The terrazzo industry’s highest honor was awarded to Advance Terrazzo & Tile for an installation in the Minneapolis Convention Center.
(Minneapolis, MN) — June 7, 2023 — The National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association (NTMA) has awarded the 2023 terrazzo Job of the Year, the industry’s highest honor, to Advance Terrazzo & Tile for a handcrafted installation of epoxy terrazzo in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The award was presented at the association’s 100th annual convention in Lake Como, Italy. Incorporated in 1960, Advance Terrazzo has been an NTMA member for 62 years.
Designed to meet the challenge of exceptionally high traffic and heavy loads in a convention center, the 126,000-square-foot installation celebrates the state’s outdoor attractions with waterjet-cut terrazzo art elements in aluminum and brass. Brass action lines trace the movement of figures engaged in outdoor sports. The 14-color project was installed on a one-foot by four-foot grid to facilitate frequent renovations, remodels, and moving of equipment and outlets.
Advance Terrazzo, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, also installed the convention center’s original sand-cushion terrazzo in 1987. In a facility remodel completed in 2020, a new epoxy terrazzo floor was poured over the old floor to match the existing colors. While some sections of the original terrazzo, such as those adjacent to freight elevators, had to be demolished, the original staircases were still in good condition and were refinished. The project was selected from among 51 association contractor member entries.
The convention center has invested heavily in environmental sustainability. It is LEED Certified for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EBOM) and maintains its Level One certification to the ASTM Standard on the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences. The facility became STAR-certified by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council in 2020. The performance-based accreditation program is widely regarded as the cleaning industry’s gold standard for safe venues.
NTMA’s annual Honor Award program recognizes outstanding terrazzo projects completed by its members. This year, the association awarded 18 Honor Awards, including Judges’ Choice special awards in public art, craftsmanship, and international categories. The Honor Awards program promotes member contractors as the sole qualified resource for terrazzo installations that meet the highest industry standards. Each year, a group of carefully selected experts (terrazzo industry veterans and design professionals) evaluates the submitted entries. Projects are judged on design, craftsmanship, and scope.
The NTMA, a 148-member, full-service nonprofit trade association headquartered in Fredericksburg, Texas, celebrates its centennial this year. The NTMA establishes national standards for terrazzo systems for floor and vertical applications. Its mission is to promote quality craftsmanship and creativity in terrazzo while supporting its members in their trade and service to the construction industry.
Terrazzo originated in 15th-century Italy, a direct descendant of the mosaic artistry of ancient Rome. One of the world’s original sustainable building systems, terrazzo evolved through the resourcefulness of Venetian marble workers as they discovered a creative reuse of discarded stone chips. Terrazzo artisans still pour terrazzo by hand on the construction site, with options for precast and waterjet-cut elements. Marble, stone, glass, or other aggregates, often sourced locally, are embedded in a cement or epoxy base and polished. Terrazzo combines design flexibility with ease of maintenance and durability to last the life of the building.
Terrazzo Job of the Year 2023: Minneapolis Convention Center
