好色先生TV

Sleeping with the fishes

The lengths people will go to to be sustainable in their projects seem to know no bounds. This week Driver Jonas Deloitte unveiled its plans to connect a brand new swimming pool in Redditch to the local crematorium to provide the heat for its pool. I confess that effectively using the deceased for fuel does make me a little uncomfortable. But then if that鈥檚 what it takes to heat a glorious municipal swimming pool these days then I guess I will have to get used to it. Certainly the practicality of the scheme cannot be denied - it will provide 42% of the building鈥檚 heat. And as I鈥檓 sure the residents of Redditch will say about their dearly departed loved ones: 鈥淚t鈥檚 what they would have wanted.鈥�

Delete after reading

The Architects Registration Board, the government body that looks after the register of architects, is not the first place one would expect a scandal. That was, until last week, when two board members inadvertently sent a journalist a hideously embarrassing series of emails relating to the upcoming elections to the board. In the first, George Oldham hit out at RIBA president Angela Brady鈥檚 support for candidates backed by the Stephen Lawrence Trust, calling them 鈥渢he ethnics鈥�. In her reply to Oldham, fellow board member Ruth Brennan described Brady as a 鈥減rat鈥� and possibly 鈥渢he worst ever RIBA president鈥�. Surprisingly enough, both have now resigned.

Peter鈥檚 plan

City of London planning officer Peter Rees鈥� ongoing war of words with the city鈥檚 heritage lobby was reignited last week. Rees and English Heritage have crossed swords over many redevelopment schemes in the City, most notably Make Architects鈥� controversial Broadgate scheme for Swiss banking giant UBS, which has required the partial demolition of Sir Stuart Lipton鈥檚 eighties Broadgate Circus - a development English Heritage recommended for grade-II* listing. Rees joked at a Square Mile event last week that he was 鈥渄eliberately consenting some really bad buildings鈥� to ward off the possibility of them being listed in the future. 鈥淲e have got to have something to redevelop,鈥� he explained. His aversion to protection also extends to the City鈥檚 celebrated 鈥淕herkin鈥� tower - Rees shuddered at the potential 鈥渄anger鈥� it would be listed.

Bon voyage

Hansom would like to wish the 80 brave (or should that be foolhardy?) construction folk who yesterday embarked on the seventh annual 1,500km Aedas Cycle to Cannes the very best of luck. The Cycle to Cannes organisers are hoping to raise an impressive 拢200,000 for charity this year, to add to its all-time total of 拢1m. As per usual, the cyclists will roll in to Cannes for the start of the MIPIM property convention, making the rest of the generally hungover construction crowd feel conspicuously idle by comparison.