News

Dallas, Texas…..As part of its ongoing efforts to bridge innovative producers of architecture and design technologies and materials with architects and designers, Marmomacc, an international exhibition of stone design and technology held every year in Verona, Italy, will host the 12th edition of VeronaFiere, a continuing education program for architects. A total of 32 architects–16 from the U.S., the others from Canada, the U.K., India, South Africa, Australia, Singapore and Vietnam–will spend four days studying the relevance of stone to modern design and sustainable architecture. “Designing with Natural Stone” will run from September 27 – October 2, 2010 in Verona, Italy, in conjunction with Marmomacc, a leading global conference for designing in stone. More than 175 architects from all over the U.S. have participated in previous editions of the course. Marmomacc’s continuing education program is recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Australian Institute of Architects and the South African Institute of Architects.

Veronafiere offers this course to help architects learn advanced techniques in the use of marble, granite and other stone materials. The program is a unique combination of classroom lectures, guided architectural tours, and field trips to local quarries, as well as to natural stone processing facilities. This comprehensive approach enables architects to better understand stone’s full life-cycle — including how marble is quarried, cut, processed, finished, selected for specific jobs and installed, all using the latest technologies and products.

The 2010 coursework will include visits to a Botticino Marble quarry and a nearby stone processing plant, a case study on the stone use in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, and an architectural tour of Verona. Sustainable design (SD) became a principal focus of the course in 2008. A minimum of four AIA SD credits will again be offered, including a session on technology and sustainability, and case studies of sustainable projects in stone.

“Designing with Natural Stone” has been recognized by the AIA as a “Best Practices and Trends” educational program. Comments from last year’s students support this judgment:

• “The week-long experience was great. What I particularly enjoyed was learning about new products and technologies now being used for stone. I will certainly utilize what I learned in my future work.” Saverio Manago – Michael Graves & Associates (Princeton, NJ)

• “I’ve been attending and preparing seminars for my AIA chapter for more than 10 years and the concept of having a specialized seminar throughout an entire week is the best continuing education I’ve ever received. I now possess a broader knowledge of natural stone and feel more confident in choosing the right type of stone for my projects.” Alberto Lastra – Rivera & Lastra (San Juan, PR)

• “I feel that the mixture of lectures, presentations, tours and hands-on was just right. I had a marvelous week, met a lot of interesting people and hope that I can continue to be involved with this group and with the program.” Thomas McCabe — Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (New York, NY)

Verona was founded by Etruscans, the first historical records are from the century 4th century BC and a notable commercial and political city in Roman times. The stone amphitheatre, with its round façade was originally in white and pink limestone from Valpolicella, but during the Middle Ages the Arena was used as a sort of quarry for other buildings. The first interventions to recover its functionality as a theatre were started during the Renaissance. Verona continues to be a leading quarry, worldwide, for stone and marble.

About Steve Chambers
Steve has been a licensed architect since 1975 and is a principal and founder of Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc., an architectural firm that specializes in residential design, remodeling, and historic renovation. He is also a licensed interior designer. Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc. believes in using the principles of Sustainable Design and Universal Design. He understands the process of residential design, from conceptualization through construction. He recognizes that listening to what his clients need and collaborating with them to design their homes can produce superior results. His signature talent is the ability to generate a variety of creative solutions, realizing that excellent design can be achieved in many ways and styles.