FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Sarah Corey
Email: scorey@icestoneusa.com
Phone: (718) 510-992
Washington, D.C.- October 28, 2010The architectural firm Davis Brody Bond Aedas will be honored this November for their award-winning design of the Benning Neighborhood Library. The library, located in the Benning neighborhood of Washington, D.C., was chosen as the grand prize project in the IceStone Installation Competition, an annual contest recognizing commercial and municipal projects that embody the company’s mission and design.
IceStone competition finalists included installations at FTI Consulting (IL), Jackson’s Oven & Bar (CA), El Museo del Barrio (NY), the National Great Rivers Research Center (IL), and a corporate office in New York City. The competition’s judges, including sustainability icons Eric Corey Freed and Sven Lindblad, selected these installations for their total composition, including use of green materials other than IceStone. Benning Neighborhood Library, featuring IceStone color Denim Moss, was a clear winner despite the competition.
“The use of IceStone at the Benning Library not only provides an attractive finish material but also allows the building users to touch and discover some of the building’s many environmentally friendly features,” notes Cody McNeal, one of the project’s team members.
“The best green buildings do more than just quietly save water, energy and resources,” said Rick Fedrizzi, who served on the judging panel for the Icestone Installation Competition and is president, CEO and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The best green buildings speak volumes, sharing their message with all who visit and leaving their occupants inspired. The best green buildings are teaching tools. Not only will visitors to Benning Branch Library benefit physically from the VOC-free materials used; they’ll also be able to witness the environmental and health benefits of a green building in action. Where better to learn that critical lesson than a library – the very symbol of our commitment to learning?”
While Davis Brody Bond Aedas was responsible for the project design, IceStone also recognized Maria Midani and the Georgetown Design group for managing the fabrication and installation of IceStone at Benning. Norwood Marble & Granite, the exclusive distributor of IceStone durable surfaces in the D.C. area, provided the sustainable durable surfaces.
Benning was the first new public library built in Washington DC in 20 years, and is expected to receive LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its energy efficient and sustainable elements. These include a vegetative green roof, solar control and daylight management systems, and a displacement air system. IceStone durable surfaces also contribute to Benning’s pursuit of LEED certification.
About IceStone
IceStone® durable surfaces are made from 100% recycled glass and concrete, and do not contain any resins or petrochemical binders. Each slab is produced in Brooklyn, New York.
About Davis Brody Bond Aedas
Davis Brody Bond Aedas is among the nation’s leading architectural design firms. Known for innovative solutions to complex design challenges, the firm’s work encompasses university facilities, housing, corporate offices, industrial and institutional buildings. DBBA has been honored with more than 100 major design awards including the American Institute of Architects Firm Award, the highest honor given to an architectural practice as well as the 2000 Presidential Design Award for Excellence.