2020 TTA Award Winners
Many thanks to everyone who joined us for the 2020 TTA Awards which was held virtually on 16th October 2020. If you wish to watch clips of any of the presentations, you can do so here.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Richard Friebe
The 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award goes to a gentleman who is very well-known to many people in the tiling industry. He started his tiling career 45 years ago on a summer vacation job with an established Coventry tiling company, called Layrite.
As a poverty-stricken student (his description!), his first experience of the wonderful world of work was unloading a flatbed lorry loaded with loose, unboxed quarry pavings. He did return to his PE teacher training course at St. Mary’s Twickenham, but the experience of unloading those tiles dramatically changed his plans. At the end of the PE course the management at Layrite respected his work ethic and they persuaded him to abandon any aspirations of a teaching career and take a job with them as a trainee contracts manager.
He found the challenges of contract management both motivating and fulfilling, and at no time in his long career did he regret his decision back then.
He progressed through management roles and directorships, finally establishing his own company, WBS Midlands, in partnership with WB Simpsons Tiling.
He is proud to have procured and delivered significant tiling projects throughout the UK. Among the most notable were: Brindley Place, Birmingham; Wembley Stadium – a joint venture with WB Simpsons Tiling – and The Library of Birmingham.
Throughout his career he has been involved in supporting and developing the tiling industry through professional associations. This was initially via NMFTA and then TTA. He is grateful to these professional bodies, which have supported him and others in developing high professional standards which ensure recognition and respect throughout the construction industry.
BEST COMMERCIAL PROJECT – SMALL (UP TO 250M2)
Craven Dunnill Jackfield – The Tiled Corridor, Royal Edinburgh Hospital
Craven Dunnill Jackfield worked in collaboration with acclaimed ceramic artist Frances Priest to create a decorative tiled corridor within the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, using local Victorian architecture for its inspiration. The large-scale ceramic installation adorns both sides of a light-infused corridor, stretching 14m by 2.5m high.
BEST COMMERCIAL PROJECT – LARGE (OVER 250M2)
ARDEX UK & Dyson-Briggs & Sons – Butlins, Bognor Regis Pool Complex
At 6300 metres squared, the new complex was 30% larger than its predecessor. The new state-of-the-art swimming pool complex was based upon a fun, nostalgic, brightly coloured theme. Large changing facilities and communal areas were also tiled during the development.
BEST DOMESTIC PROJECT
Arrow Tiling – 75 Eaton Square
75 Eaton Square, Belgravia, is an exclusive residential property, in which Arrow Tiling transformed the bathroom, kitchen, WC and hallway. They were responsible for the whole job – sourcing the materials, setting out and installation. The most impressive aspects were the bathroom, featuring a walk-in shower, the bath, vanity unit with shelving, underfloor heating and fully book-matched large format porcelain tiles.
BEST E-COMMERCE WEBSITE/APP
Tile Choice
2019 saw Tile Choice undergo natural development by increasing the available information in certain areas of the website, to ensure the end-user the best possible navigation experiences and in-depth advice where required.
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE
Jackon UK
JACKON is involved in a high profile campaign of support for The Bee Centre. The campaign makes explicit the link between its products and the environment. The beehives that it is donating are manufactured by JACKON from the company’s own polystyrene bead. They will last a lifetime and provide better insulation than timber alternatives in the winter.
BEST HERITAGE PROJECT
Armatile – St Comgall’s Church, Bangor, Co Down
St Comgall’s Parish Church is a historic building constructed in 1889. Following its destruction by a fire 25 years ago, the building has undergone a phased restoration programme. During the final phase, 54 individual waterjet-cut pieces were fitted together within each section of the aisle to create an ornate Celtic weave.
BEST INNOVATION
Mosa – Pattern Generator & Mosa Viewer
The Mosa Pattern Generator is an online design tool that enables the user to design tile pattern for walls and floors simply and quickly. Besides being a unique design tool, the Pattern Generator is the ultimate BIM appliance. The Mosa Viewer is an Augmented-Reality app that you can use to experience a tile or tiled surface in detail in the desired colour and/or format. You can also project a tiled surface into a space and change the grid, viewable with or without a VR headset.
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
Jess Banks – Jackon UK
Jess has been with Jackon for four years and has contributed to the rapid growth trajectory that they have seen throughout this time. She initially joined to help run the small customer service team but has since excelled to become Technical Marketing Manager.
EXCELLENCE IN MARKETING
Verona – Al Fresco Trade Marketing Campaign
Marketing collateral and in store support has gone above and beyond traditional product launches to widely communicate the different styles available and benefits of using porcelain indoors and out; with the key focus being on consumer marketing to drive demand and raise awareness.
EXCELLENCE IN RETAIL
Casa Ceramica Tile Company
Casa Ceramica operates mainly in the mid to high-end domestic market as well as commercial specification market through their showroom in Manchester. The showroom is cutting-edge from start to finish and the space is designed in a way that potential clients can easily see what is achievable using all types of tile and suitable for all budgets.
EXCELLENCE IN SUPPLY & SERVICES
Trimline Group
Trimline Group are a leading supplier of tiling products and solutions backed up with expert support and advice. The company has over 2,600 product lines, and next day delivery is available across the UK. 2019 saw continuous improvement in delivery times, customer satisfaction and the achievement of a Bronze FORS accreditation.
EXCELLENCE IN TILE CONTRACTING
Pro-Tilers UK Wall & Floor Ltd
Pro-Tilers UK Wall and Floor Ltd was incorporated in 2014 with Steve Wagstaff and Mark Callan, who together have over 40 years’ experience in the tiling industry. They have progressed from domestic installations, to large executive houses, to a wide of commercial contracts and Government contracts.
FLOOR TILE OF THE YEAR
Casa Ceramica Tile Company – Mixture
Mixture is a collection that comprises two concrete variants together with three Venetian Terrazzo versions which differ in the size and shape of their constituent pieces.
WALL TILE OF THE YEAR
Parkside – Sequel Vibe
Containing 98% recycled material, Sequel Vibe is the most waste-efficient and sustainable wall tile collection on the market, manufactured using recycled glass and porcelain. Due to the high-recycled content, Sequel Vibe can be recycled back into itself and all waste from production is reintroduced back into the manufacturing process.
TRAINEE TILE FIXER OF THE YEAR
Dylan Calvert
Dylan has recently won Gold at the national finals of the SkillBuild competition, progressing to the WorldSkills UK training squad for EuroSkills 2020 and WorldSkills 2021; despite being involved in a serious car accident just prior to the national finals.
He has made a huge impact to the local tiling company he on work-based placement with when he is not attending college and is excelling in becoming an excellent tile fitter. When he is not on placement, he is completing his NVQ level 2 in Wall and Floor tiling at Southern Regional College.
TILE FIXER OF THE YEAR
John Simons – V-TA Architectural Tiling
John started his career 34 years ago and has worked for a number of large tiling contractors over the years. For the last 12 years he has worked for himself on both new build and refurbishment projects alongside top London showrooms.