The excellence of the work done by Ornate Interiors, who have operated from premises in Pudsey for over 20 years, has been recognised with the Gold Award for Heritage Plastering in this year’s Construction Industry’s Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) presentations. The judges considered 50 shortlisted projects across 12 categories. The Heritage Plastering Gold Award recognised the massive contribution that Ornate Interiors made to the three-year redevelopment of the derelict and endangered Grade II listed Oldham Town Hall to a cinema and restaurant complex. Ornate Interiors were awarded the ultimate accolade when the judges chose this project as the FIS Project of the Year.
460 leading figures from the sector gathered at The Dorchester Hotel, London, on 5th June for the celebratory lunch at which Miles Jupp was compere and guest speaker. The judges, Tony Pierl and Clive Perry, commented “The finished project exudes the highest quality of workmanship, quality and ingenuity. It is simply stunning.”
The project team had to solve a wide range of problems, many presented because parts of the building had been left open to the elements, key features had deteriorated beyond recognition and original features were missing, but others because of the change in use, which meant new performance criteria had to be met, particularly in terms of acoustics. Technical issues included finding ways of reducing the weight of features and alternatives to fixing them.
The project brief included lime plastering onto masonry walls, lath and lime plastering to ceilings and the reproduction of ornate plaster mouldings on staircases and in 20 rooms. All new mouldings were manufactured in fibrous plaster, including cornices, fluted corbels, beam ceilings, column capitals, lighting troughs, ceiling roses and roundels.
The Grenfell Tower disaster and subsequent investigations have exposed the need for a culture change across all sectors of the Construction industry. The FIS is determined to lead in promoting the highest standards in project management and delivery with their Product, Process and People initiative, which guarantees competence in every aspect and at every stage. In the judges’ opinion the Oldham Town Hall Project “epitomises what FIS is all about: precision, dedication and a desire to deliver a top quality finished product”. That is some testimonial for the time-served expertise, technical knowledge and creativity of the team at Ornate Interiors.
Ornate Interiors Contracts Manager, Jim Dodd, commented “I knew that if we got this project right, using the combined skills we have within our team, we could create a lasting legacy for the people of Oldham to enjoy for many generations to come. As with most projects, it was not plain sailing but we dug deep into our skill base to overcome problems and everyone at Ornate Interiors is proud to have won the accolade of best project in the UK.”
Award photo courtesy of FIS.
Project photos courtesy of Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure Limited.
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