2011 MCAA TEAM Awards Winners
Education: K-12
Kingwood High School
Kingwood, TX
The Kingwood High School is located in Kingwood, Texas and is a Class Five–A comprehensive high school serving approximately 2,700 students in grades 10-12. It underwent a two-year renovation, with most of the project occurring during the school year. Several of the new areas consisted of interior CMU walls and a combination of utility brick and cast stone was used through the new exterior. The project also included fourteen arched cast stone entries that were 25 feet high. The existing primarily masonry high school proves the longevity of masonry and emphasizes that the school could be increased in size and updated without the need of demolishing and replacing.
Mason Contractor
Camarata Masonry Systems, Ltd.
Houston, TX
Architect
SBWV Architects, Inc.
Houston, TX
General Contractor
Vaughn Construction
Houston, TX
Suppliers
Architectural Masonry Products
Houston, TX
Headwaters Construction Materials
Alleyton, TX
Siteworks
Houston, TX
Owner
Humble Independent School District
Humble, TX
Photographer
Richard Payne FAIA Architectural Photographer
Houston, TX
Judge's Comments
The Kingwood High School project was an extreme renovation which included both remodeling and new construction. It included 62,000 concrete masonry units inside and a fancy new exterior using utility brick and cast stone trim. There were many access and service issues throughout the existing school, and more degree of difficulty issues involving the 11,000 cast stone pieces, some weighing 300 pounds with both a chamfered and radius edge. The result was a newer, more modern appearance, and increased occupancy space. Well worth the effort.
Education: College/University
Mitchell Physics Building - Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
The Mitchell Physics Project is two interconnected buildings at the northwestern edge of the Texas A&M campus in College Station, Texas that will be housing the Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy. The six-story, 43,700 square-foot Institute occupies an elliptical building and the five-story, 159,300 square-foot Physics Department is housed in an adjoining L-shaped building with a semicircular main auditorium. The project utilized reinforced CMU, three different brick units (many laid on an ellipse) and architectural precast concrete panels, columns and sunshades.
Mason Contractor
Camarata Masonry Systems, Ltd.
Houston, TX
Architect
Michael Graves & Associates, Inc.
New York, NY
General Contractor
Vaughn Construction
Houston, TX
Suppliers
Architectural Masonry Products
Houston, TX
Headwaters Construction Materials
Alleyton, TX
Siteworks
Houston, TX
Acme Brick Company
Bryan, TX
Owner
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
Photographer
Richard Payne FAIA Architectural Photographer
Houston, TX
Judge's Comments
This category was heavily subscribed and full of outstanding projects making the judging particularly difficult. The Mitchell Physics Building project at Texas A&M was selected for its use of masonry in achieving its eye catching design. The project included concrete masonry units, brick, cast stone, and architectural precast. Basements are somewhat extraordinary in this locale, so it is a bit of a surprise to find one here using some 55,000 CMUs. Three different brick units were used, including many laid on an ellipse. Setting the architectural precast also involved a significant degree of difficulty due to access, hoisting options, and weight issues.
Landscape, Hardscape
Temiz Project
NJ
Various terracing and retaining methods were utilized to create usable spaces on this steeply sloped property. In the front yard, boulder placements with plantings and a grand staircase with pre-cast balustrades and brick walls were needed to reach the front door and create an estate style entry courtyard. In the rear yard, the goal was to allow views of the waterfalls from every vantage point. The pool was designed with two waterfalls; one flowing into the pool and one flowing out. Masses of plantings for color and texture brought an element of excitement and exuberance to this landscape.
Mason Contractor
Cipriano Landscape Design
Ramsey, NJ
Architect
Cipriano Landscape Design
Ramsey, NJ
General Contractor
Cipriano Landscape Design
Ramsey, NJ
Suppliers
Braen Supply
Haskell, NJ
Pasvalco
Closter, NJ
Photographer
Cipriano Landscape Design
Ramsey, NJ
Judge's Comments
"It looks like something God might have done!" The judges were easily influenced by the use of several different types of stone set to mimic natural outcroppings, create steps and terraces, and address an eighty foot elevation change up to the main house. Adding the colorful plantings, pools and waterfalls, made it Picture Perfect.
Rehabilitation, Restoration
Savery Hall - University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Savery Hall (ca. 1920) is among fifteen buildings selected by the University of Washington for restoration. The architect of record, SRG Partnership, teamed with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. for the rehabilitation design and construction administration of the exterior masonry. The Hoffman Construction Company engaged Pioneer Masonry Restoration, Inc. to complete the masonry restoration work. The extensive masonry restoration included removing hazardous paint, installation of new terra cotta units, seismically retrofitting the brick veneer, repair and installation of new sandstone, and repointing and cleaning the building. The interior has been remodeled using several sustainable and energy efficient design strategies.
Mason Contractor
Pioneer Masonry Restoration, Inc.
Seattle, WA
Architect
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
Seattle, WA
General Contractor
Hoffman Construction
Seattle, WA
Suppliers
Mutual Materials Company
Bellevue, WA
Owner
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Photographer
Anita Simon
Seattle, WA
Judge's Comments
Originally built in 1920, Savery Hall at the University of Washington is a great example of how owners always received their moneys worth when they built classic, load bearing masonry buildings. Already ninety years old, the owner now extends the original Savery Hall investment with a major restoration and upgrading that gets it ready for another ninety years. The judges were particularly influenced by the effort spent to save important masonry detailing like grotesques, niches, and ornamental terra cotta. Those latter efforts were particularly tricky.
Industrial, Commercial
Acme Brick Headquarters
Fort Worth, TX
While uniquely designed for current and future needs, it was also Acme's foremost intent to make their new headquarters a showcase for Acme products. The project incorporated brick material types from all of Acme's 21 brick plants, plus materials provided by Acme's sister companies. These included CMU from Featherlite, limestone from Texas Quarries, unit pavers from Pacific Clay, and glass plank flooring system from I.B.P. A tally of masonry at job completion totaled more than 123,000 square feet of brick veneer, limestone, glass plank flooring, site unit pavers, and artist-carved brick feature panels. Masonry erection took 11 months.
Mason Contractor
Dee Brown, Inc.
Garland, TX
Architect
Gideon Toal Architects
Fort Worth, TX
General Contractor
Austin Commercial, LP
Dallas, TX
Suppliers
Acme Brick Company
Fort Worth, TX
Owner
Acme Brick Company
Fort Worth, TX
Photographer
Acme Brick Company / Marketing Photographic Services
Fort Worth, TX
Judge's Comments
"No surprise here!" The Acme Brick Headquarters is built using lots, and lots of BRICK. Kudos to the owner and architect for the way they maintained this smart, simple design, and still found ways to showcase what can be done with brick. The project features a myriad of different coursing, patterns, projections, recesses, sawtooths, soldiers and headers. It is no surprise that 'mason contractor' judges would like this one.
Government, Institutional
Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Houston, TX
Houston's Co-Cathedral serves the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, which numbers in excess of 1.3 million parishioners. Layout is traditional configuration and also includes a 137 foot tall belltower. The building is of modern design, and designed with a 500 year lifespan in mind.
Indiana limestone was the main exterior stone selection, with accents of Calcutta Gold and Fatima Beige. Typical stone was fabricated at 3 inches, and thicker at trims and copings. Anodized aluminum anchors attached typical stone panels, with custom stainless steel anchors used at unique connections.
Erection of exterior stone spanned approximately 9 months, and totaled 99,000 square feet.
Mason Contractor
Dee Brown, Inc.
Garland, TX
Architect
Ziegler-Cooper Architects
Houston, TX
General Contractor
Linbeck Group
Houston, TX
Suppliers
Evans Limestone
Bedford, IL
Stone Panels, Inc.
Coppell, TX
P. Patterson & Associates
Parker, CO
Owner
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Houston, TX
Photographer
Mark Johnson Photography
Houston, TX
Judge's Comments
The Industrial or Commercial Category was also one of the largest and full of excellent projects. Both the number of projects, and their diversity often made it difficult, if not unfair, to compare one against another. But in the end, one project stood tall based on size, scope and the success of the effort. The aim of the owner and architect was to build a Cathedral that would last and serve for five hundred years. This is where masonry really shines! This is why masonry was used. The owner, the architect, and the contractors were successful. The design's vertical straight lines compliment the modern skyline, but major details like the tall free standing bell tower maintain a strong tie to what a World Class Cathedral ought to look like. And we thought that is certainly what this one looks like...a World Class Cathedral.
Block
Dennis F. Michaelis Academic Building - McLennan Community College
Waco, TX
Oversized burnished CMU brings strength, beauty, and elegance to a building where leaders of tomorrow are being educated. As you arrive to the building you stand in awe of its amazing stone and then realize it is not stone at all! Over 19,000 pieces of custom block spread over 103 different shapes and sizes were utilized on this project. This required superior organization, experience, and talented craftsmanship.
Mason Contractor
Brazos Masonry, Inc.
Waco, TX
Architect
RBDR Architects
Waco, TX
General Contractor
Mazanec Construction Company
Waco, TX
Suppliers
Jewell Concrete Products
Waco, TX
Acme Brick Company
Fort Worth, TX
Hohmann & Barnard
Fort Worth, TX
Owner
McLennan Community College
Waco, TX
Photographer
Norma Jean Photography
Axtell, TX
Judge's Comments
The judges were impressed by the use of 103 unique concrete masonry unit shapes in an effort to give the building the appearance of natural cut-stone. These special shaped CMUs allowed for the column, sill, cap, and accent band detailing in the veneer applications.
LEED
AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center
Austin, TX
The AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center serves as the southern gateway to the University of Texas, welcoming executives, alumni, and visitors to campus. This 22,000 square foot facility creates both an education and conference center, as well as a 300 room hotel. The west façade creates an arcade of book-matched limestone for the conference center entrance, while the eastern façade is composed of both limestone and brick for the hotel entrance. A central courtyard, which contains more of the limestone arches, provides connections to the outdoors from both the hotel and conference center. The center also has obtained a LEED Gold Rating.
Mason Contractor
P and S Masonry, Inc.
Hamilton, TX
Architects
Lake Flato
San Antonio, TX
HKS, Inc.
Dallas, TX
General Contractor
Austin Commerical, L.P.
Austin, TX
Suppliers
Elgin-Butler Brick
Austin, TX
Acme Brick Company
Round Rock, TX
San Jacinto Materials
San Antonio, TX
Fritchman & Associates
Fort Worth, TX
Hohmann & Barnard
Fort Worth, TX
TXI Dallas, TX
MPI
Austin, TX
Owner
The University of Texas
Austin, TX
Photographer
Trashman Productions
TX
Judge's Comments
The judges felt all of the projects in this category deserved an award for achieving their LEED Certification. The AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center got the final nod for its use of masonry to achieve a subtle distinction between the conference and hotel sections of the project.
Residential: Single Family
The Oaks Residence
Dallas, TX
This 6-acre estate includes a 29,000 square-foot home of Classic Italian Palladian architectural style, a four-car garage with servant's quarters, pool cabana/pavilion, and hardscape.
Texas Lueders limestone was used for wall panels, window surrounds, balustrades, columns, and cornices. In many locations limestone is load-bearing, and in some instances required setting with a 180 ton crane.
As in old-world construction, limestone was fabricated to plus zero in tolerance for 1/8" lime-mortar joints. "Border stones" were utilized to lock stone façade to CMU backup. The garage and pool cabana were constructed with the same stone cladding system.
Mason Contractor
Dee Brown, Inc.
Garland, TX
Architect
Larry E. Boerder Architects
Dallas, TX
General Contractor
Suppliers
Mezger Enterprises
Lampasas, TX
Bybee Stone Company
Bloomington, IN
Photographer
DVDesign Group, Inc.
Dallas, TX
Judge's Comments
There are not too many single family homes that necessitate more than 2,000 stone fabrication tickets. But then, there are not too many single family homes that can match up to the Oaks residence: 29,000 square feet of Classic Italian Palladian Architecture on a six and one half acre site. And the design and use of masonry continues out to the lot lines. There were a number of excellent single family homes in this category, all with distinctive design and use of masonry. But the Oaks residence is VERY special and in a class by itself.
Residential: Multi-Family
Harvard and Highland
Seattle, WA
Harvard and Highland is a 38-unit, 5-building condominium project located adjacent to Seattle's Historic Harvard Belmont District. The original homes in this area were built by Seattle's leading businessmen of the early years of the twentieth century. The extensive use of masonry to include brick and cast stone elements gives this unique project a traditional, quality aesthetic which allows it to fit perfectly within the surrounding estates. The site plan concept sets the five appropriately-scaled buildings toward the edge of the site, encompassing an internal landscaped courtyard.
Mason Contractor
R&D Masonry, Inc.
Marysville, WA
Architect
Studio Meng Strazzara
Seattle, WA
General Contractor
W.G. Clark Construction
Seattle, WA
Suppliers
Mutual Materials Company
Bellevue, WA
Owner
Admiralty Group, LLC.
Seattle, WA
Photographer
R&D Masonry, Inc.
Marysville, WA
Judge's Comments
There was a successful search for CLASS, when the major design goal for the Harvard and Highland multi-family project needed to blend into an upscale, historic neighborhood of homes. Brick and cast stone were used to build five, warm, low rise buildings, nestled in a gated community. The warm red, brown and tan brick blends were dressed with an extensive use of creamy quoins, copings, sills, and jamb details. The judges thought that the Harvard and Highland project has plenty of CLASS.
