Marmomacc 2007 will feature the design of decorative objects and furnishings made from marble and other natural stone materials. “Marmomacc Meets Design” will pair leading international designers and selected Italian exhibitors. The design theme will be the “lightness” of stone. The resulting designer prototypes will demonstrate stone-working techniques developed by participating companies and will be exhibited at their booths during the fair. Marmomacc visitors will be provided with maps highlighting the “lightness” booths. The pairing of stone with interior designers has a long and distinguished history. While marble and other types of natural stone were initially used as structural elements in architecture, today they are being increasingly used by architects, designers, interior decorators, and artists in residential settings. Stone is used, for example, to cover surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms, as well as in the creation of actual furniture, such as tables. Industrial design has tended to use stone to enrich a piece (as an example, see the attached table, “’95” by Achille Castiglioni for De Padova, 95.jpg), while more artistic approaches have used only stone, thus creating functional domestic sculptures (as an example, see the attached table, “Park Lane” by Ettore Sottsass, for Memphis, parklane.jpg; source: L'Informatore del Marmista issue 541). The objects created for Marmomacc 2007 will be entirely in stone. METEORUS AMONG NEW VARIETIES OF STONE INTRODUCED AT MARMOMACC 2006 The international stone sector is currently seeing the constant introduction of new materials, many of them unusual. Meteorus, which was premiered by various suppliers at Marmomacc 2006, comes from Brazil, a country known for its granite. It is a metamorphic silicate material definable as phyllite characterized by garnet and staurolite. Specks of reddish garnet and brownish staurolite, exceptional in size, stand out in the shiny grey phyllosilicate mass (see attached Meteorus.jpg). The different hardness of the various minerals that make up this granite suggests that it would not be suitable for use in flooring – some of the minerals would wear down more quickly than others – but ideal for interior use, especially as a decorative element. (Source: Laura Fiora, L'Informatore del Marmista). MARMOMACC 2007 TO FEATURE 10TH EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE IN STONE AWARD An international jury recently convened in Verona to review major architectural projects in stone completed over the last two years. The winning projects will be presented at a ceremony on Saturday, October 6th, during Marmomacc. Awards will be given to the winners at that time and their projects will be featured in an exhibit at the fair. The Award was created by Veronafiere in 1987 to recognize significant architectural works in stone, as part of the trade fair company’s efforts to promote “stone culture.” For information on previous editions of the Award please see here. For more information on Marmomacc please contact: The Consultants International Group in Washington, DC (Sebastiano Brancoli, sbrancoli@cig-dc.com, tel.: 202-783-7000).

CityView Offers Builders More than Capital DALLAS, TX (March 21, 2007) – CityView, a national discretionary housing investor led by CityView Chairman and former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and CityView President and third-generation homebuilder Joel Shine, has increased its presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by adding staff members and moving into larger office space. This expansion comes on the heels of a recently CityView-financed project in the area - Turtle Creek by Prescott Realty in Dallas. Since its inception in 2003, CityView has become a leader in financing solutions for homebuilders nationwide with more than $575 million in equity and $2 billion in real estate capacity. It has financed the building of more than 6,000 homes nationwide. “CityView offers more than traditional capital. We offer our builder partners a flexible source of both debt and equity financing and a one-stop shop for expertise in the areas of land acquisition and entitlement, project insurance, design, government affairs, community outreach, and marketing,” said Cisneros. “Secondly, we are addressing a major problem in the housing industry – lack of affordable homes for working families.” The local CityView office is managed by Richie Butler, Senior Vice President and Southwest Regional Manager. “CityView is proud to establish a stronger presence in the Dallas/Fort Worth area,” said Butler. “The completion and opening of Turtle Creek is the end result of successful collaborative efforts between CityView and our builder partner. We look forward to developing new partnerships in the area.” CityView partnered with Prescott Realty to finance the redevelopment of five existing apartment complexes into 95 low-rise condominiums in the Oak Lawn-Turtle Creek area. Prescott Realty set out to provide the area with updated, modern units within short commutes of employers in the central core of Dallas. CityView’s new Dallas office is located at 1412 Main St., Suite 1900, Dallas, Texas 75202. For more information about CityView in the DFW area, contact Senior Vice President Richie L. Butler at 214-752-8660. CityView is a national discretionary housing investor with $2 billion of real estate capacity focused on creating the highest quality of housing for America’s working families. CityView makes workforce housing happen by offering a flexible source of combined debt and equity and by providing partner homebuilders with its “capital plus” strategy – a one-stop resource for land acquisition, entitlement support, governmental assistance, marketing, community outreach and project insurance. CityView has offices in Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, and Santa Monica.

Mabe Ng and Glenn Wood Join BAR Architects SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – March 14, 2006 – Marking continued growth, BAR Architects is pleased to announce the recent hires of Architects Mabe Ng and Glenn Wood. An accomplished and results-driven Architect and Project Manager, Mabe Ng has over 25 years of experience in the implementation and design of innovative architectural and technical solutions. A highly skilled ArchiCAD user since version 4.5, Mabe has been involved in the design of many successful projects including office, retail, mixed-use, multifamily, senior housing, clubhouse and luxury residential. Currently Mabe is working on the project team for Kobe Towers, an 850,000 gsf luxury senior high-rise in Japan being designed in ArchiCAD. She received her Master of Architecture and certification as a Project Manager from the University of Washington. Mabe is a licensed architect in Washington and California. Glenn Wood, a licensed California architect, joins BAR Architects with over 10 years of experience in architecture and design. A creative problem solver, Glenn brings specialized experience in urban design including urban infill, multifamily housing, mixed-use, and urban retail, hotel and office buildings. He is well versed in the various phases of successful urban planning, including public presentations, planning submittals, code review and permit processing. Glenn is currently working on a mixed-use project in Austin, Texas and a new town-center in Nevada. Glenn has studied architecture internationally and received his Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University. He is a licensed architect in California. BAR Architects is a 80-person architecture, interior design and planning firm that has been in practice in San Francisco for 40 years. Projects are located throughout the US and internationally and include mixed-use facilities, housing of all types, as well as hospitality, film and entertainment, institutional and commercial complexes. Select clients include DMB, General Growth, Grosvenor, Hines, The Irvine Company, Lucasfilm, Discovery Land Company and Robert Mondavi Winery. With over 170 design awards, BAR Architects has been honored to receive Firm of the Year by the American Institute of Architects California Council and the Presidential Design Award by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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