Construction industry gossip: As time goes by

Underground heating

One of my team found themselves using the Central line recently to get to the leaving do of Mace’s construction director Gareth Lewis, who is going (sort of) after nearly three decades there. Lewis is coming back in the autumn in a roving construction role, but that’s not the point of this story. Rather, it’s to report that the Central line was stiflingly hot. Imagine my hack’s surprise, then, to find out that, according to Transport for London figures, it doesn’t hold the record for the hottest platform temperature. That belongs to the Victoria line with an average 28.2ºC last year, although this was up above 30ºC between June and October. In 2013, the Victoria line’s average temperature was recorded at a mere 21.9ºC. I blame global warming.

An ordinary life

He may be Mace’s new construction director – taking over from the aforementioned Lewis – but Andrew Jackson is sticking to his roots. He tells my scribe that whenever he goes back to his native North-east at weekends, he likes nothing better than a game of dominoes at the local working men’s club. It’s the new golf.

Brookfield has just had to crane five giant heat pumps, each the size of a truck, onto the roof of its 30 Fenchurch Street building as part of a £15m job to improve its energy efficiency

Home games

The new football season has begun (really?) and the eagle-eyed might have spotted that Gleeson Homes’ logo is on the front of shirts worn by players at Barnsley. The League One side are among the favourites to go up this year, so Tykes fans must be hoping Barnsley’s house is in order ahead of the promotion push. I’ll get my coat.

Office politics

The Chartered Institute of Housing’s incoming president, Elly Hoult, met up with RIBA president Muyiwa Oki recently. They had lots to discuss, she says in a post on LinkedIn. She admits she cast envious glances at the fact Oki has his own office. “PS, CIH, any chance??!!” If you don’t ask and all that.

Hansom goes missing

A Building away day to the beautiful city of York last month and it seemed obvious to find a blue plaque dedicated to one of the city’s finest, Joseph Hansom. He was the chap who founded The Builder back in 1843, which was later renamed Building. The plaque was supposed to be above a restaurant in the city, and some of my team trooped along to have a nose. But, alas, what’s this? The restaurant is being gutted as part of a redevelopment. The plaque has gone too, so no photo opp. Flippin’ builders.

All hands to the pumps

Heat pumps are not nearly as ugly and hard to install as you might think, we are repeatedly being told. Brookfield might be forgiven for quietly disputing this. The City office developer has just had to crane five giant heat pumps, each the size of a truck, onto the roof of its 30 Fenchurch Street building as part of a £15m job to improve its energy efficiency. And you wonder why take-up of these climate-saving devices is still so low.

Poster boy

Many watching the Paris Olympic coverage have been intrigued by the sight of a narrow cardboard box being handed out to medal winners, who seem to have been equally nonplussed, left to awkwardly tuck the boxes under their arms while they pose for photographs. Well, the box contains an illustrated poster, with an architectural representation of the Paris Games created by Parisian illustrator Ugo Gattoni. It took him over 2,000 hours and five months to complete. The man deserves a medal.