At Coverings 2022, we honored 10 outstanding projects that demonstrated spectacular craftsmanship and creativity in the use of tile & stone. This week we’re putting the spotlight on the 2022 CID Award winner for Commercial Stone Installation.

Commercial Stone Installation Winner
Minneapolis Public Service Building
Grazzini Brothers & Company
Minneapolis, MN

The new $195 million Minneapolis Public Service Building will consolidate 1,300 City employees and many City departments and public service functions into one new building. Grazzini Brothers installed 18,000 square feet of interior and exterior dimensional stone cladding. This was especially challenging because of multiple size pieces, all fabricated in Europe. The procurement schedule required creating an Excel spreadsheet that laid out which pieces would need to be delivered with each shipment. This spreadsheet tracked the location of each piece, the number of anchors and brackets required, and the architectural elevation that the piece was to be installed.

The centerpiece of the stone installation was the 4,000 pound, 53-year-old historic great seal of Minneapolis. At over 26 feet in diameter, the installation crews and project management team worked closely with the historical consultant, design team, and construction manager to plan and install the focal point of this project. This project commenced as the COVID-19 pandemic began, challenging the crews to keep six feet of distance between each other along with other precautions. This project was also affected by the death of George Floyd with many protests interfering with construction. This project is a monument to those who protect and serve the City of Minneapolis.

Do you have a recently completed project that features innovative design and installation of tile & stone? Consider entering it to the 2023 CID Awards – the submission portal will open this fall.