At Coverings 2019, we honored ten outstanding projects that demonstrated spectacular craftsmanship and creativity in the use of tile & stone. This week we’re putting the spotlight on the 2019 CID Awards Grand Prize: Design winner.
Grand Prize Winner: Design
The Delson
Amie Gross Architects
Jamaica, Queens, New York
The Delson is a new 44-unit affordable housing building provides a new model, showcasing the way architecture, artisanship and art can foster equity and improve underserved communities.
Photography by: David Sundberg/Esto
The façade, located on a heavily trafficked street between the main Jamaica, Queens arteries of Hillside and Jamaica Avenues, includes a 74-foot tall mural made of hand crafted clay tiles manufactured by Seneca Tile from Attica, Ohio. This bold façade, full of color and texture, enhances the streetscape for both passersby and the Delson tenants alike.
Photography by: David Sundberg/Esto
Utilizing four different colors in flat and pyramidal square tiles it creates a depth of color and texture which is quite unusual in New York City. This glazed clay tile adds a dynamic visual interest to the building which cannot be achieved with any other material. The building’s tile cladding sets the stage for the building as a work of art. The National Endowment for the Arts under its Art Works program provided the first ever grant to fund visual art in an affordable housing building.
Photography by: David Sundberg/Esto
Both the climate conditions of New York City and budget for this affordable housing project created challenges which were overcome by collaborating with the tile manufacturer and TCNA.
Photography by: David Sundberg/Esto
This project utilized a unique mold and colors to create the vibrant and creative design. This required the tiles be tested with TCNA given that they were uniquely made of this building. To ensure they could withstand the range of temperatures experienced in NYC the tiles were tested for Bond Strength, Crazing, Linear Thermal Expansion, Moisture Expansion, Thermal Shock Resistance and Water Absorption.
Do you have a recently completed project that features innovative design and installation of tile & stone? Consider entering it to the 2020 CID Awards – the submission portal will open this fall.
