A melancholy tale of thwarted hope this week, for a travelling bank manager, Gulf ex-workers in search of liquid comfort and the poor Yorkshire lass who鈥檚 taken a fancy to my prose
Coffee americano
A host of American architects are currently in deep negotiations over who will design the new US embassy in Battersea. As 黑洞社区 reported, no British architects could apply owing to stringent security rules. Nevertheless, the shortlisted firms were encouraged to bring Brits in as executive architects. We hear a few high-profile firms have sniffed at offers to, as one architect put it, 鈥渄o someone else鈥檚 working drawings and make them coffee鈥�. But no such upturned nose from Hopkins Architects, which we understand is lending its prestige to one of the shortlisted teams. Very sensible. Better make sure the espresso machine is in good working order, though.
Mud-slinging
I was pleased to see a fine example of joined-up government thinking this week 鈥� on compost. Wrap, the quango launched to promote recycling, proudly announced that the 2012 Olympic media centre would sport a green roof grown from kitchen and garden waste. But a rather nonplussed Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), perhaps envisaging 鈥淥lympic venue a load of rubbish鈥� headlines, swiftly dismissed the story as 鈥渢otally inaccurate鈥�. Judging by the subsequently depressed tones of the Wrap publicity team, there may have been sterner exchanges behind the scenes. The lesson? Never cross the ODA 鈥� not even for the sake of the planet.
On yer train
And now a tale to lift the soul of anyone plagued by an overzealous bank manager. One construction boss was recently paid a visit by his banker because he was due to breach an overdraft covenant. Sadly for the banker in question, the company had several million pounds in the coffers and had never needed to use the overdraft on which it had incurred the technical breach. Even more sadly, his journey to the meeting had been a two-hour train ride. The boss said: 鈥淚 told him: 鈥楾here鈥檚 an easy way to solve this. Scrap the overdraft and get on the train home.鈥欌��
V-Diddy
It truly has been a momentous week. Yes, for the first time in more than 100 years, I received a Valentine鈥檚 message, 鈥渋n confidence鈥� from a Yorkshire-based female reader. 鈥淓very week I laugh at your little diddies,鈥� she writes breathlessly. (鈥淒iddies鈥� is apparently Shires slang for, er, columns.) 鈥淟ast week鈥檚 page had me giggling for more hours than normal. Either you are pure genius or my mind is on other things.鈥� Nurse! The pills!
They need a hero
The competition is hotting up among our architectural fraternity to find out who鈥檚 the biggest Le Corbusier fan of them all. Last week, London鈥檚 design community packed at high density into the Corb-inspired Barbican arts centre to celebrate an exhibition on the master鈥檚 work. One celeb notable by his absence, however, was RIBA president Sunand Prasad, who was off on a trip to Corb鈥檚 Chandigarh buildings in India. But the pilgrimage prize must surely go to 黑洞社区 Design Partnership, which managed to hold its directors鈥� annual meeting at Corb鈥檚 jealously guarded Heidi Weber House in Zurich 鈥� while another firm, one Foster + Partners, was reportedly turned down.
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