Copper Continues to Shine in Museums, Academic and Government Facilities

North American Copper in Architecture awards recognize innovation and excellence in new and restored residential and commercial buildings

NEW YORK, NY ─ “The Hub of the Universe” can now include North American Copper in Architecture award recipient in its storied resume.

Oliver Wendell Holmes lightheartedly quipped that the Massachusetts State House was “the Hub of the Solar System” because it was once considered the center of everything commercial and intellectual. Defining the Boston skyline for most of the 1800’s with its beauty and size, the state capitol now dons a shiny, new copper roof after a $20 million restoration. The existing copper work dates back to 1802 when the dome was retrofitted by metal fabricator and American Patriot, Paul Revere, whose company later became known as Revere Copper & Brass. Today, more than two centuries later, Greenwood Industries Inc. is being recognized by the copper industry for its impressive copper craftsmanship atop the very same historic landmark building.

Established in 2008, The North American Copper in Architecture (NACIA) awards program aims to identify projects that display innovation and excellence in architectural copper applications. Setting the bar for architects and sheet metal contractors working with copper in the U.S. and Canada, the NACIA program is sponsored by industry representatives at the Copper Development Association (CDA) and the Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association (CCBDA).

The copper industry selected 15 projects in three categories to be honored with a NACIA award this year. The categories include New Construction, Renovation/Restoration and Ornamental Applications.

From Boston to Salt Lake City; Phoenix to Toronto, this year’s outstanding copper building projects shine through in the form of new and restored museums, educational facilities, libraries, a firehouse, an environmental center, and places of worship, just to name a few.

Standouts in architectural design, Renzo Piano and Todd Schliemann, are also acknowledged in this year’s award’s program for their innovative use of copper on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Expansion and the Natural History Museum of Utah, respectively.

This year’s program also saw copper’s prevalence in the academic arena, as five educational institutions received an award. From a college preparatory school in Denver to the first newly constructed university in Ontario in 35 years, copper made the grade at many academic levels.

In the New Construction category, awards went to:

Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Ennead Architects
Architect of Record: GSBS Architects
General Contractor: Big D Construction
Sheet Metal Contractor: Noorda Architectural Metals, Inc.

South Mountain Community Library, Phoenix, AZ
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Richärd+Bauer Architecture, LLC
Owner: Maricopa County Community College District
General Contractor: Haydon Building Corp
Sheet Metal Contractor: Progressive Roofing

University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Diamond Schmitt Architects
Sheet Metal Contractor: Semple Gooder Roofing Corporation
Sheet Metal Contractor: Heather & Little Limited
General Contractors: EllisDon Limited, Inc. / Carillion Canada

Fire Station #30, Seattle, WA
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Schacht Aslani Architects
General Contractor: Synergy Construction, Inc.
Sheet Metal Contractor: Northshore Sheet Metal, Inc.

University of Toronto at Mississauga Campus, Mississauga, Ontario
Application: Exterior and Interior Wall Cladding
Architect: Perkins+Will
General Contractor: Eastern Construction Ltd.
Glazing Contractor: Flynn Canada

Centennial College Library and Academic Facility, Toronto, Ontario
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Diamond Schmitt Architects
Construction Manager: EllisDon Limited, Inc.
Sheet Metal Contractor: The Gage Corporation International

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Sheet Metal Contractor: Gartner Steel and Glass

Ellsworth Center II, Pittsburgh, PA
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Front Studio Architects
Sheet Metal Contractor: ATAS International, Inc.
General Contractor: Morgan Contracting and Construction Consultants, Inc.

Washington County Environmental Center, Woodbury, MN
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Oertel Architects, Ltd.
Sheet Metal Contractor: Division V Sheet Metal, Inc.
General Contractor: Jorgenson Construction

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh at Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, PA
Application: Interior and Exterior Copper Applications
Architect: Front Studio Architects
Sheet Metal Contractor: ATAS International, Inc.
General Contractor: A Martini & Company

Restoration/Renovation:

Montreal City Hall, Montreal, Quebec
Application: Exterior Ornamental
Sheet Metal Contractor: Heather & Little Limited

Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA
Application: Roof Restoration
General Contractor: JK Scanlan Company, Inc.
Sheet Metal Contractor/Installer: Greenwood Industries, Inc.

Church of Nativity, Episcopal, Huntsville, AL
Application: Steeple and Roof Fabrication
Sheet Metal Contractor: Ornametals Manufacturing, LLC
Installer: CopperWorks Corp.

Kent Denver School Dining Hall, Englewood, CO
Application: Exterior Wall Cladding
Architect: Semple Brown Design, P.C.
General Contractor: CMC Group, Inc.

Ornamental Applications:

Large Bronze Railing and Gate System, Private
Application: Commercial railing and gate system
Architect: Gensler
General Contractor: Madison Construction, L.P.
Fabricator: Big D Metalworks

The 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.

“Copper has been used in architecture almost since man discovered it,” said Andy Kireta Jr., vice president of CDA’s Building & Construction program. “This year’s NACIA projects take man’s oldest metal and makes it look new again. The variety of wall cladding styles, different interior applications and the caliber of custom ornamental work continues to impress us each year.”

The NACIA awards program is intended to increase public awareness and recognizes the excellence in architectural copper design for buildings constructed throughout the United States and Canada.

The architects and contractors of the mentioned projects will receive commemorative plaques that feature copper etchings of the submitted project. All the projects, including photos and profiles, are featured on CDA’s website.

About CDA
The Copper Development Association is the information, education, market and technical development arm of the copper, brass and bronze industries in the USA. Learn more at our blog coppertalk.org. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/coppertalk