EIFS: A hero hidden in plain sight - Architectural Awards

ARCHITECTURAL AWARDS

The prestigious EIFS Hero Awards honor a wide variety of 

projects that exemplify the unique attributes of exterior 

insulation and finish systems (EIFS). The award winning 

projects represent the best in the continuous insulation (CI) 

industry, all examples of exceptional architecture, and are 

most definitely heroes hidden in plain sight. 

The winners of the 2021 EIFS Hero Awards were 

acknowledged at an awards ceremony during the industrywide 

annual meeting of the EIFS Industry Members 

Association (EIMA) held in March 2022. 

We invite you to delight in the design excellence of these 

award winning, spectacular EIFS projects. 

2 EIFS HERO AWARDS

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. 

Heroes protect. 

They insulate. 

They’re resilient. 

They always exceed your highest expectations. 

So, where is this “Hero” hidden in plain sight? Look no further than the 

perfect exterior wall. 

EIFS: Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems 

A perfect wall is efficient, aesthetically flexible, and incredibly durable. 

Have you seen this Hero? Probably so. Although some might question 

whether a unique design can be achieved while still meeting energy codes 

and sustainability, professionals in the exterior insulation and finish 

systems industry know the solution: EIFS. 

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4 EIFS HERO AWARDS 

EIFS HERO OF THE YEAR

VILLAS ON RIO 

Austin, TX 

Category: High-rise 

EIFS Manufacturer: PAREX USA 

Contractor: Galindo & Boyd Wall Systems, LLC 

Distributor: Specified Products 

Owner/Developer: Villa Rio Austin, LLC 

General Contractor: Rogers O’Brien 

Architect: Rhode Partners 

This project is a 19 -story student housing facility in 

Austin, Texas. Originally designed as a GFRC façade, the 

design team was presented the option to recreate the 

façade aesthetic elements with EIFS. 55,000 square 

feet of the façade was traditional 1.5” EIFS, and an 

additional 35,000 square feet was constructed in 3D 

geometric EIFS panels. The complex installation was 

impressive. Over 2,500 scaffold frames were used 

to provide access for the 40+ plastering artists. EIFS 

provided a budget-friendly approach to achieve far 

superior results than originally expected. 

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EIFS HERO AWARD WINNER 

Category: Hospitality 

EIFS Manufacturer: Master Wall, Inc. 

Contractor: Wilmot Construction 

Distributor: Creative Wall Products 

Owner/Developer: Concord Hospitality 

General Contractor: Kellogg and Kimsey 

Architect: Braun & Steidl 


ALOFT/ELEMENT DUAL BRAND HOTEL 

Tampa, FL 

The original design of this dual brand hotel project in Tampa, 

Florida called for multiple cladding styles including wood, 

metal, and traditional textured finishes. The design flexibility 

of EIFS was the easy alternative to achieve these looks 

with a single system, with the added benefits of an air and 

moisture barrier, drainage, and achieving continuous insulation 

requirements. The installation quality of the final finishes is 

stunning. The wood look brings modern warmth to the design, 

the metal creates eye catching accents, and the traditional 

whites and earth tones pull the beautiful aesthetic of the 

project together. This project is yet another testimony to the 

design flexibility, energy efficiency, and beauty of EIFS. 

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EIFS HERO AWARD WINNER 

Category: Institutional 


Contractor: Simpson Plastering 

Distributor: US Stucco Supply 

Owner/Developer: Christendom College 

General Contractor: Hoar Construction 

Architect: O’Brien & Keane Architecture 

This project’s architect sought to provide an energy 

efficient and beautiful chapel, while meeting the budget 

of the client, a Catholic college on the outskirts of 

Washington, DC. The Chapel proudly displays a 130 footbell 

tower that, like the rest of the façade, is clad with a 

drainable EIFS system. The structure touts a variety of EIFS 

finishes including varying colors for the façade blocks, a 

natural concrete finish on window surrounds, and a unique 

stone finish on the lower façade. EIFS ability to mimic the 

look of natural stone provided significant cost savings, 

not only in façade material cost, but also by lessening 

structural requirements necessary for natural stone 

applications. The intricate stone accents and designs were 

achieved by fabricating the EIFS panels offsite. The entire 

façade was clad with 2 to 4 inches of EPS foam providing 

an R-value 7.5 to 15, easily meeting continuous insulation 

code requirements. 


CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL AT CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE 

Front Royal, VA 

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EIFS AWARDS OF MERIT 

ANCIENT LORE VILLAGE BY BOYD HOLLOW 

Knoxville, TN 



Contractor: V&V Construction LLC 

Distributor: AG Heins Company, Inc. 

Owner/Developer: Boyd Hollow 

General Contractor: Jenkins & Styles 

Architect: DK Levy Architecture + Design 

Located in the Foothills of the Great Smoky 

Mountains, this luxury event venue is like no 

other place on earth. The project demanded the 

organic feel of old-world craftsmanship while still 

providing a modern moisture drainage system with 

continuous insulation. EIFS with specialty finishes 

were used in a variety of colors and shapes. The 

craftsmanship and artistry of the applicators 

brought this very charming facade to life. 


T H O M P S O N H O T E L S A V A N N A H 

Savannah, GA 


EIFS Manufacturer: Master Wall, Inc. 

Contractor: Premier Exteriors 

Owner/Developer: Regent Partners 

General Contractor: Balfour Beatty 

Architect: Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, 

Stewart and Associates, Inc. 

An emerging luxury-brand Hyatt hotel, 

Thompson Hotel is located in the upscale 

Eastern Wharf area along the Savannah 

River. The design of this13-story hotel 

accurately reflects the elegant architecture 

of the city. The original design called for brick, 

limestone, metal, and plaster… and also called 

for continuous insulation and air barriers to 

achieve greater energy efficiency. Though 

brick was the desired look, its weight was a 

concern, and it wouldn’t fulfill the need for CI. 

By using EIFS, design requirements were met 

and the owners received a single-sourced 

system, while achieving the desired finish 

in a lightweight assembly. This project is an 

outstanding example of how EIFS can be used 

to create desired design results on landmark 

projects in historic cities. 

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R E S O R T W O R L D H O T E L & C A S I N O 

Las Vegas, NV 


EIFS Manufacturer: Dryvit Systems, Inc. 

Contractor: Performance Contracting 

Distributor: L&W Supply, Las Vegas 

Owner/Developer: Resort World Las Vegas 

General Contractor: W.A. Richardson Builders, LLC 

Architect: Steelman Partners, LLP 

This newly completed project is in Las Vegas and is one 

of the largest properties built on the strip in recent years. 

It includes several luxury Hilton brands in one complex, 

and boasts 850,000 square feet of EIFS. Custom colors 

of EIFS were chosen in lieu of metal panels, which offered 

significant thermal energy and cost savings. This project is 

a case in point on why you use EIFS…you get to be clever, 

and you get to be ornate on a grand scale. 


A D E N A S P E C I A L T Y S U R G E R Y C E N T E R 

Chillicothe, OH 

Category: Healthcare 


Contractor: Reitter Stucco and Supply 

Distributor: Reitter Stucco and Supply 

Owner/Developer: Adena Regional Medical 

General Contractor: Messer Construction 

Architect: M & A Architects 

The owner and architect of this project wanted a singlesourced 

and warranted air and weather barrier, AND a 

cost-effective way to integrate a continuously-insulated 

exterior. Initial plans called for masonry stone veneer and 

insulated metal panels on most of the project’s exterior. 

Due to supply chain difficulties and the high cost of metal 

panels, a change was made. EIFS were used in lieu of metal 

panels over 22,000 square feet of the façade. Elsewhere 

on the building, nearly 7,000 lineal feet of horizontal 

and vertical reveals simulated the look of metal panels. 

Additionally, 22,000 sq. ft of a masonry veneer continuous 

insulation system was installed. 

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L A P O R T E H O S P I T A L 

LaPorte, IN 

Category: Healthcare 

EIFS Manufacturer: Sto Corp. 

Contractor: Great Lakes Prefabrication, in 

partnership with Grayhawk, LLC 

Distributor: L&W Supply 

Owner/Developer: Community Health Systems 

General Contractor: Robins & Morton 

Architect: Gresham Smith 

This new healthcare facility was designed 

to replace an older, outdated facility, serving 

the La Porte, Indiana community. 156 

EIFS panels were designed, fabricated and 

installed with an aggressive schedule to 

avoid winter’s expected lake-effect snow. 

Prefabrication allowed for quickly and 

efficiently enclosing the hospital’s exterior 

envelope in 8 weeks’ time. 


H E R E A T L A N T A 

Atlanta, GA 

Category: High-rise 


Contractor: Southern Wall Systems 

Distributor: Capitol Materials 

Owner/Developer: CA Ventures 

General Contractor: JE Dunn 

Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz 

Here Atlanta is a 27-story project in Midtown Atlanta 

serving as off-campus student housing for Georgia Tech 

students. It is a prefabrication project which had the 

benefits of schedule certainty and a high standard of quality 

control. In addition to the efficiencies of prefabrication, the 

use of EIFS panel technology allowed a project that was 

designed almost entirely of Sto materials to be constructed 

in Midtown Atlanta, an area known for jurisdictional EIFS 

restrictions. The unique aesthetic was designed to look like 

a circuit board. 

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L O U I S M. K L E I N M I D D L E S C H O O L 

Harrison, NY 



Contractor: Elite Wall Systems 

Distributor: Sto of N.J. Inc. 

Owner/Developer: Harrison Central School District 

General Contractor: Niram 

Architect: H2M 

This school was all brick, and received a full exterior 

reclad. The brick was framed over and covered with 

a colorful combination of EIFS, stone panel, and 

metal siding, giving it a diverse and playful feel. 

32,000 sf of EIFS using 2” of EPS was installed. 

In large wall surface areas, aesthetic reveals were 

cut to align with window edges. For a project that 

incorporated mixed materials, EIFS served as the 

flexible constant when changes in design and field 

conditions occurred. 


207 WEST 75th 

New York, NY 

Category: Residential 

EIFS Manufacturer: Sto Corp 

Contractor: ASAP Contracting Service Corp 

Distributor: Sto Eastern 

Owner/Developer Realty: Jeff Cole 

Architect: Jeffery Cole Architects 

Located in New York City’s fashionable Upper West 

Side, this seven-story, seven-unit, residential 

building used to have a porcelain façade so striking 

in appearance and so elegant in design, that it 

demanded a second glance from everyone who 

passed by. Then it all came crumbling down… literally. 

Entire sections of the stunning porcelain began to 

fall, creating a dangerous situation that needed to be 

addressed immediately. The solution was a remove 

and reclad. The architect wanted an entirely new 

façade using an advanced building enclosure system 

that could deliver on the desired aesthetic, while also 

achieving enhanced thermal performance. An EIFS 

system with a specialty porcelain finish was chosen. 

The project looks very clean, very minimal, very 

boutique-like… all in all, a gorgeous little building. 

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V I L L A G E P A R K P L A C E 

Atlanta, GA 

Category: Residential 


Contractor: Hemma Elevations 

Distributor: Continental Stucco 

Owner/Developer: Galerie Living 

General Contractor: Reeves Young 

Architect: THW Atlanta 

This senior living facility is clad with 

225,000 sf of EIFS. Specialty finishes 

were used throughout the project to 

replicate the look of faux brick, smooth 

natural stone wainscot panels, and cut 

stone panels. The use of these specialty 

finishes and techniques, combined with 

decorative EIFS shapes, created a very 

crafted design, and exemplifies the 

unsurpassed design flexibility of EIFS. 


STEVEN TANGER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 

Greensboro, NC 



Contractor: Wayne Spencer Contracting 

Distributor: Carolina Specialties, Inc. 

Owner/Developer: City of Greensboro, NC 

General Contractor: Barnhill Contracting Company 

Architect: H3 Collaboration Architecture, LLC 

This state-of-the-art performing arts center 

is a 93-million-dollar facility and is home to 

the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. It also 

hosts touring Broadway productions and 

popular recording artists. The combination 

of Limestone and glass, along with EIFS, 

was the logical choice for the design team 

to provide increased energy efficiency and 

design flexibility. The consistency of lines 

and the consistency of mass are attractive 

architecturally, and the use of EIFS on the back 

and sides of the project allowed the stone front 

of the building to be an affordable reality. 

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Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems 

One fully-engineered, tested, code-compliant system. 

Supplied by one source. 

Installed by one contractor. 

Warranted by one manufacturer. 

With the flexibility to meet virtually unlimited design goals, 

EIFS buildings are everywhere you thought they weren’t. 

Providing more than you ever thought they could. 

www.eima.com

EIFS: A hero hidden in plain sight - Architectural Awards

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