Custom-specified terrazzo, locally sourced for sustainability, contributes to achievement of LEED Platinum, Fitwel 3-Star, WELL Platinum certifications
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Zonca Terrazzo & Mosaic of Armonk, N.Y., has received a 2026 Honor Award from the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association (NTMA) for a terrazzo installation at the New York City headquarters of global law firm Clifford Chance. The award was presented at the NTMA’s annual convention on May 13.
Designed by Gensler, the project achieved LEED Platinum, Fitwel 3-Star, and WELL Platinum certifications. These ambitious sustainability goals shaped material decisions from the outset and required close coordination between the design team, a materials supplier’s representative, and the project’s sustainability consultants.
Design Intent
Gensler’s senior interior designer, Ellyn Korn, led the project, which spans multiple levels within a high-rise building in New York City. The centerpiece of the installation is a sweeping circular stair that connects the upper levels and frames expansive views of the Manhattan skyline. Curves carry throughout the design: from the stairs’ geometry to the hand-poured asymmetrical terraced platform and integral bench at its base.
The inspiration, Ms. Korn noted, was biophilic and rooted in the city’s character. “The stairs are on the corner of the building and look out on vast, amazing views of the city,” she reflected. “It’s a beautiful sculptural element, but also one that connects with the jungle outside—which is New York City itself.”
Ms. Korn described the project’s sustainability commitments as integral to the design process. “Sustainability is an important consideration in how we approach material selection and detailing,” she said. “As designers and architects, we have a responsibility to consider the broader impact of what we’re specifying.”
Material selection was guided by both aesthetic and performance criteria and by alignment with the project’s certification goals. Early concepts explored a range of finish options before arriving at a solution that supported the desired visual continuity and maintenance considerations.
The Manufacturer’s Role
Bethany Fischer, an independent manufacturer’s representative for interior finishes, specializing in terrazzo, worked with the Gensler team throughout the project.
Ms. Fischer described her role as helping project teams understand the full range of terrazzo’s offerings across design, technical, and sustainability dimensions. “With terrazzo being a site-manufactured material, it’s not as simple as just pulling a tile off a shelf,” she explained. “At the same time, you have a lot of flexibility with the material. Each project is unique and has its own challenges and complexities.”
For the Clifford Chance project, those challenges took two distinct forms: finding an aggregate source that met both the design’s aesthetic requirements and the project’s geographic sourcing criteria, and clarifying how terrazzo’s lifecycle performance was reflected in its Environmental Product Declaration.
Aggregate Sourcing
LEED certification criteria required that the stone aggregates be sourced within a 100-mile radius of the project site. The design’s palette called for a fine micro-blend with specific color characteristics, which not every quarry in the region could produce.
Ms. Fischer worked with quarry partners to identify candidates within the radius, evaluate what each could offer at the required granularity, and produce samples for the design team’s review. The process required direct conversations with quarry partners about producing a custom specification outside standard offerings.
“It wasn’t super complex,” she reflected. “Just shaking all the trees to make sure we had a good solution that worked with their design intent. We knew the look they were going for. We just needed to find an aggregate option in the geographical range that could meet that design intent.”
Ms. Korn described the sampling process as highly iterative. “We reviewed multiple rounds of samples with the team,” she said. “That level of coordination helped ensure the final material aligned with the broader design goals.”
Lifecycle Documentation and the EPD
The second challenge was equally consequential. The project team was working with sustainability consultants to evaluate the embodied carbon of various flooring options, including terrazzo. When the consultants modeled terrazzo’s environmental impact, the reference service life they applied was actually shorter than the one reflected in the product’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
Epoxy terrazzo is a poured-in-place product bonded permanently to the substrate. Its durability and refinishing capability mean that it can remain in service far longer than many finish materials. EPD models show the product’s performance across reference service life scenarios ranging from 20 to 60 years. When embodied carbon is assessed over a shorter assumed lifecycle, the per-year environmental impact is calculated as less favorable than the product’s actual performance warrants.
Ms. Fischer held conference calls with their sustainability partners and, as a team, walked through the EPDs for the resinous matrix terrazzo flooring scope to ensure compliance and alignment with the project’s sustainability goals.
Installation
The hand-crafted installation, executed by Zonca Terrazzo & Mosaic, centers on a poured-in-place epoxy terrazzo micro-blend stair platform with an integral bench, paired with a circular precast stair. Poured-in-place treads, risers, landings, and seating create a unified composition across interconnected vertical and horizontal elements. Curved black plastic divider strips organize the flow of movement and reinforce the stair’s sculptural presence. The terrazzo palette, a sleek micro-blend of glass and marble aggregates in a neutral tone, provides a refined backdrop that connects the four floors while complementing the white oak wood stair.
NTMA judges praised the refined integration of lighting and surrounding finishes, and the sophistication the installation brings to the workplace. Ms. Korn identified the project’s outcome as a demonstration of what the material makes possible when the full design and specification process is engaged.
“We were controlling the base color, the size, the grit: all the different nuances you have to think about with terrazzo,” she reflected. “It’s wonderful to be able to come up with a product made for Clifford Chance in the way we envisioned, to bring the look and feeling to life.”
Ms. Fischer offered a straightforward account of what the project illustrated about terrazzo specification. “We have so many tools in the toolbox, between all the different aggregate options available, the different resin systems,” she noted. “We can usually work toward a solution. It’s just a matter of helping them figure out which ones make the most sense for their project, design, budget, and sustainability needs, and understanding all of those different nuances.”
In this case, that solution was material sourced from New Jersey, within 100 miles of the job site, compliant with sustainability goals, and installed in just eight weeks—earning recognition from the industry’s leading professional association and meeting three of the most demanding sustainability certification standards in commercial construction.
About Zonca Terrazzo & Mosaic
Founded in 2014, Zonca Terrazzo & Mosaic specializes in epoxy and cementitious terrazzo systems, providing installation and restoration services for commercial and residential projects throughout the New York metropolitan area. Zonca won a second NTMA Honor Award for an installation in Midtown Manhattan’s Calvary Baptist Church.
About the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association
The annual NTMA Honor Awards recognize outstanding terrazzo installations completed by association member contractors. Entries are evaluated by design professionals and terrazzo specialists on design achievement, craftsmanship, and technical execution. A full list of this year’s 17 Honor Award recipients is available at ntma.com.
Founded in 1923, the NTMA is a nonprofit trade association of over 150 contractor and supplier members, headquartered in Fredericksburg, Texas. The organization establishes national standards for all terrazzo systems and applications, advancing quality craftsmanship and innovation while supporting its members in the trade.
The NTMA provides a broad range of free resources for architects, designers, artists, contractors, maintenance professionals, and property owners. From assisting design teams with specifications to offering technical guidance throughout a project, the NTMA helps ensure terrazzo installations meet the highest standards. The association also offers AIA-registered continuing education programs for architects and design professionals. For more information about terrazzo resources, visit ntma.com. Technical Director Gary French is available at gary@ntma.com.
Terrazzo originated in 15th-century Italy, building on the mosaic traditions of ancient Rome. Venetian marble workers repurposed discarded stone chips into durable, decorative surfaces—a practice that made terrazzo an early sustainable material. Today, terrazzo is still poured by hand on-site, with options for precast panels and waterjet-cut details. Stone, recycled glass, or other aggregates—which may be locally sourced—are set in a cement or epoxy base, and the surface is then polished to reveal the aggregate’s color and texture. Valued for its design versatility, ease of maintenance, durability, sustainability, and lifecycle value, terrazzo is built to last the life of a building.
Chad Rakow
National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association
+1 800-323-9736
info@ntma.com
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National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association 2026 Honor Awards
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