When athletes begin occupying the Olympic Village here in February for the 21st Winter Olympic Games, they'll see a herculean installation of countertops – more than 71,000 ft².

The 859 apartment kitchens and baths in the complex are all Silestone® quartz surface; Cosentino, the surface's maker, was selected as the sole countertop supplier for the village, developed by Vancouver-based Millennium Water. The largest quartz commercial project in North America, the installation features Silestone's Capri Limestone, Ivory Coast and White Maple surfaces.

Surrey, B.C.-based FAMA Industries completed the project, working with two St. Paul, Minn., companies, Commercial Surfaces Group and Stone Systems of Minnesota.

"When approached by the Millennium Group on their surfacing requirements for the Olympic Village, our decision to use Silestone was very simple," said Mehran Aghtai, president for FAMA Project Supplies. "With the sheer size of the project, the accelerated schedule, and the rigid deadlines, we were confident that only Silestone could deliver – and they certainly did."

This project is one of the first LEED® Gold neighborhoods in Canada, and will also be used by athletes during the 2010 Winter Paralympics in mid-March.

"Cosentino is honored to reflect the green vision for the Olympic Village through Silestone," said commented Lorenzo Marquez, marketing vice president for Cosentino North America. "We strive to be a part of projects that leave a positive impact on our environment."