The winner of the New England Concrete Masonry Association (NECMA) 2004 Design Award of Excellence is a suburban Providence, R.I., private residence designed by William Kite Architects, Inc., also of Providence. Serving as masonry contractor for the project was Silveira's Masonry Construction, Warwick, R.I. Judges noted the diverse use of block as bearing, veneer, and exterior and interior walls, in addition to a floor plan reinforcing the economy of block construction.

The Design Awards program is cosponsored by NECMA and the National Concrete Masonry Association to promote diversity of concrete masonry construction. A panel consisting of fellow architects and a representative of the Massachusetts Trowel Trades Association judged the entries.

Building the 4,125-sq.-ft. house required approximately 11,000 concrete masonry units. Cranston, R.I.-based Park Ave. Cement Block Co. supplied 5,000 common block for below grade and basement construction. Ground face block — 3,000 each of 4-in. and 8-in. — was produced for the project by A. Jandris and Sons of Gardner, Mass. Also incorporated in the home's design were several custom precast lintels and wall caps.

Steven Ehlbeck of William Kite Architects affirms that ground face block was an excellent choice for the particular application and client. “It allowed us to create a home that expresses the family's passion for contemporary architecture and design, while using a durable material requiring minimal maintenance.” The combination of tinted block and natural finish woods, he contends, provided a rich interior color scheme highlighting the superior construction quality.

As the decision to build with block was made early in the process, Ehlbeck reports, a comparative study of the energy efficiency of different wall systems was not conducted. However, the mass of concrete block in addition to 3-in. rigid insulation guarantees a higher R-value for this wall assembly than for a typical 2×6 wood frame exterior. Anecdotally, he adds, the owners claim that energy consumption is about half that of their previous home.

Also honored recently by NECMA was Del Gilbert of Del R. Gilbert Block Co., Laconia, N.H., at the association's Hall of Fame ceremony. Gilbert's long-time support of the association and his contributions to the concrete masonry industry were cited on the occasion of his induction.