This section deals with the maintenance practice of concierge workers in Red Road. It looks at the work of the so-called block-check; i.e. a control tour that concierges carry out on single blocks. Block-checks are routine and repetitive work, which is generally appreciated by local residents but has neither been considered in studies on social housing estates.

Large buildings such as residential high-rises rely seriously on concierges and similar service personnel in charge of routine cleaning, maintaining and monitoring of infrastructure. For example, in many high-rises a waste evacuation system allows residents disposing rubbish through a hatch on their landing or corridor. A rubbish bag or bulky object stuck in the system can jam oncoming rubbish and filling up the chute towards the upper floors. This can lead to significant and expensive repair work and interventions in the building structure. In a worst case scenario clearance of the evacuation tube needs breaking through walls on the floors above the blockage. In buildings with sometimes up to thirty-storey it is vital that hatches on every landing are checked regularly.

Concierges in multi-storey flats have some but very limited technologies to remotely control and service the building. They rather rely on systematic checks, control tours, routine cleaning, emergency repair work and occasional visits of flats to provide for a building to proceed accurately. Through such routine on site work concierges not only identify and report, but are very often able to solve actual problems immediately.

A seemingly small problem, such as a rubbish bag not properly pushed into an evacuation tube or a left open window, can have significant impact on the damage caused, through, for example, water infiltration, and follow up repair costs but also the general habitability of a building. We suggest therefore understanding the work of building service not only as a technical necessity, but as an attempt ad infinitum to form what Graham and Thrift call "a common material background"[1] for contemporary urban societies.

A block-check is a tour on which one and sometimes two concierges would enter a block, take the lift to the top floor, then walk systematically down the stairs, check all landings, and finally leave the building on the ground floor [image_1]. On block-checks concierges control doors, landings, stairs, check rubbish chutes, close left open windows, take away rubbish, carry out smaller cleaning tasks and sometimes get rid of objects that are obstructing passage.

Block-checks do more than establishing a good relationship between housing landlord and residents. Such practices are sensitive to architectural settings, they comprise tools (walkie-talkies, cleaning products, keys) technologies (lifts, CCTV) they also respond to and shape the practices of other professionals (work colleagues, housing management, building service).