RALEIGH, NC VMZINC®, the international brand name of rolled zinc products and a division of Umicore, announces that three separate projects using VMZINC products have won the Metal Construction Association's prestigious Chairman Awards for 2017. In addition to the Chairman's Award for Overall Excellence, the highest honor given, VMZINC projects also won in the Metal Roofing category and the Residential category. Judged by a panel of professional architects, the Chairman Awards are given to the year's most exceptional building projects involving Metal Construction Association (MCA) member companies based on overall appearance, significance of metal in the project, innovative use of metal, and the role of metal in achieving project objectives.

"We are delighted that VMZINC products have been recognized by the MCA in this way," said Daniel Nicely, Managing Director at VMZINC. "When durability, quality, sustainability and beauty are important design goals, architects and designers often turn to zinc, and specifically VMZINC products, to fulfill those goals. Our wide range of options for cladding, roofing, decorative elements and more provide the flexibility to embrace the most sophisticated designs and the resilience to look like new for decades. It is truly an honor to be recognized in so many categories this year."

The award for Overall Excellence was won by the Gemma Observatory located in the eastern U.S. Designed by anmahian winton architects, this structure eschewed the traditional domed shape of other observatories in favor of an angular design reflective of the surrounding landscape. This challenging form demanded a flexible cladding that could adapt to multiple shapes and angles and VMZINC provided the best solution. Another advantage of zinc and one that was uniquely beneficial to this project, is its ability to absorb and dissipate the heat of the day to avoid atmospheric distortion when observing the night sky. Furthermore, the zinc walls require little to no maintenance and meet the goal of long term durability and sustainability. The installer for this project was Crocker Architectural.