Hansom Journey's End

摘要

A host of American architects are currently in deep negotiations over who will design the new US embassy in Battersea. As Building reported, no British architects could apply owing to stringent security rules. Nevertheless, the shortlisted firms were encouraged to bring Brits in as executive architects. We hear a few high-profile firms have sniffed at offers to, as one architect put it, "do someone else's working drawings and make them coffee". But no such upturned nose from Hopkins Architects, which we understand is lending its prestige to one of the shortlisted teams. Very sensible. Better make sure the espresso machine is in good working order, though.rnI was pleased to see a fine example of joined-up government thinking this week -on compost. Wrap, the quango launched to promote recycling, proudly announced that the 2012 Olympic media centre would sport a green roof grown from kitchen and garden waste. But a rather nonplussed Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), perhaps envisaging "Olympic venue a load of rubbish" headlines, swiftly dismissed the story as "totally inaccurate". Judging by the subsequently depressed tones of the Wrap publicity team, there may have been sterner exchanges behind the scenes. The lesson? Never cross the ODA - not even for the sake of the planet.