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London developers to face the music… by footing soundproofing bill!

Property developers in London could be made to cover expenses for soundproofing nearby flats and residences that are located near to pubs, nightclubs and music venues in London under new plans to help tackle the steep decline of nightlife in the city.

The Cavern in Liverpool (or its modern reincarnation, at least) is a Mecca to any Beatles fan worth their salt. The Haçienda was a Mancunian music venue in Manchester that was the focal point of what became known as the Madchester years of the 80s and 90s.

However, for the past few years venues such as these (and many more throughout the UK) are falling into serious decline. The reason for the decline is twofold; there aren’t as many people actually going to the venues for live music anymore and it is becoming more and more difficult for venue owners to obtain or keep costly licenses to host late-night music. Whilst the first issue is much harder and more complex to tackle, the latter is largely due to pressure being put on venues by local developers to curb the noise in the interest of new residents.

The Troubadour in London is one such venue experiencing difficulties due to local residents. The historic and legendary coffee house – which has hosted the likes of Bob Dylan in 1962, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and Morrissey to name but a few – is currently for sale because of noise complaints. Kensington and Chelsea borough declared that the garden could no longer be used after 9pm. This has driven drink turnover down substantially, and the very future of the place now hangs in the balance.

Often the music venues in question have been part of the fabric in these areas long before residential districts are built up around them. The developers that move in then attempt to purge anything from the area that might be deemed undesirable and give people reason not to live in the buildings. Ergo, complaints are made, restrictions are issued and the venue is then effectively starved of the custom it has been entertaining and thriving off for many years.

However, under the new ‘agent of change’ principle, which is to be incorporated into London planning rules going forward, the responsibility of solving issues raised will now sit squarely on the developer’s doorstep, rather than the local council or the venue itself. This will mean that if complaints are made by residents regarding noise from a club, the developer will need to pay for soundproofing for that residence to help block out the noise!

Whilst this may seem extreme, drastic times call for desperate measures. The number of small venues in London alone has fallen by over 30% in the last 8 years. Nightclubs across Britain have actually halved in the past 10 years. The ideology behind the incentive is that the venues should culturally enrich a residential area rather than be a nuisance.

London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture, Munira Mirza said “What we don’t want is for the important regeneration and infrastructure work to damage the music [venue] industry.”

“Some boroughs are very supportive of live music and others aren’t. A lot of them listen to their residents, and don’t necessarily hear the voice of all the people who enjoy visiting [music venues].”

Head of the Night Time Industries Association Alan Miller is pleased with the proposal, saying “this agent of change thing is brilliant but I think it should go further. We should have a situation where if you move into a busy street full of bars and clubs, that’s the street you’re moving into.”

Thankyou for the music!

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New scheme launches to power office buildings… with coffee!

Coffee shops fuelling Londoners’ morning caffeine fix will also be helping to power office buildings and supermarkets, under a new capital-wide scheme.

The innovative coffee ground collection service is the brainchild of advanced biofuel company bio-bean, previous winners of the Mayor of London’s inaugural green technology Low Carbon Entrepreneur Award. They will turn the waste coffee grounds collected from London baristas into advanced biomass pellets, which will then be used to power energy networks with the capacity to heat up to 15,000 homes. The support and funding from the award has helped to turn founder and chief executive Arthur Kay’s green idea into a viable, now nation-wide business, employing over 20 people.

Mayor Boris Johnson called on more students to get involved in London’s thriving green economy and submit green business ideas as he launched the 2016 Low Carbon Entrepreneur Award with a top prize of £20,000. He was joined by Mr Kay at independent coffee shop Workshop Coffee in Clerkenwell, one of hundreds of coffee shops, office blocks and transport hubs in London now part of the daily coffee ground collection service run in collaboration with recycling company First Mile.

The competition has helped many university students launch green businesses including SolarBox, which turns disused telephone boxes into solar-powered mobile phone stations, and online clothes-swapping website Clotho London. The value of the green industry to the city is already as much as £30 billion a year and it employs 160,000 people, growing throughout the recession and now at a rate of six per cent a year.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said “Our green economy is booming and I want the next generation of Low Carbon Entrepreneurs to help make London the greenest, most sustainable innovative city on earth. The roaring success of previous winners like Bio-bean demonstrates the huge market for green technology ideas. They’ve done the hard grind and Londoners can now enjoy their daily coffee fix in the safe knowledge that as well as their own caffeine kick the energy levels of as many as 15,000 homes are being boosted!”

Bio-bean is the first company in the world to industrialise the process of recycling waste coffee grounds into advanced biofuels. Their factory has the capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of waste coffee grounds each year, the equivalent of one in every ten cups of coffee drunk in the UK, and at full capacity turn these into enough power to heat the equivalent of over 15,000 homes. Furthermore, as well as saving money for customers, each tonne recycled through bio-bean’s process saves up to 6.8 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Bio-bean has already secured a deal with Network Rail to collect waste coffee grounds from London’s seven largest train stations and has plans for even greater expansion.

Bio-bean chief executive Arthur Kay said “The first ever Low Carbon Entrepreneur Award gave me (and bio-bean) a great start. The London collection service marks a milestone in our UK development, as we collect waste coffee grounds at every scale, saving money on waste disposal fees and creating sustainability advantages for each of our clients.”

This year’s awards will be sponsored by Citi, the global banking group, and will offer £20,000 and paid internships at Citi in the UK, where the bank employs almost 10,000 people. 10 finalists will pitch to a panel of well-known judges in ‘Dragon’s Den’ style and the winners will receive funding to put towards their business idea. The competition is an important part of the Mayor’s vision to make London the European capital for green technology and to also nourish young entrepreneurship. Awards are open from today until February 2016. Entries can be made in a number of different categories, including transport, energy efficiency, product design and food waste.

Michael Lavelle, head of Corporate and Investment Banking, UK at Citi, said “We’re thrilled to be the new sponsor of this important initiative in London. At Citi, we are committed to developing innovative ways of financing projects that lead to sustainable growth. We recently announced that Citi will lend, invest and facilitate a total of $100 billion within the next 10 years to finance activities that reduce the impacts of climate change and create environmental solutions that benefit people and communities.”

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation is currently exploring how it could deliver the Mayor’s aspiration for a clean tech cluster to be developed on site, which could allow businesses in the sector to work together in close proximity similar to the ‘silicon roundabout’ for tech companies in east London. This could support businesses to maximise the benefits generated by the new High Speed 2 (HS2), Crossrail and Great West Main Line interchange, which will be situated in the area.

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It’s official: Walkie Talkie is the worst building in Britain

2016 update: Whilst the Walkie-Talkie was awarded the Carbuncle Cup last year for being the worst building in Britain, it appears there could be far worse to come on the horizon – how about a skyscraper that looks like a tin of processed meat, for example? Originally approved back in 2008, work soon stalled on this bizarre tower as it happened to coincide with the UK financial crisis. However, work is now reportedly back on track and the 105m, 24-storey building is due for completion in Summer 2018. The architectural version of spam, perhaps?

Original story:

20 Fenchurch Street, a commercial skyscraper in London designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly, has been awarded the annual Carbuncle Cup for being the worst example of architecture in the UK.

Nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie because of its distinctive bellowing shape, critics have long since argued that tall buildings should taper inwards elegantly rather than bulge out in order to not litter the skyline.

The shape isn’t the only gaffe made by designers with the Walkie-Talkie; since construction began in 2009 the building has been mired in controversy. First it inflicted solar glare problems on the people of London, burned holes in cars and bicycles parked below its looming stature. Then it became apparent that the placement of the building caused a dangerous wind tunnelling effect that actually blew passing pedestrians off their feet. Then there was the anticlimactic opening of a “sky garden,” which was criticised since opening for the tight restrictions and advance booking requirements placed on the visiting public, and for failing to meet pre-construction expectations of the extent and quality of the “garden.”

Editor of Building Design Magazine (who run the awards), Thomas Lane, said the carbuncle “crashes into London’s skyline like an unwelcome party guest.”

Thomas described the tower in a cutting and succinct manner, saying that “It bulges out towards the top in a cynical move to maximise the amount of high-value space at the upper levels, in defiance of the principle tall buildings should taper elegantly inwards or at least feature parallel sides. The result is Londoners now have to suffer views of this bloated carbuncle.”

Here’s what the people of twitter have to say about this year’s winner:


To see other buildings shortlisted for the Carbuncle Cup, please Click here to visit the site.

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Think bike – don’t turn left!

Lorries delivering to various construction sites and developments in London could be made to take special routes that minimise the number of left turns while making site deliveries, in a new incentive to reduce cyclist injuries.

Cyclists are considered at the highest risk of obtaining an injury or being killed when lorries make a left turn the rider is in the blind spot cannot see them. Between 2008 and 2012 more than half of cycling fatalities in London involved Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). Most cyclist and HGV collisions happen when vehicles turn left at traffic lights or other junctions.

Other measures planned to reduce cyclist fatality is to fit larger side windows to reduce blind spots and add sideguards to prevent cyclists being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision turning left at a junction.

The Mayor of London’s office announced the plans, saying “Many of the most dangerous vehicles are construction-related.”

“For future major construction projects, GLA planning powers will be used to strictly prescribe the routes which HGVs serving them can follow – requiring, for instance, that they avoid a road heavily used by cyclists or take a route that minimises the number of left turns, the most dangerous manoeuvre.”

“Discussions with the London boroughs and the construction industry have already started to ensure that this happens as fast as possible.”

Heavy Goods Vehicles without appropriate safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians fitted are now prohibited from entering Greater London under the “Safer Lorry Scheme.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson commented “We are ahead of any other part of the UK in closing the legal loopholes that allowed many HGVs to operate without basic safety equipment, and I am delighted that over the 18 months since we announced the Safer Lorry Scheme the vast majority of operators have got the message and fitted safety equipment to their vehicles in anticipation of the ban.”

“We have, from this morning, begun vigorous enforcement action against the laggards.”

“I announce today that I propose to require further safety modifications to all HGVs in London, including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce the driver blind spots that contribute to so many tragic accidents.”

The new left turn rules are expected to come into force in April next year, starting with all vehicles delivering to Crossrail and TfL.

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Could Battersea chimneys be turned into giant Tesla coils?

Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has revealed an interesting concept to transform the four chimneys at the Battersea Power Station project in London into the largest Tesla coils on Earth.

The purpose of the coils would be as a form of public art, partially powered by the high volume of foot traffic that passes by underneath the giant chimneys. The pavement below could generate a kilowatt of energy from the pressure on plates created by footsteps – known as the piezoelectric effect. This energy would then create a spectacular burst of electricity between the chimneys – a physical testament to the true power of the collective.

Bjarke Ingels unveiled the unusual idea at a lecture at the Royal Academy, saying “We’re working with experts in Tesla coils, looking into how to incorporate them into the chimneys so essentially we might celebrate the transformation from carbon footprint to human footprint.”

“We imagine it like Big Ben; when the clock strikes the hour, we can have this celebration of human energy and human life.”

“It could be interesting to create a public artwork that ties into the heritage of the power plant.”

“We don’t have coal any more but we do have 50,000 people passing by every day.”

A Tesla coil (created by Nikola Tesla around 1891) consists of two parts: a primary coil and secondary coil, each with its own capacitor. (Capacitors store electrical energy just like batteries.) The two coils and capacitors are connected by a spark gap — a gap of air between two electrodes that generates the spark of electricity.

Electrical engineer Greg Leyh and his colleagues in San Fransisco are currently fundraising to construct two 37m Tesla coils in a bid to understand more about lightning. These are on track to be the largest in the world – however, Bjarke Ingels are proposing an astounding 91.5m set of coils.

Whilst unlikely to be approved, the concept illustrates that there are still bright sparks within the world of architecture; pushing boundaries and helping take the artform into the brave unknown.

The Battersea project is due to be completed in 2019.

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Mapei unveils its exclusive London showroom – Mapei World, London city

Mapei, the world’s leading manufacturer of adhesive and chemical products for the construction industry is pleased to announce the opening of its UK Showroom based in the architectural design area – Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, London.

The impressive Showroom, designed by Marco Manzoni from Mapei SpA, was unveiled to key customers on Thursday 2nd July and was officially opened by Adriana Spazzoli, Operational Marketing & Communications Director and Veronica Squinzi Global Development Director, together with the Mapei UK Joint Managing Director’s Phil Breakspear and Mark Louch. To celebrate the opening the Italian Ambassador Pasquale Terracciano came to show support and Guest Speaker Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham Kt, was invited to provide insight into the future of the British and European Economy.

The showroom is a first for the Mapei Group and demonstrates the relationship between Manufacturer and Architect, from technical expertise and innovation, to providing bespoke project solutions in the UK and internationally.

Each of the 15 product lines is displayed in the Showroom through a series of textured samples and prestigious project references, accompanied by installation videos and supporting literature; offering Architects, contractors and designers alike a comprehensive guide for specifying Mapei products. Mapei’s Specification and Technical Teams are on hand throughout the year together with the training team, to provide practical and theory based guidance on the selection, installation and maintenance of Mapei products – through a calendar of dedicated CPD presentations. The technical CPD presentations cover a range of topics such as; Fast Track Screeds, Avoiding Ceramic Tiling Failures, Sub Floor Preparation and Successful waterproofing and many more.

The Showroom has been fitted out using a range of Mapei products; in particular the floor and walls have been finished with Ultratop Loft – a new highly decorative, unique wall and floor coating, suitable for residential, commercial and industrial applications. The CPD presentation room has been fitted with pre-finished wood flooring adhered with Ultrabond Eco S955 1K.

The Showroom promises to be a centre of excellence for Mapei, providing hands-on, practical and informative support throughout the entire specification process.

For more information on events, training dates and CPD presentations subscribe to Mapei UK’s Newsletter, details can be found on www.mapei.co.uk. For any further queries please email info@mapei.co.uk or tel. +44 (0)121 508 6970.

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