Tops Of Their Class

Perhaps not yet a household name, award-winning designer Fu-Tung Cheng nevertheless is gaining recognition among homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, construction

Perhaps not yet a household name, award-winning designer Fu-Tung Cheng nevertheless is gaining recognition among homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, construction professionals, and designers who appreciate the artful application of concrete in home building. Author of Concrete Countertops and Concrete at Home, he is the founder of a Berkeley, Calif.-based interior design company, Cheng Design, as well as an online resource, Cheng Concrete Exchange, which provides training, design ideas, business opportunities, and a full line of concrete countertop products. Evidence that he does not ascribe to the belief that artists are born, not made, Cheng promotes creative concrete craftsmanship also by sponsoring a concrete countertop design competition emphasizing art and design as much as fabrication techniques.

Cheng Concrete Exchange announced the winners of its second annual Members’ Circle of Distinction Design Challenge at World of Concrete 2006 in Las Vegas. The competition received 93 submissions resulting in a total of seven Best category winners, two Merit Awards, and 11 Honorable Mention recipients. It was open exclusively to members of Cheng Concrete Exchange, numbering approximately 250 concrete professionals, most of whom have received direct instruction from Cheng in his Concrete Countertop Essentials workshop or Advanced Countertop Design Training. Entries were evaluated on design, technical skill, and overall aesthetic appeal.

Fu-Tung really opened my eyes to just how expressive concrete can be in addition to its functionality, says Mack Perry of Chicago, Ill.-based PerryWorks, a Member and Circle of Distinction award recipient for Best of Show.

Concrete Exchange members who submitted competition entries collectively raised the standard of sophistication and craftsmanship on what is being produced in this growing industry, adds Cheng. [Their] innovations will create a movement Û not a trend Û toward increasing the appreciation of good design and craftsmanship. Û www.concreteexchange.com, 510/849-3272, ext. 217 (Jeff Osteen)

AWARD WINNERS

Best of Show
Mack Perry,
PerryWorks, Chicago, IL

Best Kitchen Countertop
Christian Lincoln,
Counter Culture Concrete,
Willow, NY

Best Bathroom Countertop
Chris Becker,
South St. Paul, MN

Best Integral Sink
Andrew Simon & James McGuire,
Lokahi Stone,
Honolulu, HI

Best Decorative Finish
Ian Wyndlow,
Liquid Stone Studios,
Ladysmith, BC

Best Functional Feature
Carol Miller,
Sonoita Concrete Design,
Sonoita, AZ

Best 3-Dimensional Application
Betsy Vork-Howell,
Wabi Sabi Concrete,
Excelsior, MN

Merit Awards
Gregg McCallum,
Impressive Concrete Surfaces,
Charlevoix, MI

Guy Chomistek,
Rafter C Precast Concrete,
Medicine Hat, Alberta

Honorable Mention
Mike Moncrieff,
New Edge Design,
Lynden, WA (3)

Jeff Grzywinski,
Form Concrete Design,
Vail, CO (2)

Jack Cooper,
Cooper’s Custom Surfaces,
Cardiff by the Sea, CA

Preston Addison,
Karma Dog Construction,
Cloverdale, CA

Tyler Oosterhouse,
Bay House Design,
Traverse City, MI

Karen Smith,
Countercast Designs,
Surrey, BC

Dale Blayone,
Concrete Cuisine,
Hamilton, Ontario,

Brian Brown,
Soul Focus Stone,
Mendocino, CA