James Hardie 2014 HardieDesign Contest to Showcase Top Commercial, Multifamily Projects Using James Hardie® Siding

Architects, Project Developers and Owners Can Win Custom Video for Promotion, Branding

CHICAGO (March 6, 2014) — James Hardie Building Products announced today the launch of the 2014 edition of its HardieDesign Contest, which will once again give architectural firms as well as project developers and owners the opportunity to showcase their best commercial and multifamily projects featuring the company's fiber cement siding and panel products. Like the inaugural 2013 edition, the contest will have two winners — one for traditional and one for modern design — each of which will receive a complimentary video shoot profiling their organization. Winners can post their video on their firm's website, use it in presentations, or reference it in marketing materials for business promotion and branding purposes.

Architectural firms and project developers and owners have until Friday, May 16 to submit photos of their United States-based commercial or multifamily projects featuring James Hardie products at JamesHardieCommercial.com/photos. Winners will be announced at the American Institute of Architects AIA Convention 2014, June 26-28 at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Projects from Mullen Heller Architecture, Albuquerque, N.M., and BGO Architects, Addison, Texas, were named winners in the inaugural 2013 HardieDesign Contest. Mullen Heller Architecture earned top honors for a modern-design commercial building using James Hardie HardiePlank® lap siding and HardieTrim® boards, while BGO Architects won for a traditional-look project using HardiePlank lap siding. Videos and photos of the winning projects can be viewed at the HardieDesign Contest page at JamesHardieCommercial.com.

Judges for the 2014 HardieDesign Contest will include representatives from last year's winning firms — Erik Earnshaw, Principal, BGO Architects, and Doug Heller, Partner, Mullen Heller Architecture. Chris LaPlante, Vice President, Multifamily Design & Build for McWhinney, a full-service real estate development, investment and management company with offices in Denver and Loveland, Colo. will also be a judge, along with Brad King, Business Manager, Multifamily/Commercial, James Hardie,

"The first HardieDesign Contest was a huge success — we were extremely impressed with the great projects from across the nation that were submitted for consideration," King said. "James Hardie is excited to once again show how architects as well as project developers and owners use its siding and panel products, like the Hardie® Reveal® Panel System and Artisan® Lap Siding, in their commercial and multifamily projects. In addition to looking great, James Hardie's commercial and multifamily siding products are Engineered for Climate®, which means they are designed to withstand the specific weather conditions of a given location."

HardieDesign Contest judges will select two winners based on the projects' solutions-driven design, aesthetic beauty and innovative use of James Hardie siding or panel products. Only photos submitted by the architectural firm that designed the project, or the project developer or owner, will be considered; multiple photos can be entered by the same firm.

"The video shoots, which will include a videographer and post-production editing, will allow the winners to tell their project's story in a fun, visual way," King said. James Hardie will also help the winners gain national exposure by prominently featuring photos of the winning projects at JamesHardieCommercial.com.

To learn more about the HardieDesign Contest and to submit photos of a commercial or multifamily project, visit JamesHardieCommercial.com/photos.