…asking a charity to run your on-site cafe?
That was the pioneering move taken by builder Longcross during construction of the Castle Mill student accommodation scheme at the University of Oxford. When site manager Paul Finch learnt that local homeless charity Crisis ran a café in the town centre, he put two and two together and approached them to set up the on-site facility designed to provide workers with a variety of fresh foods at attractive prices, and raise much needed funds for the charity. The Crisis Café benefits from free electricity and water, supplied by Longcross, and all profits from the venture will go to Crisis at the end of the project.
…abseiling a high-rise in a giant rubber head?
Safe Sammy is the grinning mascot of Essex-based construction firm Mulalley, pictured here hanging from the 16-storey Munden View block of flats on the Meridan Estate in Watford, as part of a charity event held with partner Watford Community Housing Trust. Looks fun, but we’re not so sure the guy in the mask is laughing – blindfolded, 16 storeys up, with nothing but a rope for support… yikes!
…building a scale model of the Olympic Park out of Lego bricks?
That was the ambitious task taken on by a team of the UK’s top Lego builders, who last month used 50,000 bricks to create a bite-sized version of the entire site for display at Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. Created in 400 hours, the 3m x 3m model featured distinctive landmarks and previewed the park’s first legacy neighbourhood, the 2,818-home East Village, opening next summer. And what was this masterpiece called? LEGO-acy!
…finding your next intern on auction site eBay?
Alongside all the second-hand offers, a 3rd year architecture student last month placed an eBay ad inviting architectural firms to give her a one-month trial for 99p before signing her up for a full placement necessary to complete her Part 1 qualification. “This will permit you the opportunity to see if I am suited and that you wish to offer me an internship for the 6 to 12 month RIBA required placement,” she said in the ad. “You may be gaining an assistant for as little as 99p. I am worth so much more to you…!” Sadly for the enterprising student, the auction closed without any bids.
