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The Tucker Design Awards annually recognize excellence achievements in the use of natural stone in design and construction. They are presented by the US-based Natural Stone Institute (NSI) to submissions in which at least one NSI member contributed. There is no prize money, but the awards can be used for marketing purposes.
Submissions for the 2025 competition are open until June 20, 2025. The awards ceremony will take place at the StonExpo trade show in Las Vegas on January 28, 2026. Entries should be submitted with the intention of attending the awards program to accept in person.
The submission fee is $125, with $100 for each additional project. The categories are Commercial Interior, Commercial Exterior, Renovation/Restoration, Residential Interior/Exterior – Single Family, Residential Interior/Exterior – Multi-Family, Architectural Carving/Lettering/Sculpture, Public Landscapes/Parks/Memorials, and Kitchens/Baths.
Projects from all over the world are welcome. “Tucker Design Awards celebrate the innovation and vision that architects and designers bring to their projects,” states an NSI website.
The awards were established in 1977 by the then Building Stone Institute (BSI), which has since merged with the NSI. From 2025 on, they will be awarded annually.
We present the 2024 winners with photos and abbreviated descriptions from the brochure. The winner of the Bybee Prize is at the very bottom.
Brochure of the winners of 2024 (also Bybee)
Photos: NSI
2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC: Marble melds nature, architecture, and sculpture together, elevating placemaking to its highest levels at this LEED Gold, mixed-use development on the northeast corner of George Washington University campus. The design embraces the site’s challenging geometry, carefully establishing uplifting public space within encircling v-plan floor plates. Design Architect: Pelli Clarke & Partners; Architect of Record: WDG Architecture, PLLC; Stone Supplier: AKDO Intertrade; Stone Supplier: Lorton Stone, LLC; Stone used: Dark Olive marble.
Bank OZK Headquarters, Little Rock, Arkansas: Located between parallel ridges in the shadow of a popular state park mountain, the Bank OZK Headquarters building strives for a timeless, modernist clarity intended to attract talent, foster creative collaboration, and engage the community. Stone became a prominent design element for its representation of permanence and its striking natural beauty. Architect: Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects; Stone Suppliers: Levantina, The Stone Collection, Triton Stone Group; McElroy Tops & Floors Stone Fabricator: McElroy Tops & Floors; Stones used: Calacatta Apuano Extra marble, Calacatta Borghini marble, Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble, Icarus quartzite, Michelangelo quartzite, Pearl Grey marble, Tempest Blue quartzite, and others.
Cotswold-Inspired Residence, Strafford, Pennsylvania: The design of this new residence on Philadelphia’s Main Line was inspired by the quintessential character of villages in the Cotswold region of south-central England. The exterior is a blend of local mica schist and Indiana limestone. Each piece of limestone was cut using a CNC machine and hand-tooled. Richly carved accents were then added to the limestone by local craftsmen. Architect: John Milner Architects; Landscape Architect: Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects; Stone Suppliers: Media Quarry Company, Vickery Stone Company; Stone Installer: Joseph Manero & Sons; Stones used: Indiana Limestone, Wissahickon mica schist.
Krisheim, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is an iconic Jacobean Revival country home designed by the renowned Boston architecture firm of Peabody and Stearns for the Woodward family. The building, situated on 40 acres in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood, was completed between 1910 and 1912. Architect: John Milner Architects; Stone Suppliers: Media Quarry Company, Vickery Stone Company; Stone Installer; Joseph Manero & Sons; Structural Engineer: Larsen & Landis; Stones used: Indiana limestone, Wissahickon mica schists.
Meadow Lane Retreat, Lakeside, Michigan: Meadow Lane is a weekend retreat home set in an idyllic landscape along the shores of Lake Michigan that harmoniously integrates limestone as an inherent and integral part of the natural landscape. Native materials define the architectural palette and are used to create a timeless and enduring connection with nature. Architect: Wheeler Kearns Architects; Stone Supplier: Lurvey; Stone Quarry: Kamen-Pazin; Stone Installer: Bokon Masonry; Stone used: Giallo d’Istria limestone.
Signal Hill, Montauk, New York: The house structure references traditional livestock pens built from glacial rubble that meander through the local landscape. Its stone walls extend to the top of the first floor, organizing its spaces and providing a base for the second story. Architect: Bates Masi + Architects; Stone Supplier: ABC Worldwide Stone; Stone Installer: HZ Masonry; Stone used: Brazilian gray granite.
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church & National Shrine, New York, New York. Inspired by the Hagia Sophia, the new Church design is a safe haven for prayer and remembrance. The façade is Pentelikon white and grey marble from Dionysos, Greece with the same chemical composition and texture as the Pentelic marble of the Parthenon. Sharing the form and material of two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Shrine refers to history and offers hope for the future. Architects: Santiago Calatrava Architects & Engineers in collaboration with Koutsomitis Architects. Stone Supplier/Fabricator: Venus Marble Group S.A.; Façade Engineer of Record: AVRO Consult Engineering; Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti; Stone Installer: MG McGrath Architectural Glass & Glazing; Stone used: Pentelikon marble.
Situated on a 5,400 square-foot site, Urban Hearth blends the old with the new on a small urban parcel within a historic district. This project exemplifies craftsmanship and dedication through the strategic use of natural stone materials, variations in scale, and flexible programming designed to cater to the homeowner’s desires for privacy, work, and entertainment. Landscape Architect: Waterstreet Studio; Architect: ARCHITECTUREFIRM; Stone Supplier: Empire Granite; Stone Installers Empire Granite, Mark Franko Custom Building; Stones used: Bluestone; Brazilian soapstone.
Bybee Prize: Lee Becker, Partner, Hartman-Cox Architect:
