微密圈

You decide

Getting called up for jury service, as we all know, is an important civic duty. But sometimes we have a good reason not to do it 鈥� and the government鈥檚 website makes it clear you can postpone your stint if your employer will not give you the time off work. If you are housing minister, then being around for arguably the busiest week of policy announcements for the Labour government to date evidently does not count as a good enough excuse.

Matthew Pennycook was off on jury service last week despite the government pumping out 10 major announcements affecting affordable housing. As MHCLG put papers out on everything from new decent homes and energy efficiency standards, to funding programme details and Right to Buy reforms, Pennycook was carrying out his duty on the jury like a good citizen. Thinking about it, maybe it wasn鈥檛 such a bad time to be called up鈥�

Skills glut

A colleague was a recent guest on a podcast organised by the London Society. The theme of the talk was how on earth is the industry going to get enough people to build all the homes, infrastructure and other bits and bobs the government wants to do in the next few years. Turns out he was forced to do the podcast in the bathroom, which that day was the quietest part of the house. The reason? The builders were in. 

As the temperature nudged 35C, my hack expected to find everyone inside huddled under the air-conditioning. Not a bit of it

Breaking the ice

What a day to hold a party celebrating a recent office move. Avison Young鈥檚 bash last week at new abode Percy Street, off Tottenham Court Road, was held on the hottest day of the year 鈥� so far. As the temperature nudged 35C, my hack expected to find everyone inside huddled under the air-conditioning.

Not a bit of it. Most guests seemed to be on the outside terraces braving the fierce heat. Avison Young鈥檚 caterers came well supplied: I hear 100kg of ice was ordered to help people cool down. More than the average for a night, I would guess. 

The cricket test

Completely unrelated to construction but worth telling: One of my team was in Norway recently 鈥� avoiding said fierce heat 鈥� and found himself in a Bergen coffee shop. Also in there were a few Aussies. Anyway, one couple got to chatting to another and one said they had been in Europe watching their son-in-law play in the world Test championship.

Turns out the son-in-law was Nathan Lyon, Australia鈥檚 third-highest wicket-taker of all time. For those unaware, the sport is cricket and the sides were Australia and South Africa. Jolly nice the in-laws were too, although my man felt it indiscreet to wonder aloud who he wanted to lose more.

Brutalism for kids

Lego is to move its London headquarters from Farringdon to 76 Upper Ground in 2027. The Danish company is taking three-and-a-half floors at the site, formerly called the IBM building, which has been overhauled by Multiplex under plans by AHMM.

I suppose it鈥檚 quite fitting, really, as an architectural colleague says one of the first things he tried to make of Lego was a replica of brutalist architect Denys Lasdun鈥檚 design鈥�

What a performance

Taking full advantage of July鈥檚 glorious weather, my hack recently found himself in a windowless room in Imperial College to hear from Becky Wood, the government鈥檚 new infrastructure tsar. As ever in British infrastructure, things went awry from the start.

The organisers hadn鈥檛 loaded Wood鈥檚 slides, and, while trying to recover from this early blow, she was interrupted by a loud Teams call ringtone. Nevertheless, the NISTA chief maintained her cool admirably 鈥� in the jargony words of the organisers, it was 鈥渁 masterclass in resilience and adaptive performance鈥�. Perhaps there is hope for Britain鈥檚 ailing megaprojects after all.