Cosentino North America and Marble and Granite Works Donate Silestone Natural Quartz and Eco Countertops for Universal Design Living Laboratory National Demonstration Home in Columbus Ohio

HOUSTON and COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Cosentino(R) North America has agreed to donate Silestone(R) by Cosentino(R) quartz countertops and ECO(TM) by Cosentino(R) countertops made of 75 percent post-industrial recycled content for the new Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com) demonstration home in Columbus, Ohio. Marble and Granite Works of Plain City, Ohio, a long-time partner to Cosentino, will donate fabrication and installation services.

The groundbreaking ceremony for this "home of the future" will take place today at 6141 Clark State Road in Columbus, Ohio. Cosentino and Marble and Granite Works were asked to participate in this special project because of their reputation for excellence and commitment to charitable, educational and environmental causes. More than 100 corporations and organizations have agreed to donate products and services to assist in building this home, which will open to the general public for tours upon its completion in Summer 2010. Proceeds from the sale of home tour tickets will benefit spinal cord injury research at The Ohio State University.

The 3,500 square foot ranch-style home will incorporate the finest craftsmanship and state-of-the-art products, technology and services. Silestone and ECO countertops will be installed in the kitchen, bathrooms, and combined master closet and laundry room.

Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., internationally known speaker and advocate for people with disabilities, and her husband, Mark Leder, are leading this national project. They were married in June 1995. Three years later, the couple's lives were transformed forever when a 3.5 ton tree crashed down on Rossetti during a routine bicycle ride. She was paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury. That accident was the start of what Rossetti now calls "a remarkable new journey."

The Universal Design Living Laboratory will bring attention to three critical architectural design and building concepts through its national demonstration home and garden: universal design, green sustainable building and healthy chemical-free materials. Doing double duty as the residence of Rossetti and Leder, the Universal Design Living Laboratory also will be used as a teaching tool for residential and commercial builders, architects, landscape architects, designers, interior designers, manufacturers' representatives, distributors, and home buyers.

UDLL will submit an application for a LEED for Homes certification with the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Association of Home Builders National Green Building Program. Michael Holcomb, president of The Alliance for Environmental Sustainability said, "Every great movement begins with a vision. Universal Design Living Laboratory is to be commended for casting the vision of truly sustainable construction by adding the cornerstone of full accessibility to their design."

"Cosentino and Marble and Granite Works are pleased to have been approached by Rosemarie and Mark for this exciting project. Participating in this project is another example of our ongoing commitment to charitable involvement and environmental stewardship. The Universal Design Living Laboratory is an excellent platform for showcasing the quality and durability of Silestone and ECO countertop surfaces along with the outstanding craftsmanship of Marble and Granite Works," commented Lorenzo Marquez, vice president of marketing for Cosentino North America, which is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Cosentino has been working with Marble and Granite Works for more than five years. Marble and Granite Works maintains a factory showroom and sales office in Plain City, Ohio, near Dublin, Ohio. As central Ohio's largest importer of marble and granite slabs, Marble and Granite Works has grown to become a leader in stone fabrication, installation, and service. The company's inventory includes over 3,000 slabs and approximately 300 colors that can be viewed in its factory showroom.

Available throughout the United States and Canada in more than 65 colors, Silestone quartz is known for offering a cleaner and safer surface and for its built-in Microban(R) as well as its GREENGUARD certification for clean air quality and National Sanitation Foundation certification for food preparation - which represent extensive safety and environmental benefits. Silestone quartz also comes with a 15-year limited manufacturer's warranty. For more information, please visit www.silestone.com.

ECO(TM) by Cosentino is a durable surface made of 75 percent recycled content composed of post-industrial or post-consumer materials and is bound by an environmentally friendly resin which comes in part from corn oil. ECO by Cosentino is also an ideal substitute for natural or engineered stone. ECO by Cosentino is a new eco-friendly durable surface that has high stain, scratch and scorch performance. It is non-porous and does not require sealers. ECO by Cosentino is available in jumbo slabs and standard tiles in 10 designer colors, suitable for both commercial and residential projects. ECO by Cosentino has been awarded Cradle to Cradle certification and has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for contributing toward five to nine credits in the LEED certification system. It is GREENGUARD and NSF/ANSI 51 certified. For more information, visit www.ecobycosentino.com.

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About Cosentino(R)

Cosentino(R), a global natural stone manufacturer, began harvesting precious stones from the finest quarries in Europe close to a century ago. The Spanish company currently distributes material in more than 80 countries. With 11 manufacturing lines, Cosentino is the largest manufacturer of natural quartz surfaces in the world. The company covers the entire process of producing natural stone products including quarrying, manufacturing, fabricating and installing surfaces, such as kitchen and bathroom countertops, wall cladding and many other applications. In 2008, Cosentino received ISO 14001 Certification for its environmental management, measurement, evaluation, and auditing practices. Cosentino North America was established in 1998 to distribute and market Silestone(R) natural quartz surfaces in the US, Canada and Mexico. The Cosentino North America family of brands include: Silestone Natural Quartz with built-in Microban(R) protection; ECO by Cosentino(TM), an eco-friendly line of surface material made of 75 percent recycled post-consumer and post-industrial content; SenSa(R) Granite with SenGuard(R) offering a 15-year warranty against staining; Scalea Natural Stone, which includes marble, travertine and soapstone; Marlique(TM) Marble, enhanced marble for vanities; MURO(TM) Mosaics, pre-meshed tiles made with recycled Silestone; and the Prexury(TM) Collection, a semi-precious stone line handmade by expert craftsmen. For more information, visit www.cosentinona.com.

Cosentino and Silestone trademarks and logos are the property of Cosentino N.A.under exclusive license from Cosentino, S.A.

SOURCE Cosentino