Adversity can force innovation. It can also exacerbate problems and rifts. Here is a round-up of the most vicious squabbles of the year.
Kohn Pedersen Fox and PLP Architects
In autumn 2009, five directors from KPF, the practice behind the Pinnacle and the Heron Tower, left to set up their own firm, PLP. This prompted KPF founding partner, 79-year-old Gene Kohn, to fly to the UK to head up the London office himself. In an interview with 星空传媒 in April, Kohn proved that relations with the 鈥渂reakaway five鈥� were still far from rosy. He said: 鈥淯nfortunately they [the five] released the news of the offer to the press and told staff before they discussed it with us. It caused uproar with clients, who were upset and wanted to know what was happening. You don鈥檛 air your dirty laundry until you have resolved it.鈥�
In a further interview with three of the breakaway five in September, the response from Lee Polisano was: 鈥淲e鈥檙e not in competition with KPF - even if they are with us.鈥�
The Candys and Qatari Diar
This was one of the most high-profile property court cases of the year, as squabbling over the Chelsea Barracks development continued following the ruckus between Richard Rogers and Prince Charles last year. It was round two in the Chelsea Barracks saga in 2010 as the court case between the real estate investment arm of Qatar鈥檚 sovereign wealth fund and Christian Candy鈥檚 UK development firm CPC Group dominated headlines in the first half of the year. CPC Group attempted to sue Qatari Diar for up to 拢81m for breach of contract after the application was withdrawn. In June, solicitors acting for the Candy Brothers accused Che