Construction industry gossip: New year opener

Antiques road show

Core Five founding partner James Clark, who is retiring in March after 13 years at the firm and nearly 40 years in the industry, remembers the first payment the fledgling practice was handed in 2012. “It was a cheque for £350,” he says. Turns out it was payment from Haworth Tompkins for a feasibility study into a new roof at the open air theatre at Regent’s Park. “What’s a cheque?” asked one of my colleagues.

Mosey on up

Many in the world of procurement will be familiar with professor David Mosey, the architect behind the Gold Standard system that has revolutionised public sector frameworks over the last couple of years. What they might not know, however, is that Mosey is also an excellent painter of water colours. He also happens to be one of the construction industry’s finest poets, having published his own illustrated book of poetry, All Gone Strange, which he says provides a “paddle through the shallows of my soul”. What better way to get through these cold winter months? All Gone Strange is available to buy on Amazon.

Baby, it’s cold outside

My hack was speaking to Mosey just before he was due to head out to Oman for a break. Mosey used to live in the capital Muscat where he headed the office for law firm Trowers & Hamlins. Anyway, Mosey flew out last Saturday when some people here in the UK woke up to temperatures below minus 15 degrees. Oman’s capital was a very pleasant 26Cº. My maths tells me that’s a swing of more than 40º…

Some thought the Elizabeth line might be a white elephant – a hugely expensive railway line, miles over budget that would not be used by many people. Now it’s the busiest line in the UK

Getting physical

I see the National Physical Laboratory is looking to revamp part of its site in west London. For older readers, it will cause a shudder, the building having helped bring about the demise of Laing Construction. As a reminder, here’s what an NAO report into the scheme, built by Laing under a PFI contract, said about it all in May 2006. “The private sector reported that it incurred a loss of at least £100m during the construction of the new facilities.” This and further losses on the Cardiff Millennium Stadium culminated in Laing being sold to Ray O’Rourke for £1 in 2001. We’ll just have to hope the laboratory’s revamp has less dramatic consequences for whichever contractor takes it on.

What’s my line?

Just think, when it opened two and half years ago, some thought the Elizabeth line, the renamed Crossrail, might be a white elephant – a hugely expensive railway line, miles over budget and so on that would not be used by many people. Now it’s the busiest line in the UK with more than 500 million passenger journeys made since, Transport for London says. Hope, then, for another railway line being built, which many think is a waste of time and money and whose name escapes me.

Top that

US developer Hines wants to start work on its 18 Blackfriars scheme by the summer. The site includes the Mad Hatter Hotel, which it owns, and which is staying. I always thought the name was just a simple homage to the Alice in Wonderland character. Turns out it sort of is but is more a reference to its historic past: it was actually the site of a Victorian hat factory. And the expression mad as a hatter, while we’re on this, comes from the myth that the glue used in the making of hat rims contained mercury, which tampered with the brain and sent some people mad. This may go some way to explaining today’s preference for knitted beanies.