黑洞社区

Do not adjust your set

Farewell, then, Liz Truss. Your reign was brief and inglorious. Believe it or not but the former prime minister, not known as a natural communicator before her appointment and confirmed as much during it, was once offered a job in the PR game. My mole says she turned down the advance, made a few years ago by a well-known City PR firm, in order to pursue a career in politics. The PR industry鈥檚 gain was the country鈥檚 loss.

Slimmed down version

London QS Alinea held its annual drinks reception recently, this time at the Wagtail rooftop restaurant and bar which is, handily, a stone鈥檚 throw from the firm鈥檚 office on Cannon Street. On the way out, my scribe remarked how well stocked the food and drink was for guests. 鈥淭heir fees must be doing OK,鈥� he added. At which point, the veteran boss of one multidisciplinary, sighed: 鈥淭hey used to be three times as much 30 years ago.鈥�

Oki dokey

To this year鈥檚 黑洞社区 Awards, held in London earlier this month at the Grosvenor House Hotel, and a mole at Glen Howells Architects mentioned that he had once worked with incoming RIBA president Muyiwa Oki. 鈥淏e nice to the guys who are on their way up, because they鈥檒l be there when you鈥檙e on your way down,鈥� was his sage advice. Oki was a diligent worker, apparently, and just as interested in organisation as in design. Good job, too, as he鈥檒l need those skills at his next gig.

At the launch of Build UK鈥檚 Open Doors initiative, pupils from two local colleges mostly stayed on message, until one, surveying the truly vast brownness of the site, mused: 鈥楲ooks a bit dystopian, doesn鈥檛 it?鈥�

This is the future

My hack endured all the limitations of the existing rail system to reach, ironically, an HS2 site in the Midlands. The reason for the visit was the launch of Build UK鈥檚 Open Doors 2023 initiative, giving Joe Public a view behind the hoardings. The event was a success, with pupils from two local colleges amazed by the enormous tunnel boring machines. In press interviews, the kids mostly stayed on message, until one, surveying the brown expanse of the Long Itchington Wood site, mused: 鈥淟ooks a bit dystopian, doesn鈥檛 it?鈥� An HS2 rep was quick to point out that the Midlands countryside would be returned to a greener state once the job was done. Whenever that may be.

Nothing if not original

On a tour of the newly completed Battersea Power Station redevelopment with architect Wilkinson Eyre, one of my team was told about a surprising discovery. While exploring the building when it was still a dilapidated ruin, a huge mural depicting the plant鈥檚 workers that looked like a 1930s original was found. Excited, the team wanted to give it pride of place in the restored building, only for Historic England to point out the discovered gem was knocked out in the 1990s for the 18th birthday party of the son of its then owner. Party poopers.

Walk, text and chew gum

Staying in SW11, my scribe was told Battersea鈥檚 landscape architect LDA Design needed to update its plans because of the proliferation of smartphones. Paths were reconfigured to stop pedestrians, who now rarely look where they are going and prefer to stare at a screen, from bumping into each other. The march of progress continues.

Computer says no

The first day of the public inquiry into M&S鈥檚 plans to knock down its Oxford Street store was marred by an over-zealous piece of technology. A robotic voice repeatedly interrupted proceedings at Westminster City Hall to announce an 鈥渦nknown person鈥� had just joined 鈥� or left 鈥� the livestream. 鈥淐an we mute that?鈥� the exasperated planning inspector, eventually asked. 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid not,鈥� he was told. I repeat: the march of progress continues.

Perhaps these teenagers could be tempted into learning about project visualisations to try to envisage HS2 when complete 鈥� as we all know that鈥檚 quite a way down the track.