by Jonathan McGaha | July 21, 2014 12:00 am
A filling station replica designed by renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, a 250-year-old windmill relocated from the Netherlands and the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral are among this year’s top building projects receiving a North American Copper in Architecture Award (NACIA).
A mix of 14 new and recently restored buildings in the U.S. that utilize architectural copper and copper alloys in their design are being recognized by the copper industry. The
2014 NACIA award recipients include a government statehouse, museum, two transit hubs, a historic theatre building, and many more.
“Based on the projects being awarded this year, we can see that copper continues to play an integral role in architectural and building design,” said Andy Kireta Jr., vice president for the Copper Development Association (CDA). “Each year, the selection process becomes more difficult by the size and scope of the projects. Copper is being used in a variety of different applications for both new construction and restoration work, helping architects and developers add to a building’s longevity while preserving its past.”
The St. Patrick’s Cathedral, located in the heart of New York City and listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, is visited by more than 5 million people each year. In 2013, the 136-year-old Neo-Gothic style Roman Catholic cathedral underwent a massive restoration project, which included upgrading the cast bronze double-leaf doors and several copper architectural structures inside the cathedral.
Copper was also used to restore and preserve the 125-foot tall DeZwaan Windmill, which was built in the Netherlands in 1761 and later reassembled in Holland, Mich., in 1964. Nearly 5,000 pounds of copper, all individually cut and hemmed from 20-ounce sheet copper, was used to shingle the windmill’s mill cap and flash the tower. It is the oldest and only authentic-working Dutch windmill in North America.
Following Frank Lloyd Wright’s sketches from the 1920s, copper was used extensively to bring to life the architect’s vision for a filling station. Copper was used for the standing seam roof, as well as for the twin totems, columns, cantilevered canopies and hanging gravity gas pumps. The filling station is on display at the Pierce-Arrow Buffalo Transportation Museum in upstate New York.
The NACIA awards program was established in 2008 and promotes projects that display innovation and excellence in architectural copper applications. The awards showcase a wide range of design, detail and craftsmanship. Sponsored by industry representatives at the Copper Development Association (CDA) and the Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association (CCBDA), projects are selected across three different categories: New Construction, Renovation/Restoration and Ornamental Applications. This year’s recipients include:
Coastal Cohousing Community, Coastal Maine
Application: Roofing, exterior ornamental
Architect: Richard Renner | Architects
General Contractor: Wright-Ryan Homes
Sheet Metal Contractor: The Heritage Co. LLC
Landscape Architect/Planner: Terrence J. DeWan Associates
Garage, Vashon, Wash.
Application: Wall Cladding
Architect: Graypants
General Contractor: Schuchart/Dow
Structural Engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Civil East | Green Line, St. Paul, Minn.
Application: Roofing, Exterior Ornamental
Sheet Metal Contractor: MG McGrath Inc.
Architect: AECOM
General Contractor: Adolfson & Peterson
John W. Olver Transit Center, Greenfield, Mass.
Application: Wall Cladding
Architect: Charles Rose Architects Inc.
General Contractor: Fontaine Bros. Inc.
Sheet Metal Contractor: Steeltech
Copper Panel Engineer and Fabricator: Zahner
MEP/FP: Arup
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, Natchitoches, La.
Application: Wall Cladding
Architect: Trahan Architects
Copper Panel Manufacturer: A2MG Architectural Metal & Glass Inc.
Copper Panel Installer: F.L. Crane & Sons Inc.
North Dakota Heritage Center, Bismarck, N.D.
Application: Exterior Ornamental, Interior Ornamental
Sheet Metal Contractor: MG McGrath Inc.
Architect: HGA Architects and Engineers
General Contractor: Comstock Construction
6 Harrison St., New York City
Application: Roofing and Exterior Restoration
Sheet Metal Manufacturer: B&B Sheet Metal Inc.
Installer: Skyline Restoration Inc.
Building 52 Clock Tower, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Application: Exterior Ornamental, Roof and Dome Restoration
Consulting Architect: Treanor Architects PA
Architect: GLMV Architecture
Owner: United States Army Garrison, Fort Leavenworth
Sheet Metal Contractor: Renaissance Roofing Inc.
Specialty Fabrication – Crimped Copper: Heather & Little Ltd
General Contractor: Hydro-Tech Inc.
Structural Engineer: Dudley Williams & Associates PA
DeZwaan Windmill Restoration, Holland, Mich.
Application: Mill Cap Restoration
Historic Restoration Contractor: Grand River Builders
General Contractor: Elzinga & Volkers Construction Professionals
Supervising Consultant: Verbij Windmill Design & Construction
St. Patrick’s Cathedral Restoration, New York City
Application: Door restoration, Exterior and Interior Ornamental
Architectural and Bronze Conservators: G & L POPIAN INC
Architect: Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Arch.
General Contractor: Structure Tone Inc.
Owner: Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Tibbits Opera House Facade Restoration, Coldwater, Mich.
Application: Wall Cladding, Exterior Ornamental
Historic Restoration Contractor: Grand River Builders
Architect: Tom Roberts, AIA
General Contractor: Owen Ames Kimball
Owner: Tibbits Opera Foundation & Arts Council Inc.
Kansas Statehouse Copper Dome & Roof Replacement, Topeka, Kan.
Application: Dome and Roof Restoration
Architect: Treanor Architects PA
Owner: State of Kansas
General Contractor: J.E. Dunn Construction Co.
Sheet Metal Contractor- Dome: Baker Roofing Co.
Sheet Metal Contractor- Roof: MG McGrath, Inc.
Specialty Fabrication – Dome: Ornametals, LLC
Frank Lloyd Wright Filling Station, Buffalo, N.Y.
Application: Roofing,Exterior and Interior Ornamental
Sheet Metal Contractor: Grove Roofing Services
Architect: Lauer-Manguso & Associates Architects
General Contractor: R&P Oak Hill Development
Owner: Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum
Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, Bronze Entry Doors, Hubertus, Wis.
Application: Doors,Exterior Ornamental
Architect: Duncan G. Stroik Architect LLC
Architectural/Ornamental Metal Fabricator: Louis Hoffmann Co.
Sculptor: Cody Swanson Sculpture
The building projects were judged by a panel of architectural and copper industry experts. Entries were evaluated based upon overall building design, integration of copper, craft of copper installation and excellence in innovation or historic restoration. To view each project, including photos and profiles, visit the
CDA website.
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