Billed as ‘an evening of red carpet glamour’ the first Atlas Installation of the Year awards dinner recently took place at the Margom Orangery in Port Talbot and saw 180 people gather to honour the top Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions installers of 2015.
Atlas received hundreds of stunning orangery, conservatory and Skyroom entries for its Atlas Installation of the Month competition, which began in April last year. The panel of judges took on the challenge of whittling down the winners from each month to just three finalists.
The lucky winners were announced on the evening, hosted by Welsh actor and presenter, Kevin Johns, along with the winner of a special accolade – the Innovation Award.
Orangery Solutions was in first place for a ‘remarkable’ orangery installation on a period red brick property in Hawkhurst, Kent. The judging panel was impressed with the impact the installation has made on the property by maximising the amount of natural daylight as well as perfectly capturing the essence of the Atlas trademark for ‘more sky, less roof’
Paul Nellis, managing director of Orangery Solutions, picked up the winner’s trophy. He said: “We were absolutely delighted to take first place at the ceremony. Our entry in December followed a raft of superb nominations throughout the year from some well-established names and I know that the bar was set very high indeed. It does mean a great deal for us to win this prestigious award. It’s a fantastic achievement which recognises the hard work and commitment of our team in designing and creating this extraordinary, yet sympathetic orangery.”
In second place was Windows Etc. for a ‘majestic’ double lantern installation in the newly created extension of a family home in Essex. The panel noted how the installation has increased the quality of light in the property and cleverly blended the new extension with the rest of the home and the garden. The judges were inspired by how this installation showcases the versatility and visual impact of the Atlas roof with the intelligent use of two ultra-slim pyramid lanterns in favour of one lantern.
Joe Solomons, owner of Windows Etc. received the award. He said “Receiving the award was a crowning moment for everyone who was involved in this project. We never expected to win, so this award means a great deal to us. We’ve been an Atlas installer for two years and last year we celebrated our best year ever with sales growing by 40%. The Atlas product has really enhanced our business and projects like this prove what amazing results can be achieved with a great product and plenty of imagination.”
In third place was Mendip Conservatories for an incredible Skyroom installation on a property in Winford, North Somerset. The judges were impressed with the intelligent use of space and the compatibility of the Skyroom with other modern aluminium fenestration products. They particularly liked how this installation created the appeal of a designer orangery for the price of a conservatory and how it reflects the desires of today’s customer for bold colour, wide spanning bi-folding doors and large open plan spaces.
Kim Eyres, owner of Mendip Conservatories, collected the award from Atlas. He said: “It was a fantastic evening and a great opportunity for people from the industry to get together. The venue was superb and the red carpet certainly added to the glamour of the evening. Winning the award was a proud moment for us, particularly as we are a small company. We’re excited about building on this great achievement and creating many more fabulous Atlas installations this year.”
James Mizen, managing director of Crystal Clear Bristol, scooped the special Atlas Innovation award. James helped to create a ‘breathtaking’ 16 pane circular Atlas lantern roof on a Grade 2 listed town house in Bristol. The judges credited James with ‘great industry knowledge, product awareness and imagination’.
James said: “I have been in this industry for 28 years and there are some extremely talented people out there so it was a real honour for me to win this award. I’m very proud of this project, which was challenging, but the results were sensational. Winning the award really does make all the hard work worthwhile.”
Gareth Thomas, sales and marketing director at Atlas, added: “This was our first ever awards ceremony so we wanted to pull out all the stops to make it a terrific evening. The standard of entries was extremely high and it’s encouraging to see some very strong design and installation credentials helping to create some truly magnificent projects.
“2016 promises to be a really exciting year and I’m looking forward to seeing some high calibre entries for this year’s awards.”
