How’s this for a growth industry?
Queen of Mishcon de Reya Susan Freeman started the new year somewhat confused. “Loads of my male colleagues have inexplicably returned from holiday sporting new beards. Was there some secret directive?” she tweeted this week. We can’t speak for the Mishcon chaps, but it turns out she is not far off on uncovering the possibility of organised beardedness when it comes to the industry at large. Three members of Savills’ planning team challenged one another to a beard-growing contest over the Christmas break. Simon Wallis, Edward George and Nick de Lotbiniere had between 19 December and 5 January to cultivate the most impressive facial fuzz. George was crowned the winner on the basis of the thickness and neatness of his effort. His reward was a deluxe wet shaving kit. There you go Susan. It’s not all in your head.
Towering intolerance
Ahead of its opening to the public on Monday, architecture critic Rowan Moore sought to demolish the Walkie Talkie – verbally, of course. Writing in last Sunday’s Observer, he didn’t mince his words in his assessment of London’s latest “iconic” building: “bloated”, “inelegant” and “thuggish” were among the choicest barbs. Diary will leave those with better judgment to argue about Moore’s verdict. But we were struck by one of his ideas. “‘Iconic’ doesn’t mean much more than ‘whoosh’,” thundered the former director of the Architecture Foundation. “Here’s a suggestion for the 2015 election manifestos: whenever the word ‘iconic’ is included in a planning application it should be substituted with ‘whooshy’. Then we’ll see how many officers and inspectors can, with a straight face, permit towers like this.”
What have they got to lose?
Diary has already broken three new-year’s resolutions – we’ll keep their precise nature to ourselves – but as ever our readers are made of sterner stuff. Some of the more determined gathered at Hush restaurant in Mayfair on Tuesday morning for the AGL Slimathon in aid of LandAid. Nearly 3,900kg of prime property people weighed in, with teams including JLL (Just Less Lard), AGL (Always Getting Lighter), GVA (Bilfinger Boys), Frogmore Fatties, the Lean Greens, Weight & See (led by Cushman’s David Erwin) competing over the next six weeks to see who can lose the greatest percentage of weight. So be sympathetic if you see any of them this week: the first weigh-in is on Monday.
Colliers’ Smith is top flight
West End specialist agency Bluebook decided not to be outdone by the PDC World Darts championship at Alexandra Palace, north London at the end of last year. While Scotsman Gary Anderson triumphed 7-6 in last Saturday’s final, Bluebook announced the winner of its own 2014 darts competition. Paul Smith, co-head of central London agency and development at Colliers International was crowned the king of the darts world. Smith hit the jackpot with a score of 90. He beat fellow heavyweights such as Marcus Geddes, head of portfolio-West End at Land Securities, and Marc Wilder, head of leasing at Great Portland Estates. Bluebook partner Joe Fuller said: “Congratulations to Paul on being crowned 2014 champion. A victory made all the more impressive given that he missed the board with all of his warm-up darts. We look forward to seeing him back on the Bluebook challenge in 2015 to defend his title. Game on!”
‘Ello ‘ello ‘ello… what’s going on here then?
Diary wants your help to compile the ultimate collection of bizarre buildings from around the world in 2015. But you don’t need to travel to Shanghai or Dubai to take part – to kick off, here’s an example from the UK. The unique appeal of Wrexham police station (pictured) may well be lost on the ne’er-do-wells of north Wales as they are hauled in for a night in the cells, but it caught the eye of EG’s Graham Shone – who was in the vicinity over the holidays purely by coincidence and not for any sort of festive misdemeanour. Or so he says.
