Tartan Interiors, Ltd., will represent Canada at the 10th Saint-Gobain Gypsum International Trophy Awards ceremony this June in Prague after winning top honors at the inaugural CertainTeed Gypsum Canada Trophy event in Vancouver. Hailed for their creative use of CertainTeed Gypsum products in the construction of Halifax Central Library, the Nova Scotia finishing contractor is one of only three companies selected to represent North America in the prestigious international ceremony.

“The CertainTeed Gypsum Canada Trophy expresses our appreciation and respect for talented building professional partners who have demonstrated creative and exceptional uses of our gypsum products,” says Dave Engelhardt, president of CertainTeed Gypsum. “We were especially impressed with Tartan Interiors for their exemplary interior wall work in the new Halifax Central Library. This world-class building and community center falls in line with our aim of providing innovative solutions that meet the growing demand for high-performance, sustainable interiors, and we commend Tartan Interiors for their role in the project.”

Halifax Central Library is a five-storey, 11,000 square-metre structure with several striking design features, including a skylighted atrium – criss-crossed by stairs and walkways – that spans the interior height of the structure and a rooftop terrace that offers a broad view of the city and its harbour. Somewhat resembling a stack of books, the building’s unique design has garnered international attention and was featured by CNN as one of ten "eye-popping" new buildings of 2014. It is targeting LEED® Gold certification.

The project utilized creative applications of various CertainTeed products, including: M2Tech® Type X Moisture & Mould Resistant gypsum board; Easi-Lite® lightweight gypsum board, GlasRoc® Shaftliner and GlasRoc Sheathing.

“Our experienced team at Tartan Interiors did an excellent job creating a sustainable, bright and welcoming interior space at Halifax Central Library that offers endless opportunities for civic and social interaction, as well as quiet individual use,” says Chris Chisholm, owner of Tartan Interiors. “We are honored and grateful to be recognized by CertainTeed Gypsum for this project and look forward to representing Canada in Prague in June.”

Awarded every two years, the Saint-Gobain Gypsum International Trophy recognizes excellence in design, drywall installation and finishing. The competition judges building professionals for their gypsum-related skills in the following categories: Gypsum Board Craftsmanship and Design; Finishing Application; Innovation & Sustainability; Residential; Mixed Use – Commercial; and Hospitals, Hotels and Education. The 10th anniversary of the renowned event will be held in June in Prague, Czech Republic. To learn more, visit www.saint-gobain-gyproc.com.

For the past 30 years, Tartan Interiors, based in Dartmouth, N.S., has served the commercial interiors market of Metro Halifax and mainland Nova Scotia with its crew of 150 professional builders, related tradespeople and general contractors.

For more information, go to certainteed.com/gypsum.