Contractors Of The Year 2008.

More than 100 members of the IMA (Intelligent Membrane Association) celebrated “Valuing the difference” at the organisation’s 12th annual general meeting in London.

The occasion was also a treble whammy for Capital Roofing who celebrated not only their 14^th anniversary as the IMA’s first member but also winning the built-up roofing and craftsman of the year categories in the popular IMA awards.

Welcomed to the wine tasting venue Vinopolis by IMA chairman and technical and marketing director of founding company Icopal, Neil Harrison, the delegates were updated by Barry Kirkland, Icopal’s UK sales development director, on the measures being taken by the company to help IMA members secure business.

He said Icopal had identified 30 projects with a total value of £25 million in the Olympic, healthcare and education sectors that IMA and Icopal stood to benefit from.

IMA technical officer Simon Ashworth also advised members that not content with being one of very few waterproofing suppliers (if not the only one) to be authorised by the FSA to provide guarantees, they would now be able to apply for new guarantees and view existing ones, as well as book training, online through the upgraded IMA website www.imaroofer.co.uk.

As well as for built-up roofing, the IMA awards also covered single-ply. Capital Roofing won the former with the refurbishment of the hyperbolic paraboloid copper roof of the chapel cum dance studio at Blackheath High School. This was being stripped by thieves unaware its scrap value is negligible.

Icopal’s Thermaweld copper-faced membrane was specified and installed by a team lead by IMA Craftsman of the Year John Hyde, who as felt fixer charge hand, had to cut the bituminous membrane into very small exact pieces to cater for the intricate shape.

John has notched up more than 30 years in the roofing industry, during which time several of his roofs have won IMA and FRA awards for his employers, and his award recognised not only his experience but also his willingness to mentor Capital’s apprentices.

The single-ply category was won by SRS (Scotland) for Culloden Battlefield visitor/memorial centre, which featured Icopal’s environmentally considerate Sure-Weld TPO adjacent to and under an Icopal intensive green roof.

McCormick Flat Roofing came second in this category for their work on Garratt Court – a five-storey development of luxury apartments in Wandsworth, south-east London - that again featured Sure-Weld, along with Vapour Vent XL.

In the built-up roofing category, there was a joint second place, with Breyer Group and Richard Soan Roofing Services recognised for Hampstead Valley shopping centre and Worthing sorting office respectively.

Richard Soan’s refurbishment of the sorting office with Icopal’s Profiles system also had to be carried out while the building remained operational and at the same time as the building was being refurbished generally.

Jameson Roofing Specialists were highly commended in this category for their refurbishment of BT Telephone House in Belfast using a mixture of Icopal’s Profiles, FireSmart and Parabit systems.

Following lunch, former Olympic athlete and now world-class motivational speaker Kriss Akabusi reminded delegates of two key factors to bring to the business arena – focus and teamwork - before members took part in wine tasting.