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Our call went out across the land and the response was even better this year than last. There was a scrap for top honors, but the dust has settled and the winners have emerged.

The point of the contest isn't about putting fabricators head-to-head, but more to show the real-world potential that exists for the materials. Our entries fit that bill.

Before revealing the winners, SSM would like to thank all of you who submitted entries in the contest this year. It was not always easy to decide who would come out on top of the heap, but our experts buckled down and made their decisions. We here at SSM are sure you won't be disappointed by their choices. So, without further ado, let the unveiling begin.

Best Overall Design
Martin Funck
Rosskopf & Partner AG
Obermehler, Germany
Project Name: Hotel Puerta America
Project Location: Madrid, Spain

Scope and Objectives
The project comprises a 12-story hotel, with each floor being specially designed by a renowned architect. Rosskopf & Partner was responsible for the solid surface works on eight floors — in cooperation with eight architects from all over the world. One of the most challenging designs implemented turned out to be the first floor designed by Zaha Hadid architects, London, U.K. (see Figure 1).

The first floor includes 28 rooms completely made of solid surface material, two suites, the lobby and parts of the corridor. All visible areas except for the flooring were fabricated out of LG HI-MACS. The project was exclusively done in solid colors, such as black, white and orange. The objective was to annex a completely new architectural style to a public building and thereby combine functionality with design.

Challenges
The most demanding part of the project was the engineering and technical realization of the 3-D design, the efficient use of electronic data for fabrication and the issue of thermoformability of the material. Another challenge was to bring all the thermoformed parts together without any visible joints to create an atmosphere of a complete room made out of one piece.

Solutions
Rosskopf & Partner split the electronic 3-D data of the architects into numerous sections according to the sheet size of the solid surface material. For every single piece up to two moulds were built — a total of 1,200 different moulds for the first floor alone. Thermoforming and necessary fabrication were done in Germany. Subsequently the modules were shipped to Madrid where the final assembly was done. On-site in Madrid the elements were seamed together.

Best Commercial/Institutional
Kenneth Graves
Sterling Surfaces
Sterling, Mass.
Project Name: Conference Table/Credenza
Project Location: New York City

Scope and Objective
The project was to create a large conference table with a sleek edge profile and electrical outlets and data ports built in, as well as a matching credenza (see Figure 2). The material used was DuPont Corian.

Challenges
Such a big table would require some atypical treatment. It needed structural support over a long span, and the top had to be sent in two pieces and fastened at the site by others. Additionally, the design required an edge profile that was sleek, but also functional.