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Danto Builders has won the 2009 Gold PRISM Award from the Gold Coast Builders Association for the creative interior design and build of The Whale Raw Bar and Fish House restaurant in Parkland. The Association’s top award for a restaurant interior design and build project recognized Danto Builders’ innovative, value-engineered approach to “bringing the beach west” in a facility that delivers both a unique raw-bar atmosphere and highly efficient work flow. Sponsored by the Gold Coast Builders Association Sales & Marketing Council, the annual PRISM Awards, for Professional Recognition in Sales and Marketing, recognize outstanding design and achievement in commercial and residential construction in South Florida.

“Experienced restaurant owners Scott and Danielle Williams turned to us from the project’s early design stage to breathe life into their nautical-themed concept,” said fourth-generation builder Craig Danto, CEO of Danto Builders and Orange Sun Building and Development in Fort Lauderdale. “That enabled us to make every dollar count for décor with real impact, while building in unusually easy maintenance.” With 30 years of design and build experience, Danto has worked collaboratively with owners of fine-dining and casual restaurants.

Danto Builders provides a full range of restaurant design and build services for clients nationwide – from consulting through interior build-out. Turning menu-driven concepts into memorable destinations, his firm has designed and built restaurants including Casa D’Angelo’s, Cucina D’Angelo’s and Pa’ DeGenero’s, among others.

The Whale Raw Bar and Fish House décor and equipment support the seafood menu, with the bar area a focal point. To maximize value and streamline maintenance, the bar was formed and poured with a diamond-dye concrete mixture. The bar’s form included a foot rest, recessed “rag-well,” all electrical, plumbing and utilities roughed in. To further simplify maintenance, 12-inch flashing and two feet of Dura rock were placed along the bottom of the restaurant’s interior walls, and tables were wall hung. Danto’s team created a visually stimulating, dimensional interior, providing value through creative use of materials. Corrugated metal added texture and gutters were used for a crown-molding look, backlit with rope lighting. A dramatic raw bar display, colorful “underwater” ceiling murals and whale and nautical motif completed the décor.

Danto’s design and build expertise was essential in dealing with local building code changes during construction, and the job was completed on schedule. With offices in Florida, Michigan and Texas, Danto Builders has successfully designed, planned and built commercial, industrial and high-end residential projects for four generations. Experienced in all phases of construction, the firm’s services range from land development to design and build, construction management and general contracting