Nineteen Projects Honored with Pinnacle Awards of Excellence
Oberlin, OH, February 7, 2024—The winners of the 2023 Pinnacle Awards were celebrated during the Natural Stone Institute Awards Ceremony at StonExpo in Las Vegas. Nineteen projects were honored with Pinnacle Awards of Excellence. The 2023 Grande Pinnacle Award was presented to Polycor for their work on the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations in New York City.
In 2014, having outgrown their two-story office space, the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations opted to design their new home around the essence of Middle Eastern culture: hospitality and the convening of friends and strangers. Each floor is inspired by traditional courtyards; the key component is a central reception area and gathering space.
Upon entering the building, visitors first experience the main courtyard. Forty feet high and entirely clad in floor to ceiling darkly veined limestone, its primary focal point is a monumental zigzag staircase that rises out of the back of the double-height entry hall.
The pronounced nature of the stone’s veining required the alignment of the panels to be carried out with surgical precision. To achieve this level of meticulousness, the entire fabrication process, from the extraction of the stone, the selection of blocks, slabbing, cut-to-size, packing, shipping, to installation, required the highest degree of coordination. Every piece needed to be cut from the same exact location in successive slabs to ensure that the veins matched perfectly and that the subtle variations of shades remained consistent throughout the lobby.
The nature of the quarry deposit, with its perfectly flat beds, made it possible to carry out this razor-thin level of precision. Before packing and shipping, the project was entirely dry laid so each piece could be numbered, and crates sequenced in order of installation. By assisting the architects early in the design process with samples, product data, successful bidding, and being awarded the project, Polycor could not be prouder of their contribution to this masterpiece of architectural diplomacy.
Grande Pinnacle
Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations
New York, New York
Polycor
Quebec City, QC Canada
Commercial Exterior
95 State at City Creek
Salt Lake City, Utah
IMS Masonry, Inc.
Lindon, Utah
Taylorsville Temple
Taylorsville, Utah
KEPCO+
Salt Lake City, Utah
Ghirardi Stone Contractors
Carpendolo, Italy
D.L. Engineering
Richmond Hill, ON Canada
PICCO Group
Concord, ON Canada
Commercial Interior
2100 Penn
Washington, DC
Lorton Stone, LLC
Springfield, Virginia
Texas Tower
Houston, Texas
Camarata Masonry Systems
Houston, Texas
Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations
New York, New York
Polycor
Quebec City, QC Canada
Kitchen/Bath
Boyce Master Bath
Huntsville, Alabama
Ceramic Harmony
Huntsville, Alabama
Super White Dolomite Kitchen
Dover, Massachusetts
Pedrakut
Natick, Massachusetts
Public Landscapes/Parks/Memorials
Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance
Washington, DC
Lorton Stone, LLC
Springfield, Virginia
Our Lady of the Lakes World Peace Plaza
Notre Dame, Indiana
Murphy Marble Company
Chicago, Illinois
Pillars of the Valley
Saint Louis, Missouri
Coldspring
Cold Spring, Minnesota
Turn to the River
Terre Haute, Indiana
Coldspring
Cold Spring, Minnesota
Renovation/Restoration
Christ the King Chapel-Christendom College
Front Royal, Virginia
Rugo Stone
Lorton, Virginia
Missouri State Capitol Building Restoration
Jefferson City, Missouri
Bulley & Andrews Masonry Restoration
Chicago, Illinois
Phenix Marble Company
Springfield, Missouri
Gary Galassi Stone & Steel
Romeoville, Illinois
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
Northbrook, Illinois
Russell Senate Office Building Exterior Envelope Repair & Restoration
Washington, DC
Lorton Stone, LLC
Springfield, Virginia
Saint Dominic Parish
Brick Township, New Jersey
Rugo Stone
Lorton, Virginia
United States Capitol South Exterior Stone Restoration
Washington, DC
Lorton Stone, LLC
Springfield, Virginia
Residential-Single Family
Colorado Residence
Aspen, Colorado
Gallegos Corporation
Vail, Colorado
The Sequoia
Lakeville, Minnesota
Stonwerk Inc.
Watertown, Minnesota
South Louisiana Estate
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Triton Stone Group of New Orleans
Harahan, Louisiana
The 2023 Pinnacle Awards are sponsored by Marmomac (Grande Pinnacle Award), Cactus Stone & Tile, Coldspring, GMR Quality Stone Products, GranQuartz, MSI, and Triton Stone Group. To learn more about each project, visit naturalstoneinstitute.org/pinnaclewinners.
About the Natural Stone Institute
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best practices and uses of natural stone. Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.
