Top decorative concrete projects honored

Words: Hug Poochllc/Public/News/20111204070000-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="Central Park of Stephenson" />
Central Park of Stephenson
CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION magazine has selected Earl Senchuk’s Central Park of Stephenson project as its seventh annual Decorative Concrete Project of the Year.

The project turned a rose into a concrete sculpture floating in a pond. Each of the 12 petals and three leaves were individually sculpted using a one-component, shrinkage-compensated, fast-setting, polymer-modified cementitious repair mortar. The pieces were then numbered and fitted into a specially designed denture-like holder. The unique piece measures 54 inches across and features a 120 high-intensity LED light ring, underwater lights, and a pump and fountain head.

“This year’s winners are diverse and eclectic, demonstrating the true versatility of the decorative concrete medium,” said editor in chief William D. Palmer Jr. “The winning projects showcase a wide variety of techniques and craftsmanship that are driving the industry.”

2011’s Project of the Year winners represent outstanding artistry in decorative concrete across the industry. The winning projects embody the best concrete artistry has to offer, a review of the best design and techniques of decorative concrete. The winners are featured in the December issue of CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION. They include one overall “Project of the Year,” six honorable mentions and one Readers' Choice. This year more than 1100 CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION readers voted for their favorite project. The winner is an all-encompassing ranch featuring integral-colored concrete stamping.

Project of the Year

Unusual Piece
Central Park of Stephenson, Stephenson, Mich.; Contractor: Earl Senchuk, Marquette, Mich.

Honorable Mentions

Large-Scale Commercial
J.W. Marriott Art Plaza, Indianapolis;
Contractor: Smock Fansler Construction, Indianapolis

Residential
Bilovesky Backyard Living Space, Overland Park, Kan.
Contractor: Artistic Concrete Surfaces, Olathe, Kan.

Commercial
The Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino, Las Vegas
Contractor: ArCon Flooring, Las Vegas

Craft Piece
Concrete Lace Curtain, Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Contractor: Doreen Westphal Studio, Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands

Mosaic Effect
16 Main Watercloset, Germantown, N.Y.
Contractor: 16 Main Mosaics, Germantown, N.Y.

Theme park
Toucan Ridge, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Contractor: Klassen Concrete, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Reader Choice’s

YoungLife’s Washington Family Ranch, Antelope, Ore.
Contractor: Saddleback Development Corp., Lake Forest, Calif.

Detailed information about each project and photo slideshows are posted here.
PPE That Workers Actually Wear: Building Buy-In Through Education and Smart Selection
August 2026

In masonry construction, personal protective equipment (PPE) is often the last line of defense between a worker and an injury. Yet despite its importance, PPE compliance remains one of the most common challenges on jobsites across the country. The realit

Greg Brown
Safety Library
Read More
Zero Laydown: Navigating the Logistics of Tight Urban Job Sites
August 2026

In modern commercial construction, spatial real estate has become just as valuable as the materials themselves. The industry shift toward high-density, urban projects means that the sprawling job sites of the past have been replaced by tight footprints wh

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
Why "The Software Can't Track That" Is Finally Going Away
August 2026

For as long as specialty contractors have used field software, most of them have kept a workaround somewhere: a spreadsheet on a foreman's laptop, a whiteboard in the trailer, or a text thread where crew leads send block counts at the end of the day becau

Erin Koets
Build Smart
MAP Partner
Read More
Monadnock Building
August 2026

Chicago’s Monadnock Building doesn’t dominate the skyline the way it once did. Surrounded by steel-and-glass towers, the dark brick structure can seem almost understated. But for anyone in the masonry industry, it remains one of the most important buildin

Cass Stern
American Treasure
Brick Clay Brick
Read More