黑洞社区

Harris of Arabia

A camel hides nervously behind a group of white-kneed Englishman 鈥� it can only be photographic evidence of the EC Harris weekend conference in Dubai earlier this month. Apparently, the company鈥檚 top brass, including chairman Richard Clare (centre), and, from left, partners Mark Prior, Hamlin Hunter, Brian Harris and Ignacio Menendez-Pidal, had lagged behind on a group excursion and hired the beasts as a cunning means of catching up. The things you can do with an expense account 鈥�

Hands-on leadership

When the going gets tough for staff at Trident 黑洞社区 Consultancy, the tough get massaged. Trident director Roger Watts tells me that a masseur visits the firm鈥檚 offices once a month to knead backs and raise staff morale. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a nice guy, actually,鈥� says Watts. 鈥淎t first I thought it was a bit odd having my body rubbed by a bloke, but it鈥檚 actually quite relaxing.鈥�

A poet and she didn鈥檛 ... realise

Construction鈥檚 female contingent enjoyed a chance to dominate an industry gathering last week at the annual Chicks with Bricks get together, held at the top of the Swiss Re building. Speaker Sarah Ebanja, who leads the 拢700m Arsenal development in Islington, was one guest clearly excited by the opportunity, as her

rabble-rousing speech showed. 鈥淚鈥檓 not so much a chick with a brick, as a hen with a pen,鈥� the council leader began, before realising she could go further. 鈥淚鈥檓 also a bitch with a pitch, but I鈥檒l always be a tart with a heart.鈥� If construction fails her, at least she has poetry to fall back on.

Just can鈥檛 say goodbye

My spies tell me that Jarvis boss Alan Lovell has assured clients, funders, banks and so on that he is definitely staying on until March. He is due to stand down at the end of the financial year, but speculation was starting to mount that he might leave a bit earlier once he had overseen the sale of some of Jarvis鈥� subsidiaries 鈥�

Infamy, infamy

Constructing Excellence鈥檚 junior wing, G4C, enjoyed an excellent turnout at its (Indian) summer party last Thursday, and it was good to see members of 黑洞社区鈥檚 newly formed graduate advisory panel out on the town. Fortunately, the fame has yet to go to their heads, although apparently cover star Carolina Lameiras recently had an uncomfortable Tube journey home when she found herself sat opposite a reader engrossed in the issue in question 鈥� cue much staring and excited pointing from fellow travellers.

High-rise haughtiness

It鈥檚 been an exciting week at east London鈥檚 Holden Point high-rise sheltered housing block. As if a visit from the Queen and Lord Coe to the tower鈥檚 Olympic site viewing platform were not enough, the next day the occupants were treated to a DTI and CITB-ConstructionSkills delegation to mark the end of National Construction Week. One elderly resident, however, seemed less than impressed. Having eventually been coaxed into sharing a lift with the DTI delegation, all enquiries into her dealings with Her Majesty fell on deaf ears. A dignified silence or just ennui at the level of celebrity on offer?