. Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, Jill Greaves Design and Dialogue 38 set out to transform the Walper Hotel into a modern boutique hotel while preserving its historical details. The scale and nature of the project required high quality, resilient and uniform finishes, so Italian tile was chosen to provide a durable yet beautiful flooring solution in high traffic areas throughout the hotel. Dialogue 38 redesigned the hotel lobby using Atlas Concorde’s Marvel PRO mosaic decor. DA+D and Jill Greaves Design collaborated on a full refurbishment of the guest floors, introducing Edimax Astor’s Marmocer mosaics on the bathroom and shower floors, and Casalgrande Padana’s white Architecture tiles on the walls. 

RESIDENTIAL WINNER
Firm: SWA Architecture
Project: 132-136 West Houston St.
Location: New York, N.Y.
Tile Manufacturer: Florim
Distributor: Porcelain Source
Contractor: Ideal Tile of Brooklyn

SWA Architecture completed this eight story mixed-use residential building with six apartments in the heart of Soho. Furnished nearly floor to ceiling in Florim, this project demonstrates the true versatility of Italian tile. The building’s façade matches the neighborhood’s eclectic style, with ventilated porcelain slabs from Florim’s Matrice and B&W collections. Inside the lobby, Florim’s I Classici marble-look tiles cover the walkways. This collection is also featured on the floors and walls in the apartment bathrooms and showers. Florim’s Wooden Tile gives the impression of natural hardwood flooring, carried throughout the kitchens, bedrooms, halls and living spaces. Finally, the terraces are outfitted with Florim’s Industrial porcelain pavers for a durable outdoor flooring solution. 

RESIDENTIAL WINNER
Firm: DI Group, INC.
Project: Valley Vista
Location: Encino, Calif.
Tiles: Supergres; Refin
Distributor: DI Group, INC.

DI Group, INC. was challenged with designing a residence that merged luxury and practicality in the affluent San Fernando Valley region. Dubbed Valley Vista, the home is illuminated by natural light, calling attention to the large open spaces covered in Italian tile. The bathrooms are clad almost entirely in tiles from Supergres’ Art collection and Ceramiche Refin’s Graffiti, Design Industry, Arte Pura and Plant collections, resulting in a consistent design aesthetic throughout the entire house. The kitchen, dining room, foyer and living room maintain this industrial-chic aesthetic with Ceramiche Refin’s Wide floor tiles. Supergres’s Travel and Stoneworks collections complete the design, serving as ventilated façades on the home’s exterior. 

RESIDENTIAL HONORABLE MENTION
Firm: Ajay Manthripragada 
Project: Page House
Location: Berkeley, Calif.
Tile Manufacturer: Nuovocorso
Distributor: Import Tile
Contractor: Heritage Marble and Tile

Ajay Manthripragada designed this modern cube-shaped residence in a mixed-use, industrial neighborhood in Berkeley, California. While the Page House is relatively small in footprint, measuring just 150 square meters, it is designed with maximum efficiency, taking full advantage of the outdoors as an extension of the living area. The exterior façade is a striking achievement, with seven stacked tiles from Nuovocorso’s Inimitabile collection covering three inhabitable levels: the ground floor, upper level and rooftop deck. The exterior tiles also absorb and retain heat energy for the house. The floors and walls in the  interior bathroom are clad in Nuovocorso’s Inimitabile tiles in a smaller format, beautifully tying the design together with the home’s exterior. 

INSTITUTIONAL WINNER
Firm: Snøhetta
Project: Central Public Library
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada
Tile: Casalgrande Padana
Distributor: Pro Tile Distributors
Contractor: Tate Raised Floor Inc. 

Providing 240,000 sq. ft. of functional, flexible and beautifully-designed space, Snøhetta designed the Central Public Library for the Calgary community. As home to a physical collection of 450,000 books, more than 30 free community meeting areas, a performance hall, café, outdoor plazas and more, the Central Public Library required specific color, texture and exacting manufacturing standards for interior surfaces. Casalgrande Padana’s Cemento tiles met and exceeded all requirements for this project, adding a beautiful, minimalistic design for the floors throughout the building. 

INSTITUTIONAL HONORABLE MENTION
Firm: RDG Planning & Design
Project: Wake Forest University - Reynolds Gymnasium
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Tile: Ceramiche Caesar
Distributor: Virginia Tile
Contractor: Shields, Inc.

RDG Planning & Design transformed the 60-year-old Reynold’s gymnasium at Wake Forest University into a new building with expanded and renovated facilities for Student Recreation and Wellness, Student Health Services, and Women’s Volleyball. Ceramiche Caesar’s Verse tiles were a major design element, offering several color, size and décor options for a dynamic design, as well as incredible durability in high-traffic areas.

STUDENT WINNER
Entrant: Aylin Askarihosseini
University: Visual College of Art and Design (VCAD)
Declared Major: Interior Design 
Project: The Sweet Pastel Caffe
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Tiles: Marca Corona; Ermes-Aurelia; Abitare La Ceramica

The Sweet Pastel Caffe is a warm, colorful spot in the heart of rainy Vancouver, utilizing ceramic tiles with bold colors and varied designs to achieve the student’s inspired vision. Aylin Askarihosseini of VCAD specified Marca Corona’s Bold tiles in yellow, Ermes-Aurelia’s cement-look Soho tiles, and Abitare La Ceramica’s Novecento patchwork tiles for this vibrant cafe.

For more information, visit www.ceramica.info.