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Splash, bang, wallop

No party worth its salt is complete without some sort of bust-up and the Stirling Prize ceremony was no exception. Before announcing the winner of the Manser Medal for one-off house design last week, architect Michael Manser launched into an attack on housebuilders saying they had done more harm to the environment and people鈥檚 comfort of living than anyone else in recent years. This didn鈥檛 go down too well with Tom Bloxham, chair of developer Urban Splash, who took to the stage right after Manser to announce the winner of RIBA Client of the Year. He said he鈥檇 like to tell Manser 鈥渨hat most developers would like to do with a room full of architects in Manchester鈥�. I suspect he didn鈥檛 mean they鈥檇 like to buy them all a drink.

In our beginning is our end

Rarely are industry events as bacchanalian as the recent party organised by consultant WYG. To be fair, the event - held earlier this month - was a wine-tasting and was held at the aptly-named Vivat Bacchus in London鈥檚 Farringdon, but the sheer volume of champagne consumed was something to behold. Having sampled nearly five glasses of a variety of bubblies, our hack turned to leave - only for a member of staff to announce that the wine tasting 鈥渨ould now begin鈥�. WYG clearly know how organise a piss-up in a wine bar.

Schools discipline

A contractor, who shall remain nameless, was recently given a severe rap over the knuckles by education secretary Michael Gove鈥檚 officials for daring to approach one of the schools that are part of the government鈥檚 拢2bn PFI schools programme to market its services. The firm was told in no uncertain terms that if it approached another school it would be blacklisted by Gove鈥檚 team and would have no chance of winning school building work. 鈥淪uch is the Soviet nature of the operation they鈥檙e running,鈥� one wag observed.

Settling scores
It鈥檚 good to see that the competition between leading lights of British architecture Grimshaw and Foster + Partners doesn鈥檛 stop at the end of the working day. Indeed, I鈥檓 reliably informed it was alive and well during a five-a-side football match last week where Foster鈥檚 well-drilled side trounced a plucky Grimshaw team 12-5 - the first time the practice has ever beaten Grimshaw, apparently. No doubt it鈥檒l also be a prized scalp for Lord Foster鈥檚 players, given the fact they lost out to Grimshaw in a contest to masterplan a huge redevelopment of Los Angeles Union Station back in June.

To some a job, to others a calling

Writer and star of BBC sitcom Rev, Tom Hollander, has become a target for wags on construction sites, he has revealed. In an interview, Hollander admitted that the success of the show, which centres on the struggles of hapless London vicar Adam Smallbone, has meant he is now recognised by vocal builders. 鈥淲eirdly, in the first episode, we had a joke in which the scaffolders would shout, 鈥極i, it鈥檚 the Vicar of Dibley鈥� to Adam Smallbone until he told them to eff off,鈥� Hollander told the Times. 鈥淎nd in a horrible ironic twist, [real builders] now shout, 鈥極i, Rev鈥� at me.鈥�