Great and good

The stars at night

To Battersea Park and the Alliance Ball last Saturday, where 1200 construction industry types were in generous mood. The ball, organised by Stanhope and Bovis Lend Lease, raised funds for Unicef, the UN’s child protection agency. Sponsorship came from Laing O’Rourke, Mace and specialists BDL, Byrne Brothers, Clipfine, Gardner & Co, McGee, Irvine Whitlock, John Doyle, Keltbray, Prater, Swift Horsman, William Hare and Wilson James. Guests boogied on down to Dannii Minogue and Boney M after a Rob Brydon-hosted charity auction raised more than £250,000. Lots included lunch for 10 with Peter and Richard Rogers and a trip in Ray O’Rourke’s private jet to Monaco. One lucky specialist even has the pleasure of getting Peter Rogers to sweep up on a site of their choice for a day, after stumping up £20,000 for the privilege. If you want to donate some of your own money to the cause, contact Helen Morris on 020-7170 1700.

Wearing Victoria’s trousers

Talking of auctions, word reaches me of another at Gleeds’ Sporting Heroes event at the Café Royal last Wednesday. Apparently, senior partner Richard Steer nabbed one of the items before it was even up for auction. He could not resist the pair of jeans and T-shirt worn by Victoria Beckham for his two daughters. Steer justified his actions by explaining that he’d paid two-and-a-half times the reserve price for the outfit. The girls were understandably delighted with Posh’s jeans, – especially as they seemed to come in a child’s size anyway.

Yeah, baby, groovy!

I hear that Geoff Wright was “all shook up” as he celebrated yet another retirement party at the Little Britain sailing regatta on the Isle of Wight. Hosted by the Waterman Group, Wright was joined by friends from across the industry for the fancy dress shindig. But a £25 drinks voucher goes to the reader who can tell who the cheeky chap is in the front row dressed in an Austin Powers outfit. Answers please to hansom@cmpi.biz

A legal manoeuvre

Argent founders Michael and Peter Freeman dished out some advice for dealing with lawyers at the developer’s 25th birthday party, held last Wednesday at a King’s Cross nightclub. Their first project, they reminisced, was located next door to two barristers who were determined to block planning. “So,” the brothers chuckled, “we went and hired the solicitor who gave them their briefs and we didn’t hear any more about it”.

Architectural taste

The connection between architecture and food is a recurrent theme – especially among architects, several of whom have set up restaurants alongside their offices. Now we have The Table (Café) set up by Allies and Morrison on the ground floor of their offices in Southwark – it has just had been awarded London’s “Best Cheap Eats” by Time Out.

Ryder’s Ryder Cup

I had no luck in getting through to Ian Kennedy last Friday to discuss Darlington Education Village (see page 48). The architectural director of RyderHKS was off with his executive director to Ireland to see – what else? – the Ryder Cup. I gather the golf visit has now become a regular event at the practice.