Specialist sub-contractors practice to win a namesake Omega watch
New homes for British Gas, a Welsh ice hockey team and industrial robots are just three of the projects which have seen Armstrong Ceilings installers through to a no-holds-barred contest showcasing their fixing ability. The leading UK manufacturer had invited members of its Omega national network of recognised specialist sub-contractors to enter the “Grid off” competition by submitting flagship projects they had worked on.
A shortlist of the 20 best projects have been selected to enter a team of two fixers into the competition at Birmingham NEC on April 6th when the teams will go head to head to install a T grid and board-edged 600mm x 600mm mineral tile system in a 7.2m2 space, with commentary by boxing pundit Steve Bunce.
The first prize is a pair of Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra James Bond limited edition watches and the runners-up will win four tickets to watch Anthony Joshua fight Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO super heavyweight world championship at Wembley on April 29th.
With such prizes at stake, it has been gloves off for the Omegas, with Armstrong inundated with entries and requests for information on the competition format so the competitors can get as much practice in as possible!
Installers shortlisted for their education projects include Diespeker (Interiors) for Damers School in Dorchester, Dorset, DV McColl for Ayrshire College in Kilmarnock, New Forest Ceilings for Solent University, GLJ Contracts for Rednall Primary School in Shropshire, Top Fix Interiors for Wiltshire College, Chippenham, and Grimes Finishings for the conversion of the former media centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to a new satellite campus for Loughborough University.
Their peers shortlisted for leisure projects include Richard Kemble Contracts for the new ice arena Wales in Cardiff, Taylor Hart for the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, Newey Ceilings for Wednesfield Library in Wolverhampton, Peveril Interiors for Bingham Methodist Church in Nottinghamshire, and John Atkinson Interiors for Headingley Carnegie Stadium in Leeds.
And installers shortlisted on the back of their commercial projects include Telling Finishings for a new FANUC robot facility in Coventry, Carter Ceilings for a new DC Thompson publishing office in Dundee, H+L Ceilings for a luxury car showroom in Bristol, Coyle Suspended Ceilings for new offices in Belfast, Bellwood Interiors for new offices in Milton Keynes, Great Yarmouth Ceilings for Yarmouth Summit offices for start-up businesses, Lakeside Ceilings and Partitions for British Gas in Oxford, SCL Interiors for the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in Cambridge, and SCI for a waste recycling plant in Derby.