黑洞社区

Rebel yell

Hordes of Extinction Rebellion climate-change protesters descended on the City of London last week, with some venturing down to Old Billingsgate fish market by the Thames to harangue delegates attending Mipim UK and to, well, threaten them with extinction, including my hack. Yelling anti-property industry slogans, one placard-carrying type hollered at my colleague that he and other visitors were 鈥渄oomed鈥�, before adding: 鈥淲e鈥檙e coming after you.鈥� It鈥檚 nice to feel wanted.

As one door closes鈥� 

My hack was there on a flying visit to see what latest gems housing minister Esther McVey could manage. You may remember her comments about 3D architects at the recent Tory party conference and last week she told bemused visitors: 鈥淚f we are to solve the housing crisis, we need to not just open the doors to new skills and technologies but to literally knock them down.鈥� If I do find these doors, and it could be tricky, I鈥檒l follow McVey鈥檚 lead and knock them down. Literally.

Harbouring resentment

Laing O鈥橰ourke finance director Stewart McIntyre was in Australia when my scribe spoke to him about the firm鈥檚 latest numbers. His visit included stops at Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney from where he was speaking. Perhaps he was out there to escape the non-stop rain the UK has been putting up with this autumn? Fat chance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 raining in Sydney too,鈥� he lamented.

#oldies-but-goldies

The City鈥檚 tallest office block is starting to take shape but sadly 22 Bishopsgate doesn鈥檛 seem to have caught Instagram users鈥� imaginations. According to data supplied by property agent Savoy Stewart, the building is way down the league table of most 鈥淚nstagrammed鈥� office blocks in London. Heading the hashtag list is the 15-year-old Gherkin and the even more venerable Tower 42. You can鈥檛 beat the old classics.

Hod on a moment  

Spotted on the (brick) wall next door to 黑洞社区鈥檚 office in London鈥檚 trendy Shoreditch. Paraphrasing, I believe, well-known brick lover, US architect Louis Khan, the graffiti runs: 鈥淏rick just wanna get laid.鈥� Talk about laying the puns on with a trowel 鈥�

Unfinished business 

Amin Taha, the architect behind a controversial building in Clerkenwell, central London, is holding a party to celebrate the fact that he won鈥檛 have to knock it down. A planning inspector overruled Islington council鈥檚 order to take the wrecking ball to the RIBA-award winning building 鈥� which, to a layman鈥檚 eye, looks half-built. 15 Clerkenwell Close is a seven-storey building that contains eight flats, including Taha鈥檚 own home. The event to celebrate its rescue takes place there next Friday 1 November. It promises to be a Halloween, Brexit and Bonfire Night mash-up all rolled into one. They鈥檙e hoping to make it an annual event. Let鈥檚 hope the Brexit bit only appears this time round (if at all).

Happy place?

I鈥檓 wondering if Kevin McCloud, presenter of Channel 4 series Grand Designs, is ruing the decision to call his development business Happiness And Beauty. It went into liquidation last week. 

Dwarfing all other events

The full extent of the success of 黑洞社区 Live Club鈥檚 first foray into the regions last week is only now becoming clear. 黑洞社区 Positive Outcomes for the North West was held in the art deco grandeur of Manchester Hall and attracted the great and the good from the region鈥檚 construction industry. But we can now reveal that it also appears to have aroused interest from seasoned practitioners of the silver screen. My eagle eyes spotted former Coronation Street and Red Dwarf funny man Craig Charles close to the venue entrance, doubtless preparing to avail himself of everything there is to know about the North-west鈥檚 developer community. And who says construction doesn鈥檛 have a sense of humour?