latest press releases take flight in 2011:
CHENG Concrete Circle of Distinction 2011 Design Award Winners Announced
NASHVILLE, TN (March 2011) — Fu-Tung Cheng announced the winners of CHENG Concrete’s 2011 Circle of Distinction Design Challenge, the longest running awards competition of its kind honoring design and craftsmanship in decorative concrete, at the Concrete Decor Show in Nashville. The Design Challenge featured 11 categories including Bath, Integral Sink, Outdoor Living, Decorative Finish, Water Feature, Furniture, Fireplace, Commercial/Retail, Sculpture, Interior Kitchen, New Member, and an overall Best of Show. New this year was the Presidents’ Award, chosen by the co-presidents of CHENG Concrete outside of the regular judging. Entries were submitted by CHENG Concrete Exchange Members, a group of skilled concrete artisans, many of whom trained under concrete pioneer Fu-Tung Cheng. Out of 97 entries and a long judging session, 40 awards were given to 22 individual winners: one Best of Category in each 11 categories, 26 Honorable Mentions, 2 Presidents’ Awards, and one Best of Show.
In this 7th annual design competition, the entries continue to illustrate new and creative ways to use and finish concrete. “Concrete is limitless,” says Cheng. “Every year we see a more and more diverse group of entries that demonstrates the continuing imagination and improving technical skills of concrete artisans around the world. And it’s exciting.”
The Best of Show award went to Dania Andrade Pelayo of ANCUBA (located in Rosarito, Mexico) for Paella Esquer, an outdoor kitchen on the coast of Baja California, designed for entertaining and for cooking paella, the traditional Spanish dish. The focus of the project is a beautiful sculptural concrete island with grills for both barbecuing and cooking paella; the grills are stored away in the island when they are not in use. One side of the area houses a concrete bar area with built-in cooler where guests access drinks and have the space to socialize. Andrade Pelayo used CHENG Pro-Formula Mix with Sakrete 5000 Plus for the award-winning project: Olive Pro-Formula for the countertops and a mix of Stone and Charcoal Pro-Formula for the island base. Special touches include the owners’ children’s hand prints in concrete and an old family heirloom plate inlayed in the bar backsplash. Andrade Pelayo’s entry gained high praise from the judges and is described as “ambitious, nicely executed, artful” and “a consistent, unified whole.”
The two Presidents’ Awards were chosen by the co-presidents of CHENG Concrete, Annalyn Chargualaf- Peluso and Mike Heidebrink, as their favorite picks among all entries. “We selected two projects we felt exemplified extraordinary conceptual thinking—projects that are both visually appealing and have the structural integrity of a well-designed concrete piece,” says Chargualaf-Peluso. Caio Paagman’s cool and sophisticated white Star sink and Yves St. Hilaire’s bold and striking Down to Earth Firebowl perfectly showcase the characteristics the presidents were looking for and well-illustrate the broad range of concrete artistry of the contest entries.
Judges for the Circle of Distinction Design Challenge 2011 were Cheng, Robert Brunner, founder of Ammuntion Design Group and Fuego, and former director of industrial design at Apple Computer, and Dan Gregory, Editor-in-Chief of Houseplans.com, and author of Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House. Entries were judged on the following criteria: Elements & Principles of Design, Design Planning, Innovative Concept / Forward Thinking, Creativity / Innovation, Use of Color, Presentation, Innovative Forming Techniques, and Client Problem Solving.
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ABOUT CHENG CONCRETE
CHENG Concrete is the single, leading resource for concrete countertop design, products, and training. Geared for the professional contractor, architect, designer and the DIYer, CHENG Concrete offers diverse tools for designing with concrete, and complete instruction and products for individuals to craft their own concrete applications. The CHENG Concrete Countertop Product Line includes a proprietary mix, sealer, wax, tools, accessories and instructional products, including books and DVDs. CHENG Concrete’s newest product line, NeoMix D-FRC (Decorative Fiber Reinforced Concrete) offers the most innovative, “sky-is-the-limit” technology in Fiber Reinforced Concrete. CHENG Concrete offers D-FRC training and a revolutionary suite of D-FRC Products that yield ultra-thin (as thin as ½”), high strength decorative pre-cast concrete with precision, high premium results. NeoMix D-FRC ultimately affords design flexibility—the ability to control shape, color, and dimension to achieve finer, detailed texture transfer for unlimited interior, exterior, vertical and/or horizontal applications.
The pioneer in concrete countertop training, CHENG Concrete Training Academy offers the industry's groundbreaking collection of concrete-for-the-home workshop and training programs developed by Fu-Tung Cheng and the design principles of his innovative concrete work. CHENG Concrete has trained over 3,000 students since 2002 in workshops ranging from introductory courses in concrete countertops to advanced design training and fiber-reinforced concrete, fireplaces, counters and walls. CHENG Concrete features a directory of hundreds of concrete contractors across the United States and International locations offering homeowners a resource for CHENG-trained local contractors.
CHENG Concrete educational tools include a series of Fu-Tung Cheng’s bestselling books. Cheng’s first books, Concrete Countertops and Concrete at Home have sold over 200,000 copies. His latest book and DVD set, Concrete Countertops Made Simple, is based on his introductory workshops and the broad, creative appeal of hands-on design. The book supports the “green,” low-carbon footprint benefits of having local craftspeople and homeowners use locally quarried materials to create low-cost products for their homes. It is a step-by-step instruction for anyone wishing to use their creative skills to easily and inexpensively craft their own concrete countertop—a locally made and sourced, green DIY product.
ABOUT THE JUDGES
FU-TUNG CHENG: DESIGNER, AUTHOR, SPEAKER
Fu-Tung Cheng, designer, best-selling author, and speaker is internationally known for his sophisticated design and innovative use of materials in the home. He is one of today’s top experts on residential, commercial and product design and speaks to trade and consumer audiences on the importance of timeless design, balancing luxury and conscience, and how craftsmanship informs design. He is the author of three books: best-selling Concrete Countertops (2002), Concrete at Home (2005), and Concrete Countertops Made Simple (2009) which brings countertop how-to for people renovating on a DIY budget.
Cheng heads three companies in Berkeley, CA.: Cheng Design, Cheng Products and CHENG Concrete. He designs exclusive branded product lines for manufacturers such as Zephyr, Elkay, and Tonusa as well as custom kitchen hoods and the Geocrete™ brand of concrete products, including countertops, water features and commissioned concrete pieces. His architectural design work ranges from full-scale homes and renovations to hospitality, commercial and retail store design.
Cheng was most recently recognized by Concrete Decor Magazine with an induction into the first annual Decorative Concrete Hall of Fame, March 2010; he is also an inductee of the National Kitchen and Bath Association Hall of Fame (2006), named one of the top 50 most influential figures in 50 years by Kitchen & Bath Business, and honored as a designer of an Architectural Record “Record House.” His work has won numerous awards including Builder’s Choice Awards in both 2009 and 2010 and AIA East Bay Exceptional Residential Award in 2008.
ROBERT BRUNNER: INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER, AUTHOR
After graduating in industrial design from San Jose State University in 1981, Robert Brunner co-founded the design consultancy Lunar. Subsequently, he was hired as Director of Industrial Design for Apple Computer where he served for 7 years. In 1996, he was appointed partner in the internationally renowned firm Pentagram, helping lead the San Francisco office.
His Pentagram team was integral to the packaging concept for the CHENG Concrete Countertop Products line. In 2006, Brunner and entrepreneur Alex Siow launched the start-up Fuego, a new concept in outdoor grilling which won a GOOD DESIGN Award in 2009 from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.
In 2007, Brunner founded Ammunition, focusing on the overlap between product design, brand and experience. Ammunition was recently named one of the Top 5 Design Companies Worldwide by Fast Company. Brunner himself was named one of the Top 100 Most Creative People in Business by the magazine. In 2008, Brunner co-authored the book Do you matter? How great design will make people love your company with Success Built to Last author Stewart Emery. He concurrently leads both Ammunition and Fuego and also teaches advanced product design at Stanford University. For more information on Robert Brunner and Ammunition Group, visit www.ammunitiongroup.com.
DAN GREGORY: EDITOR, AUTHOR, PhD
Dan Gregory’s vast architectural and design experience spans both academia and the publishing industry. Gregory earned a PhD in architectural history from the University of California, Berkeley, where his studies included two years of studio design experience.
In his 27 years as Home Editor for Sunset magazine, Gregory was involved in choosing the best architectural work done in the Western US. He also helped with the selection of the architect for Sunset’s annual Idea House and worked closely with both architect and builder during the design and construction of the houses.
In 2008, Gregory authored Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House, bringing to light May’s defining mid-20th Century work, from the 1930s to his iconic modern ranches of the 1950s and beyond. A hundred years after May’s birth, Gregory profiled his distinctive style and a career that spanned seven decades and helped define “California living.”
For the past three years, Dan Gregory has been the Editor-in-Chief of Houseplans.com, the nation’s largest online source of quality home designs. He is responsible for all content on the site, a massive collection of over 30,000 home plans. Houseplans.com’s mission is “to make quality home design affordable by using the resources of the Web to streamline a complex process.” For more information about Dan Gregory and Houseplans.com, please visit www.houseplans.com.
MEDIA NOTES
Images are available, most in hi-res, and can be sent with further inquiry.
By request, a Slideshow is available for use and can be sent via FTP.
MEDIA CONTACT
Annalyn Chargualaf
510.849.3272 X 216
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www.chengconcrete.com
