Seven teams vied for the construction industry’s most coveted prize at the annual showdown at Fieldfisher’s City of London office - but who came out on top?
It’s that time of year again - the nights are closing in, pumpkins are appearing in the supermarkets, and it can mean only one thing. One of the most feverishly anticipated events in the construction calendar, the Building Quiz, is back.
The great and the good of the industry assembled in a time-honoured tradition at the end of last month to file through the doors of the central London office of Fieldfisher for the annual battle of wits. Some came for the networking opportunities, others came for the prosecco, but all came with one shared goal - victory.
With Fieldfisher’s upper floors undergoing refurbishment, this year’s event took place in the firm’s swish-looking ground-floor event space. Guests arrived from 6pm to the sounds of regular band The Super Tenants belting out stirring renditions of pop standards including Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Hit Me Baby One More Time by Britney Spears.
The atmosphere was buzzy as friends mingled and caught up with the latest gossip with drinks in hand. Renowned magician Mark Williams worked the room, moving from group to group and amazing guests with card tricks which seemed to defy explanation.
One trick in particular became a topic of debate - Mark asked someone to pick a card at random and write their name on it. He then took the card and put it back in the deck, before reaching into his jacket and taking out his wallet. In his wallet was a tiny sealed envelope, which when handed back to the guest to open, inevitably contained the original card.
The Building Quiz 2025 was held in support of the Epilepsy Society.
The Epilepsy Society is the UK’s only charity transforming the lives of people with epilepsy through world-leading research, advocacy and care.
Through cutting-edge research, campaigns, information resources and expert care, the charity works for everyone affected by epilepsy in the UK, with a vision of a world where epilepsy is irrelevant and people with epilepsy lead the lives they want to lead.
But as the hour of the quiz drew near and the assembled groups settled down at their respective tables, the light-hearted mood quickly subsided and the focus of those in attendance turned to the task at hand.
Seven teams took part - Bam, Buro Happold, Fieldfisher, London Structures Lab, Secretariat, Thomas Sinden and Turner & Townsend Alinea.
Teams were presented with a curious sight on their tables - a pile of raw spaghetti sticks and a bag of marshmallows. Regular quizmaster Cecily Davis explained: the goal was to construct the most impressive structure possible, using the spaghetti as beams and the marshmallows as joints. With so many engineers taking part, teams quickly got to work and soon a series of elaborate creations began to take shape.
Tables were also presented with a list of construction acronyms to fill out. While some, like RIBA and BRE, were easily guessed, others proved more challenging. What does BREEAM actually stand for? Few knew, with many gaps remaining on the list late into the evening.
Soon it was time for the quiz to start, with Cecily, who, when not leading the Building Quiz, is a partner in the projects and construction team at Fieldfisher, guiding attendees through eight rounds of increasingly challenging head scratchers.
Only a handful of questions could be answered without debate. Most, like ‘How many cups of tea do Brits drink each day’, provoked fevered discussion (the answer was three to four). Others remained unguessed until the last possible moment. What type of Mexican food is named after a small donkey? (Burrito). What two-word term refers to someone who is leaving their office? (Lame duck). What fast food logo is four yellow squares on a blue background? (Greggs).
Some questions proved controversial. Shouts of protest were heard when Cecily said the answer to the question ‘What type of animal is Donkey Kong?’ was an Ape - she quickly conceded that the more specific answer of gorilla was also correct. The answer to ‘What were the first 150 buildings completed after the Great Fire of London’ resulted in groans from the crowd when it was revealed not as churches, as many had guessed, but pubs.
After a break for food and a few further rounds of questions, it was time for the spaghetti and marshmallow creations to be judged. By this time many structures had grown to outlandish proportions, some seeming to almost break the laws of physics - while others had been broken by the laws of physics. Cecily went from table to table with a notepad in hand, carefully assessing each structure for structural integrity, ambition, design skill and flare.
After an agonising wait, the design competion’s winner was announced: Buro Happold’s team, The Stragglers, scooped the night’s most sought after prize with a daring work of engineering genius rising to no less than 2ft in height, complete with multiple layers of cross-braced spaghetti trusses and topped with decorative spike clusters. Sadly, its reign was short-lived. By the time it was named as winner, the structure had already collapsed, leading Cecily to admit: “What I chose as the winner I might not have chosen now.”
And so it came to the final results, the moment all had waited for with increasing dread. The scores were calibrated, analysed and double-checked. With an astounding 105 points, the winner was revealed as Thomas Sinden’s team Stink Tank, who shared the top prize, a box of assorted fine wines. In second place came Buro Happold, on 87 points, while Bam’s team Wham Bam claimed bronze medal with 85 well-earned points.
And that was it for another year. From Building, a huge thank you to everyone attended and see you next year!
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