Anyone watching the Claridges Megabuild thing on the Beeb?

Claridges need more space for (very) rich people to go on holiday, so are having an extension done. I say extension, they’re having a five-storey basement dug underneath, and a four storey bit added to the top. And they’re not shutting the hotel whilst it’s being done, and so the guests won’t be disturbed they’re doing a lot of the work, including the digging, by hand.

Politics of the mega-rich aside, civil-engineering wise it’s amazing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gqn8/the-mayfair-hotel-megabuild-series-1-episode-1

I loved the fact that they couldn’t find anyone to take on the basement engineering. Too big, to complex, too risky. Then they spoke to the Irish who just cracked on with it!

Not seen this I’ll have to give it a watch, just shows how absolutely mental central London property value is…. I wonder what the build cost is and how long it’s forecasted return on investment would be.

The first episode suggested that construction noise was making it through to the guest areas though. I’d not be enchanted if I’d paid what Claridges charges for a room and could hear someone demolishing the top floor at 8am.

Yes I’ve just started watching them all.
It’s absolutely mental.

The rich pampered knobbers and their love of luxury leave a bad taste but the work being done is incredible. Hard to believe possible really.

I couldn’t work for these people. There’s a bit where some project leader is having a go at a craftsmen because he’s failing to find single length boards in a certain timber in 15m lengths and thinks its just because he’s not committed enough to finding them.

I really hate that level of perfection that some people with money demand.
The use of rare materials really mainly because they’re rare and subsequently incredibly expensive so therefore must be the pinnacle. No soul to these people.

The windows being made in northern Ireland and transported over are pretty cool.

But it’s really a fascinating look at the project anyway.

Also, the hotel owner and manager seem to be exempt from all normal construction health and safety rules. Always on site, no Hi-Viz, no head, eye or foot protection between them. Most sites I’ve been on that would not be tolerated, and the more senior the person, the more militant people will be about enforcing it.

My Claridges story.
Courtesy of our rich friends we were staying there a few summers ago for our birthdays.
Went down to the bar at lunch time. I was in polo shirt , Chino shorts and desert boots.
As soon as I walked in ,stroppy cow walks up to me and says you can’t come in dressed “like that”.
“Ok I’ll just pop up to my suite and get changed.”
Suitably long trousered I returned to the bar and that stroppy cow could not bring me enough nuts and truly pushed the envelope of sucking up.

Also, the hotel owner and manager seem to be exempt from all normal construction health and safety rules.

Noticed that. You’d expect a bit more from an outfit that is swinging hundreds of skipfuls of rubble over London streets or digging a vast hole into the clag next to the Jubilee line.

Impressive stuff.
Reminded me of the entire Selfridges in Oxford Street getting jacked up a few inches to line up with new internal structure and a new underground bit. All without closing to shoppers.

Too big, to complex, too risky. Then they spoke to the Irish who just cracked on with it!

I watched a BBC archive doc about the building of the Victoria Line in the 60’s – again, lots of Irish doing the stuff others wouldn’t or couldn’t!

The H&S was literally non-existent and scary as hell.

Taking wan*y bo**ox to a new level!

And who gives a sh!t about the environmental impact of it all?

Interesting to watch, but I am quite disgusted by it all, in case it was hard to tell? 🤣

amazing engineering, rich people aside and how the hell people can afford those prices, I would also be super concerned about the enviornmental impact of such a project. I mean building entire sections of the roof and shipping them from ireland….they didn’t do that sillyness when they built it the first time. Unless i’ve missed it, environmental impact doesn’t even register as something to think about

I was in polo shirt , Chino shorts and desert boots.
As soon as I walked in ,stroppy cow walks up to me and says you can’t come in dressed “like that”.

Can you blame her? 😉

This might appeal

Moving the Indiana Bell telephone exhange in 1930 without interupting the telephone services to their customers or the water/ sewage / elec and gas supplies for the occupants working inside – not even the ones in shorts and desert boots.

And who gives a sh!t about the environmental impact of it all?

At one point in the second episode one of the engineers mentioned that after the works the efficiency of the building would be vastly better than previously and their co2 output substantially lower due to the new heating and water systems being put in. So environmentally, it’s better.

Whilst it exists purely to separate rich people from their money, I still think it’s an amazing piece of civil engineering.

Unless i’ve missed it, environmental impact doesn’t even register as something to think about

As Ben said, building will be 50% bigger but will use 40% less energy.

The whole thing is ridiculous yet fascinating.

Using less energy is only part of the environmental impact of the building!

I wasn’t referring to the efficiency of the building – that could have been achieved without shipping the roof build from ireland or encouraging the chopping down of rare african trees….etc… its akin to draping the sofas in real tiger fur

I’ve been watching it – I found the engineering side of it surprisingly well done and interesting.

It’s ok, that bastion of environmental impact, Chris Martin, approves of it 😉

I mean building entire sections of the roof and shipping them from ireland….they didn’t do that sillyness when they built it the first time

It’s a very efficient* way of doing things ( although having them made somewhere closer would have been better).

*Less mess on site, less scaffolding, safer to name a few advantages

Also noticed the H&S / PPE compliance of the top brass. Not a chance!

Just watching episode 3 now where David Walliams is the first to swim in the new spa pool.

STRAIGHT AWAY the glaring mismatch of the joint line on the pool coping and tiles leapt out at me.
It’s about 5mm off!
Shocking! 😳

It actually is quite surprising given the level of detail that supposedly goes into everything.

I wondered from the trailer what this was like, I’ll have to catch up on this

It actually is quite surprising given the level of detail that supposedly goes into everything.

Probably done after the top top boss had left the project. I don’t think the next guy down had such a high level for detail

Just settled down to episode 1. Thanks for the tip-off. Engineering all too rare on TV. I’ll turn a blind eye to the rich bellendery.

Those fellas digging out the basement are basically navvy’s. Brilliant.

I just watched the last one and was impressed with the engineering and the level of detail.

I agree with Kayaks comment about choosing the materials because they are expensive and rare being a bit annoying. They are expensive because they are rare, not because they are necessarily the best. It reminds me of the joke about the woman who told her husband to get something super expensive that she didn’t really need for her birthday – he booked her a course of chemotherapy.

Not sure why all the anger about rich people and how they choose to spend their money. I am pretty sure everyone on here is richer than someone else in the UK and that you choose to spend your money on something non-essential. All they do is scale it up. Some people on here appear to have a real chip* on their shoulders about wealth.

*Les millieurs pommes d’terre, frits en tranches if you are one of the rich

This is how they can afford those works!

The worst bit was the spa manager. She pushed my bollocks/sec reading to record levels.

Not sure why all the anger about rich people and how they choose to spend their money.

That’s just the way of the world, some people are just jealous/ cheesed off that they don’t have what others have.

I felt sorry for the master craftsman who was bullied by the d!ckhead boat builder. Boat builder created a spec without actually making sure he could get the materials. We noticed that stonework on the side of the pool straight away! If it was my house it would be done again !

Yes it’s an expensive place, yes you have to be rich, but just look at how many jobs that project created. Without rich people there would be no jobs for the masses. Unless we fancy giving communism a go comrades ?

The bit that was a bit jarring for me (nothing to do with the programme except incidentally) was the part about Claridges opening their rooms to NHS staff during covid, just after I’d been watching the news about the next nurses strike. How soon the government has forgotten.

The programme is a fascinating building protect. Although the pretentiousness of the staff and guess is off the scale at times.

You should actually visit. It’s mostly comfortably poor people putting afternoon tea on a credit card for granny or middle eastern tourists.

Real rich folk avoid the peasants and get their full time chef to make them a a grouse sandwich in the orangary 😂

Personally I’ve never understood how someone can pay £100 for some pretty basic finger sandwiches not too far away from what you’d get at the average kids party.

Personally I’ve never understood how someone can pay £100 for some pretty basic finger sandwiches

And they cut the blummin crusts off!
Best bit! 😡

building entire sections of the roof and shipping them from ireland

A lot of precast concrete is shipped over from Ireland, they don’t pay as much tax on sand & gravel as we do in the UK, so the concrete is cheaper, even taking into account shipping costs.

And they cut the blummin crusts off!

then wrap a bow round the crusts, give them a lengthy back story and sell them for £20 each

The top floor of the hotel was built in Northern Ireland not the Republic of Ireland.

Incidentally there is a massive legal battle between McKillen (Irish part owner) and the Qataris as to the value/ownership of the hotel.

I mean building entire sections of the roof and shipping them from ireland….they didn’t do that sillyness when they built it the first time. Unless i’ve missed it, environmental impact doesn’t even register as something to think about

Do you not approve of pre-fab/modular houses (often built in other countries – i.e. Huf Haus) and then shipped to site either then?

Personally I’ve never understood how someone can pay £100 for some pretty basic finger sandwiches

You are paying for the experience. We took my mum to Savoy for afternoon tea for her 70th. Food was average but she loved it. Everyone got dressed up, she was made to feel really special, she absolutely loved it. Worth every penny.

Personally I’ve never understood how someone can pay £100 for some pretty basic finger sandwiches

Mrs FD went with a friend last September for Afternoon Tea. She said she had no idea they were doing work.

First thing I asked was wasnt it just ‘normal’ people dressed up paying a lot for a sandwich. She said in many ways yes, but as above its about the experience and the environment. My escape from the socially inept people in life is to disappear up a remote hill. Her’s is to go and have an expensive cup of Tea. To be fair though she said it was very nice food, and yes a posh sandwich can taste much nicer than a cheap one.

In many ways IMO its just like a lot of rich places. We recently went to Dubai. Yes it probably has a some rich people going, but we saw lots of ‘normal’ people wanting to experience ‘posh’ Dubai. I am convinced our hotel hired supercars to park outside.

Did some work there quite a few years ago (probably ripped out now they’ve put a new heating system in) but my god what a shit hole the back of house was, Most greasy spoon kitchens were far cleaner.

Not sure why all the anger about rich people and how they choose to spend their money.

The only thing I find perhaps distasteful is the way that a lot of people who love that world seem to enjoy the way that money can mean the subservience of others, and the way they enjoy that.

Each to their own. Personally I feel distinctly uncomfortable if I’m even called Sir by anyone.

Couldn’t think of anything worse than having a load of people trip over themselves to kiss my behind purely because I’ve got a lot of dough.

But yeah, incredible projects and things happen because of money of course.
It’s the human element that’s for me a little uncomfortable. 😊