Guest Blog Post By: Joshua Vermillion, Associate Professor, School of Architecture at UNLV
**This is the second installment in our series following UNLV architecture students on their journey to Coverings 2026. Read Part 1 here.**
This spring semester, architecture students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) are transforming creative vision into craftsmanship — and bringing it to one of the tile and stone industry’s biggest stages. Working in collaborative pairs, they’ve designed seven custom tile mosaics that will become the centerpiece of a custom furniture suite on display in The Coverings Lounge (LVCC Central Hall, Booth 6014).
UNLV School or Architecture students in action — custom tile mosaics taking shape for Coverings 2026.
Since the course and project launched in late January, students have moved from concept to construction — shifting from pattern design to the hands-on work of cutting and shaping tile. Along the way, the teams have benefited from expert guidance, including a mosaic mounting workshop led by Jeff Occhipinti of Columbia River Tile & Stone, and mortar and grouting training with Michael DeMello from MAPEI Corporation.
Jeff Occhipinti of Columbia River Tile & Stone leads students through mosaic mounting techniques at UNLV, February 20.
With cutting and dry setting now nearly complete, the final phase is underway. Trainers from the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) and the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) are returning to guide students through setting, grouting, and finishing — bringing each mosaic to its polished, exhibition-ready form.
Michael DeMello of MAPEI leads UNLV students through a hands-on mortar and grouting workshop, February 25.
We’d love for you to see the results in person. Register for Coverings today and stop by Booth 6014 at Coverings later this month — we look forward to sharing our students’ work with the broader Coverings community and celebrating what they’ve built. A big thank you to our generous sponsors —Arizona Tile, MAPEI Corporation, QEP Co, Inc., and wedi Corporation — and to our partners at Coverings, NTCA, and CTEF, whose support made this experience possible.
Students enrolled in the senior-level Architectural Design Studio course with Paul Morrison, UNLV and Michael DeMello, MAPEI.