No sweat

The new visitor centre just opened beneath the front of the Capitol in Washington DC is five acres of construction on three levels, fifty-foot underground, four years late, costing $621m, rather than the budgeted $261m. For me, it has the style of a mausoleum - but, for the Senators, the air-conditioning means lower levels of aroma from sweaty tourists - enjoy this CBS report, if can you bear the advert.


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Officially, it's the work of the Architect of the Capitol, a government role - but the designers are RTKL Associates - who have done enormous projects around the world, including a fistful of Ritz-Carltons, and unbuilt designs for Liverpool's Central Station.

Another "Brit" connection: the structural work was by Balfour Beatty, who brought you the unloved BBC White City office block, on a design and build contract.