Spec Finish

www.thefis.org 27 FIS Scottish Awards Lifetime achievement award Winner - Tom Russell, retired site manager at Indeglas With an entire career dedicated to interior fitting out, Tom epitomises why building relationships is one of the most essential ingredients to ensure success. His experience and love of challenging interior fitting out projects, coupled with his project management experience, saw him involved with a wide range of prestigious award-winning projects. Notably Tom worked on two RIBA Stirling Prize nominated projects: City of Glasgow College, City Campus and Forth Valley College, Falkirk Campus. Prior to working with Indeglas, Tom spent 20 years of his career with Swift Horsman and Astins, managing joinery, drylining and multi-trade fit out projects. Tom managed the interior fit out of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. This project was ahead of its time in terms of the achievement of BREEAM Excellence, and received an International Award in 2007 being recognised as one of the most sophisticated, acoustically controlled performance spaces of its time. Tom’s enthusiasm has helped to bring in the next generation too, with mentoring of many apprentices and investing considerable time with a young person with autism interested in exploring a career in carpentry and joinery. Despite retiring at the age of 67, Tom returned to work on two separate occasions to manage site-based installation teams on projects which had both complex logistical approaches and tight construction programmes. Tom is described as one of the most generous and respected people in our sector; someone that championed the success of others above his own promotion. His attention to detail, not only in the level of workmanship and material finishing he insisted upon but also in the health and wellbeing of his team and the quality systems, drove productivity and ensured successful project outcomes. After managing multiple award-winning projects and celebrating the amazing buildings he has helped create, it is time to celebrate Tom for being the amazing person he is. Menstrie IST Laboratory Building, Clackmannanshire Tom Russell, retired site manager at Indeglas AWARDS SPONSORS Project of the Year awards: Headline sponsor: Event sponsors: sponsored by Minster Zentia QIC Interior Specialists and Forza Doors Project of the Year – Under £1m Winner - Veitchi Interiors Veitchi Interiors were appointed by Morrison Construction as the fit-out contractor for Diageo’s new state-of-the- art laboratory building in Menstrie. The facility will be used by Diageo’s scientists to blend and test Diageo’s leading global brands, such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Gordon’s Gin, and many others. The facility was built on an area of unused land adjacent to the company’s existing technical centre which will continue to be used as offices and meeting rooms. Veitchi Interiors took responsibility for an extensive range of trades for this project, some of which included internal partitions, ceilings, internal doors and ironmongery, glazed screens, metalwork, plasterwork, cubicles and IPS. This widespread variety of trades allowed Veitchi Interiors to showcase several skills, such as effectively collaborating with other subcontractors, management and working well as a team. The judges said: “Veitchi Interiors completed this fit out of a brand-new laboratory building with offices for Diageo. The package included SAS ceilings, MF ceilings, drywall, acoustic glazed partitions, a variety of specialist joinery and several high-level acoustic solutions including bespoke fabric and timber rafts with integrated baffles that were constructed on site”.