The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) awarded H.J. Martin and Son as the Commercial Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Five-Star Project of the Year Awards at the Coverings Tradeshow in Orlando, Florida.

H.J. Martin and Son, an NTCA Five-Star Contractor member, was awarded the honor for the tile installation and design work done at the Dick Resch & Family Learning and Conservation Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The building is on the property of the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary and is both an event space and nature-based 4K learning center, the Oak Learning Center.

“We are very excited to have our tile installers and overall team recognized by NTCA for this honor,” said David Martin, 4th generation leader at H.J. Martin and Son.

H.J. Martin and Son worked closely with the building’s architect and general contractor Keller Inc. to design the flooring layout. The overall design was based on natural, warm colors inspired by the plumage of local birds.

Ceramic tile flooring was used throughout the building for both its durability and ease of cleaning. Wood-look tile and pebble tile was used on both levels. In the event space, the pebbles create an outline of the main floor while on the lower level, the pebbles were set to create natural pathways for the children to use for wayfinding.

Due to the creative scope of the project, the installation crew worked closely with the designer and project manager to ensure the paths and outlines were cut and installed correctly to create the wanted effect. Detailed drawings and measurements were followed for the ideal outcome.

Bathrooms were also tiled on the floors and on the walls. The upper level had a natural slate-look tile on the walls and the childrens’ bathrooms were done in white subway tile.

Tile brands used include Anatolia, Interceramic, and MSI.

H.J. Martin and Son had a total of four crew members to install the flooring; two for ceramic and two for vinyl. The project took our team approximately a month to complete our scope.

The building is a 13,000-square-foot facility, costing $3.1 million, primarily funded by private donations, including former KI CEO Dick Resch. Other donations came from the Friends of the Wildlife Sanctuary non-profit organization.