MALVERN, PA -- Three North American contractors recently traveled to Prague, Czech Republic to be recognized for exemplary craftsmanship using CertainTeed drywall products. Saint-Gobain, CertainTeed's parent company, hosted its 10th International Trophy Awards ceremony on June 3. The event celebrated 89 projects representing 35 countries that showcased how high-performance drywall systems and plasters, in combination with skilled workmanship, provide solutions for quality, safe, comfortable, modular and sustainable interiors across a variety of spaces.

North American contractor winners attending the event included U.S. honorees Aaron Ensley of Oregon Interiors in Clackamas, OR; and Timothy Vaughan of Paric Corporation in St. Louis, MO. Chris Chisholm of Tartan Interiors Limited in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia represented Canada.

Selected from 27 U.S. project submissions of outstanding work using CertainTeed drywall products, Oregon Interiors and Paric Corporation were chosen at the inaugural CertainTeed Gypsum U.S. Trophy event this past September in Dallas, TX.

Oregon Interiors' winning project featured their work on the Breathe Building in Portland, OR. The Breathe Building was designed to be the most sustainable wellness and community center in the U.S. To assist in achieving its green building goals, Oregon Interiors utilized many creative applications of CertainTeed^® AirRenew^® Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) drywall. AirRenew features industry-only IAQ technology that enables it to capture formaldehyde from indoor air, and convert it into an inert compound, which remains permanently and safely trapped within the board.

St. Louis-based Paric Corporation was selected for its outstanding interior work in the new Academic and Research Building at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. The world-class, 213,000-square-foot building featured a suite of CertainTeed drywall products to address a variety of room specification demands. Products installed included M2Tech^® Type X Moisture & Mold Resistant drywall; AirRenew^® Extreme Impact Resistant drywall, GlasRoc^® Diamondback^® Tile Backer and GlasRoc Sheathing.

Tartan Interiors, Limited, won their country's global representation honors at the inaugural CertainTeed Gypsum Canada Trophy event hosted in Vancouver, for their exceptional work on the Halifax Central Library in Nova Scotia. The five-story, 11,000 square-meter building which mimics a stack of books is targeting LEED^® Gold certification. High performance drywall products installed on the unique structure included M2Tech^® Type X Moisture & Mold Resistant drywall; Easi-Lite^® lightweight drywall, GlasRoc^® Shaftliner and GlasRoc Sheathing.

Prior to the evening gala awards dinner at Zofin Palace in Prague, guests had the opportunity to view all 89 of the competing projects at the pre-awards exhibition. Here, each contractor received a participation award in recognition of the high level of craftsmanship needed in order to reach the international level of the competition.

During the awards ceremony, 14 projects were honored. The presentation included the Grand Prix, President's Prize and 12 awards across six categories: Drywall Craftsmanship and Design; Plaster Application; Innovation & Sustainability; Residential; Mixed Use -- Commercial; and Hospitals, Hotels and Education.

The Grand Prix winning project was presented to Philharmonie de Paris in France, by contractor Ile de France Plâterie. "An outstanding project that marries technical form with a stunning visual appearance," the Philharmonie de Paris is a state-of-the-art facility designed for national and international symphony orchestral events. The "Symphonic Hall" outer shell features a completely dissymmetric structure made of plaster, including 5,785 individual cubic sound absorbers. The clarity of sound combined with high reverberation, significant lateral restrictions also add a close, intimate feel to its massive space.

Awarded every two years, the Saint-Gobain Gypsum International Trophy recognizes excellence in design, drywall installation and finishing. For a complete list of winners, visit www.saint-gobain-gyproc.com.