黑洞社区

Happiness is 鈥�

In case you are still in need of a lift on a cold autumn night, the RIBA鈥檚 think tank 黑洞社区 Futures has just the thing to keep you smiling 鈥� the somewhat cloyingly titled 黑洞社区 Happiness: Architecture to Make you Smile. The book has challenged contributors to come up with their 鈥渉appy places鈥�. Thus we get Deyan Sudjic of the Design Museum on the merits of the Boeing 747, Lord Rogers on 鈥渇ood, sex and architecture鈥� and journalist Hugh Pearman on the cooling towers at Drax Power Station. The largest grin, though, is reserved for Will Alsop鈥檚 white rendered lifeboat shelter. 鈥淭his simple shed is all I need to make me happy,鈥� purrs our Will. Funny that this love of simplicity doesn鈥檛 extend to his own designs.

Nice work, if you can claim it

A computer-literate mole of mine pointed me in the direction of fit-out contractor Overbury鈥檚 website. He told me to browse the photographs of projects proudly displayed there. Among the many images of Overbury鈥檚 excellent fit-outs was a photo of the newly decorated offices of mobile phone software company Symbian. And a very nice job it looks too. Only one problem though 鈥� this isn鈥檛 an Overbury project. It was done by rival firm BW Interiors. Competition certainly must be frantic in these credit crunched times if companies are claiming each others鈥� work 鈥�

Playing the market

Chancellor Alistair Darling may have tried his best to save the industry, but personally I鈥檓 more convinced by a kind note that was popped through 黑洞社区鈥檚 door this week from a gentleman called Marketing Man. According to his breathless letter (superheroes don鈥檛 use email, it seems) Marketing Man has offered his superhuman sales service to 鈥渁ny UK tradesperson鈥� on his 鈥渕ission to help you beat the credit crunch鈥�. Brilliant! That this strategy seems to rely largely on the use of 鈥渢wo free e-books鈥� matters not one jot 鈥� salvation is surely upon us. What a relief!

How deep are your doldrums

It seems celebrity spotting can be added to Dubai鈥檚 must-do activities, along with camel riding, indoor skiing and building a 鈥渨orld鈥檚 tallest tower鈥�. On a press trip last week, a colleague brushed elbows with the one and only Gary Barlow in the departure gate at Dubai airport. The Take That singer, who had his family in tow, looked a little depressed. Did the constant hum of construction work ruin his trip perhaps? Or was it just the pack of screaming journalists 鈥� our own excluded, obviously 鈥� getting him down? Who can be sure 鈥� so sure?

Taxi!

The inaugural World Architecture Festival was noted for the almost total absence of credit crunch chat, apart from the following exchange, overheard in a bar: How do you find an architect in London? Hail a cab. Ha, ha.

The austerity of the times didn鈥檛 stop sponsors Arup and Davis Langdon from hosting a lavish dinner, although at least one architect present wasn鈥檛 convinced. 鈥淚t was the most precisely costed meal in history,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think they were ticking off each glass of wine.鈥� You鈥檇 have thought he鈥檇 be happy enough just to have a hot dinner, wouldn鈥檛 you?

Making a drama out of a crisis

Construction pensions body B&CE took a colleague off to see Kenneth Branagh鈥檚 critically acclaimed Ivanov last week in London鈥檚 West End. However, the evening didn鈥檛 quite have the desired effect of taking the assembled throng鈥檚 minds off the financial gloom of present day Britain.

Set in Russia at the turn of the 19th century, the drama included frequent references to economic hardship, worrying market conditions and suggestions that only hard cash is safe. The comments had the audience chuckling wholeheartedly, but seemed to elicit only teeth-clenching grimaces from our hosts. A kopek for your thoughts, chaps?