The electricity market is evolving to allow a higher integration of variable energy sources and a new class of devices is approaching the market to satisfy this necessity. In the new report released by IDTechEx: “Potential Stationary Energy Storage Device to Monitor”, the emerging class of energy storage devices,
Green Homes Grant opens for business today to help homeowners upgrade their homes and save up to £600 a year on their energy bills Tenants also benefit from the new measures, with consultation launched on upgrading private rental properties by 2028 as well as new scheme for social housing New
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce that Sir David Adjaye will receive the 2021 Royal Gold Medal, one of the world’s highest honours for architecture. The Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen and is given to a person or group of
It has been a busy couple of years here at The Wigley Group. With two main strands to our business, a commercial landlord with an extensive property portfolio across the Midlands and main contractor delivering construction projects across the region, our move to Stockton House in 2019 has enabled us
Age-old assumptions: 44% of Brits believe ‘cowboy builders’ are commonplace Top misconceptions: Too expensive (28%), unreliable (23%) and rip-off merchants (19%) – yet85% admit their experiences of tradespeople have been positive #RespectYourTrades: Checkatrade campaign seeks to drive reappraisal of our nation’s tradespeople and has produced a video to help address
Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson is celebrating being a successful finalist for both the East and West Midlands 2020 LABC Building Excellence Awards. Announced via a virtual ceremony, the LABC Regional Building Excellence Awards are the largest business to business awards in the UK, and recognise outstanding public sector construction projects in 12
The Cargo Building in Liverpool, part of the residential portfolio managed by Federated Hermes, has become the world’s first residential asset to achieve the new BREEAM In-Use (BIU) Residential certification. Located just a few minutes’ walk from Albert Dock and Liverpool ONE, The Cargo Building comprises 324 apartments, making it
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is building a massive clock inside a mountain in West Texas, but he’s unlikely to be caught wearing one of the world’s more popular luxury watches. Back in 2018, Bezos tweeted that construction on a clock that will be able to tell time for
A Fence is an outdoor physical structure that helps provide an enclosure for an area. While it can be used for various purposes, one major purpose is to demarcate an area as a way of preventing encroachment. They can be constructed from posts and connected with wire, rails, netting, or
The electricity market is evolving to allow a higher integration of variable energy sources and a new class of devices is approaching the market to satisfy this necessity. In the new report released by IDTechEx: “Potential Stationary Energy Storage Device to Monitor”, the emerging class of energy storage devices, characterized by long storage duration and MW size power output, are investigated. While existing energy storage devices are already populating the market, from Li-ion batteries to pumped-hydro energy storage, this new class of storage technologies will aim to complete the puzzle of the energy storage market. Pushed from the electrification of the automotive sector, Li-ion batteries have been deeply investigated in the last decades and are currently the standard choice for short and medium-duration storage. On the other end of the storage market, pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) are the main energy storage systems supporting the grid. These systems have a power capacity of GW scale (1000s of MW), and long storage time, from days upwards. In between these two storage systems, a new group of storage devices is now approaching the market, with an intermediate power range, between MW to GW scale and an energy storage capacity that is almost indefinite. Power and storage capacity comparison of different technologies. Source: IDTechEx Research report “Potential Stationary Energy Storage Device to Monitor” The devices investigated by IDTechEx include: Gravitational Energy Storage (GES): Piston-Based GES (PB-GES) Underground PHES (U-PHES) UnderWater GES (UW-GES) Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES) Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) The market addressed by these systems aims to improve the quality, and resiliency of the electricity grid, and distribution networks. Therefore, it is aiming to address the Front-the-Meter (FTM) section of the electricity grid. These devices, as investigated in IDTechEx’s new report “Potential Stationary Energy Storage Device to Monitor”, support the electricity grid providing peak-shaving service, grid deferral, and frequency regulation, among other possible services. Moreover, because some of these technologies involved the use of several turbines, some of these devices can address more than one service at the time, therefore increasing the value stacking of these technologies. Although they come with high capital costs, and are in their initial demonstration phase, these devices are a promising solution to stabilize the electricity grid and reach a high level of integration of variable renewable energy sources. For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/PotentialSES or for the full portfolio of Energy Storage research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/ES. IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Consultancy and Event products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information on IDTechEx Research and Consultancy, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com.
Green Homes Grant opens for business today to help homeowners upgrade their homes and save up to £600 a year on their energy bills Tenants also benefit from the new measures, with consultation launched on upgrading private rental properties by 2028 as well as new scheme for social housing New work will be created for accredited tradespeople in green construction, supporting 100,000 jobs across the UK £3 billion plan to upgrade buildings an essential part of building back greener from coronavirus and reaching net zero emissions by 2050 Homes, schools and hospitals across England are set to be greener and cheaper to run thanks to a £3 billion plan to upgrade the nation’s buildings – the biggest in a generation. Starting today, homeowners can sign up for big savings on upgrades to their homes under the government’s £2 billion Green Homes Grant, with an additional £1 billion announced to improve the energy efficiency of publicly owned buildings. The Green Homes Grant scheme will see the Government fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements up to £10,000, to make over 600,000 homes more energy efficient. Those homeowners with low-incomes, including those on certain benefits, are eligible for a grant covering up to 100 per cent of the cost of works up to £10,000. Grants will be offered to cover green home improvements ranging from insulation of walls, floors and roofs, to the installation of double or triple glazing when replacing single glazing, and low-carbon heating like heat pumps or solar thermal – measures that could help households save up to £600 a year on their energy bills. It will cut people’s energy bills and carbon emissions, whilst also supporting over 100,000 jobs in green construction for local plumbers, builders and tradespeople across the UK. The launch of the Green Homes Grant forms part of a wider plan to upgrade the nation’s buildings expected to support an additional 120,000 jobs, which also includes: £1 billion to boost the energy efficiency of public buildings, including schools and hospitals through a Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund New measures to ensure nearly 3 million privately rented homes are upgraded to modern energy efficiency standards by 2028 £50 million to improve the energy efficiency of social housing Business and Energy Secretary Alok Sharma said: “Our plan to upgrade the nation’s buildings and help build back better is good news for jobs, the environment and people’s back pockets, as we reduce emissions and help cut energy bills. “I urge everyone to visit the Green Home Grants website to see how they can make the most of this fantastic scheme.” Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “We promised to support jobs and protect the environment – and the Green Homes Grant delivers on this. We’re giving homeowners, landlords and local authorities the funding they need to hire local tradespeople and make our homes more energy efficient. By supporting the green van men and women, we’ll save money, save jobs and save the planet.” £500 million of the of the Green Homes Grant scheme has been assigned for local authorities to provide green home improvements for households with an income of under £30,000. Tenants will also benefit from the Government’s plan to boost energy efficiency thanks to proposals for the private rental sector, published today. The improvements will be achieved by raising the energy performance standard of privately-rented properties, with landlords having to ensure homes meet Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C requirements. These could save nearly 3 million homes an average of £220 a year on their annual heating bills and lift up to 900,000 low income households out of fuel poverty. The plans could also support 90,000 jobs in the energy sector annually. Costs will be capped at £10,000 and landlords can take advantage of the Green Homes Grant to fund the necessary improvements. The private rental sector measures are being phased in to limit the disruption to both landlords and tenants, with improvements having to be implemented for new tenancies from 1 April 2025 and for all tenancies by 1 April 2028. In a further boost, the Government is making £50 million available for social housing through a demonstrator project for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). This UK-wide demonstrator scheme will see grants supplied to upgrade the energy efficiency of over 2000 of the worst-performing social homes. It is estimated that those living in upgraded properties will save between £300 and £500 on their energy bills each year. As well as helping meet the country’s net zero emissions target, the SHDF Demonstrator will support up to 3200 jobs in the green energy sector. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme will help public sector organisations in England, including central government departments and their agencies, local authorities, schools and NHS Trusts, to install energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions. Installations under the PSDS are expected to support up to 30,000 low-carbon jobs. Today’s energy efficiency plan forms part of the Government’s wider efforts to ensure the UK meets its legally binding target to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and build back greener from coronavirus. Over the past decade, the UK has cut carbon emissions by more than any similar developed country. In 2019, UK emissions were 42% lower than in 1990, while our economy over the same period grew by 72%.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce that Sir David Adjaye will receive the 2021 Royal Gold Medal, one of the world’s highest honours for architecture. The Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence ‘either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture’. Sir David Adjaye has achieved international attention for an exceptional body of work over 25 years. Drawing on his cited influences including ‘contemporary art, music and science to African art forms and the civic life of cities’, his completed projects range from private houses, exhibitions and furniture design, through to major cultural buildings and city masterplans. From the start of his career he has combined practice with teaching in schools of architecture in the UK and the USA, including professorships at the universities of Harvard, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Princeton. His practice, Adjaye Associates, was founded in 2000 and today has studios in Accra, London and New York, with projects across the world. Adjaye Associates are most well-known for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, DC (2016), where they were lead designer of the Freelon Adjaye/Bond SmithGroup. Other completed projects include Ruby City, an art centre in San Antonio, Texas (2019); the Alara Concept Store in Lagos (2016); the Sugar Hill Mixed Use Development (housing, museum, community facilities and offices) in Harlem, New York (2015); the Aishti Foundation,a mixed use retail and arts centre in Beirut, Lebanon (2015); two neighbourhood libraries in Washington, DC (both 2012); the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo in Russia (2010); the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, Colorado (2007); the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway (2005); Rivington Place arts centre in Hackney, London (2007); and the Idea Stores – two community libraries in London (2004, 2005). Current projects include a new home for The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York in collaboration with Cooper Robertson; 130 William, a high-rise residential tower in New York’s financial district; the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Dakar, Senegal; the Princeton University Art Museum in Princeton, New Jersey in collaboration with Cooper Robertson; the George Street Sydney Plaza in Sydney, Australia; The Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi; Winter Park Library and Events Center in Winter Park, Florida; the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, London led by Adjaye Associates, with Ron Arad Architects as Memorial Architect, and Gustafson Porter + Bowman as Landscape Architect; the Royal Benin Museum in Benin City, Nigeria; the National Cathedral of Ghana in Accra; and the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg, South Africa. On hearing the news that he will receive the Royal Gold Medal in 2021, Sir David Adjaye said: “It’s incredibly humbling and a great honour to have my peers recognise the work I have developed with my team and its contribution to the field over the past 25 years. Architecture, for me, has always been about the creation of beauty to edify all peoples around the world equally and to contribute to the evolution of the craft. The social impact of this discipline has been and will continue to be the guiding force in the experimentation that informs my practice. A heartfelt and sincere moment of gratitude and thanks to all the people who supported the journey to get to this moment.” RIBA President Alan Jones said: “It was my absolute pleasure and honour to chair the committee and be involved in selecting Sir David Adjaye as the 2021 Royal Gold Medallist. At every scale, from private homes to major arts centres, one senses David Adjaye’s careful consideration of the creative and enriching power of architecture. His work is local and specific and at the same time global and inclusive. Blending history, art and science he creates highly crafted and engaging environments that balance contrasting themes and inspire us all. I believe his both practising and teaching in schools of architecture has significantly enriched his work. His artistic and social vision has created public projects that perfectly demonstrate the civic potential of architecture – fostering empathy, identity and pride. David’s contribution to architecture and design globally is already astounding, and I am excited that we have so much more of it to look forward to.” Sir David Adjaye was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to architecture, following an OBE in 2007. As a student, he won the 1993 RIBA Bronze Medal for the best design project worldwide; in 2006 his Idea Store Whitechapel was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year. He has won RIBA International Awards for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver (2008) and the Francis Gregory Library and William. O Lockridge/Bellevue Library in Washington DC (both 2013). The 2021 Royal Gold Medal selection committee, chaired by RIBA President Alan Jones, comprised: architects Lesley Lokko, Dorte Mandrup and last year’s Royal Gold Medal recipient Shelley McNamara and structural engineer Professor Hanif Kara.
It has been a busy couple of years here at The Wigley Group. With two main strands to our business, a commercial landlord with an extensive property portfolio across the Midlands and main contractor delivering construction projects across the region, our move to Stockton House in 2019 has enabled us to accommodate our growing workforce. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Stockton Village for their patience throughout our refurbishment works. We have well and truly settled into our new headquarters and it has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to restore the historic Stockton House to its former glory. On a personal note, our relocation has marked a return to our roots as a business, with the company initially established in 1964, around 10 miles away in Barby. Our Chairman and Managing Director have both lived locally for many years and it is fantastic to be able to call Stockton our home as a business. We are disappointed that COVID-19 has put a halt to our plans to open our office and gardens to the local community this summer but we hope to welcome you to see the transformation in the near future . It has always been our intention to be of benefit to the local community in which we are based, providing assistance when required and employment opportunities to local people. We are proud to say that over 70% of our staff live within a 10-mile radius of Stockton House, with over 32% from Stockton, Southam, Long Itchington or Birdingbury. To date we have contributed over £11,000 of financial support and services to local community causes and we are in the process of establishing a Wigley Community Initiative to benefit organisations in the Stockton area. We are looking forward to sharing the details of this with you in due course. Thanks to continued growth we now find ourselves already close to outgrowing the space we have and are looking to complete the final piece of the puzzle of Stockton House’s transformation. Our vision is to build a two-storey extension on the Napton Road side of the site, providing office space upstairs and conference space on the lower level. This will enable us to accommodate our existing workforce and provide a venue for business meetings as well as community events. We would like to share with you these initial artists impressions of the proposed extension and we are excited to share full details of the proposed plans with you all in the near future. We have already engaged with your parish council on the plans but if you have any initial questions or queries we would be happy to answer them, please just email info@thewigleygroup.com. Courtyard view Garden view View from Napton Road 1 View from Napton Road 2
Age-old assumptions: 44% of Brits believe ‘cowboy builders’ are commonplace Top misconceptions: Too expensive (28%), unreliable (23%) and rip-off merchants (19%) – yet85% admit their experiences of tradespeople have been positive #RespectYourTrades: Checkatrade campaign seeks to drive reappraisal of our nation’s tradespeople and has produced a video to help address the misconceptions New research from Checkatrade reveals that almost two-thirds (63%) of Brits are clinging onto damaging misconceptions about the nation’s trades. Overall, 44% confess to believing that ‘cowboys’ are commonplace while more than one in ten (14%) openly admit they’ve stereotyped tradespeople based purely on profession. The top negative misconceptions about trades are that they’re too expensive (28%), unreliable (23%) and that they’re rip-off merchants (19%) while one in ten (11%) used the term ‘unskilled’ to describe them, alongside uneducated (6%).* Popular tradespeople-related Google searches also support these findings**. However, there seems to be a stark gap between perceptions and the reality of experience. More than a quarter (29%) of Brits have called upon tradespeople over the last six months and 85% admitted that they had a positive experience – with 13% even claiming their expectations had been exceeded. Checkatrade’s own data also shows that only 2% of trades have a workmanship score of less than 9/10 – the same can be said for reliability, timekeeping and tidiness. As a result, Checkatrade has launched a campaign which asks the nation to readdress their negative stereotypes, and reappraise the contribution of tradespeople in our communities. Entitled #RespectYourTrades, the campaign video shares the honest reactions of its vetted and recommended members to the research findings as well as common ‘mean tweets’ about tradespeople. It’s clear from their responses that prejudice is rife and having an unfair and damaging effect on the industry. Julian Perryman and Chris Frediani, Britain’s best known builder and plasterer are both backing the Checkatrade campaign: “Like all walks of life, there’s no getting around the fact that there are a few bad apples out there, but that’s why it’s so important to stick to reputable, vetted tradespeople. Our industry has been plagued by prejudices for decades but the trades we come across everyday are incredibly hard-working, skilled and committed to doing a good job. With so many currently in people’s homes doing great repair and renovation work, now feels like a good time to ask people to reassess their value.” Mike Fairman, CEO of Checkatrade, commented, “Our members’ livelihoods depend on their great reputations. Over the last few months, they’ve been building new hospitals, keeping communities connected, offering keyworker discounts and are now helping people up and down the country with their home improvements and repairs, so it’s sad to hear so many are still struggling to shake off stereotypes. “Each and every one of our members has been through 12 background checks and have proudly signed up to uphold our standards of honesty, transparency and professionalism. We hope that our campaign prompts people to have confidence in the expertise good tradespeople offer, to better understand the variable nature of their work, to recognise the pride our members take in making spaces safe, secure and smile-inducing and to give them the respect that they deserve.” To view Checkatrade’s #RespectYourTrades campaign video and find out more about the vital work tradespeople have been doing, visit: –
Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson is celebrating being a successful finalist for both the East and West Midlands 2020 LABC Building Excellence Awards. Announced via a virtual ceremony, the LABC Regional Building Excellence Awards are the largest business to business awards in the UK, and recognise outstanding public sector construction projects in 12 regions across England and Wales. Successful projects that G F Tomlinson delivered were winners of the ‘Best Small Commercial Project’ in the East Midlands awards, and ‘Best Public Service or Educational Building’ in the West Midlands Awards. Chesterfield-based project Ashgate Hospicecare was named as the winner of ‘Best Small Commercial Project’ in the East Midlands awards – completed last year, the refurbishment of the hospice included the creation of nine new private bedrooms for end of life care patients. G F Tomlinson has been a longstanding supporter of Ashgate Hospicecare, and as its designated charity partner, the firm has been supporting the important work of the hospice since 2016. Another successful project in the East Midlands Awards was The University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, and works involved the construction of a world-class educational facility for research into identifying breakthroughs in the treatment and diagnosis of serious diseases. The project was awarded highly commended for the ‘Best Public Service or Educational Building’ category in the awards. The Central Science Laboratories, Keele University project was the winner of the West Midlands ‘Best Public Service or Educational Building’ category, and works for this included the construction of a new 5,300 sq. metre, four-storey building which was completed in 2019, bringing state-of-the-art laboratories for geography, geology, forensic science and astrophysics courses to the Keele University Faculty of Natural Sciences. “We are delighted to have been successful in both the East and West Midlands LABC Building Excellence Awards this year. The awards recognise the hard work put into delivering high-quality public-sector schemes and all of our schemes that have been finalists in this years’ awards have made a positive impact on the local community – which is something that we are incredibly proud of. Well done to everyone involved,” commented Andy Sewards, managing director at G F Tomlinson.
The Cargo Building in Liverpool, part of the residential portfolio managed by Federated Hermes, has become the world’s first residential asset to achieve the new BREEAM In-Use (BIU) Residential certification. Located just a few minutes’ walk from Albert Dock and Liverpool ONE, The Cargo Building comprises 324 apartments, making it Liverpool’s first Build to Rent (BtR) scheme and largest Private Rented Sector (PRS) development. The Cargo Building was awarded the accolade after undergoing a rigorous evaluation process to benchmark and assess its sustainability performance across a selection of key areas, including energy efficiency, health and wellbeing, and resilience. The project recorded an impressive overall Part 1 rating of 70.8%, scoring particularly well in the categories of resilience, transport and energy. Working with environmental consultants GWP Project Services, who were appointed BRE assessors and auditors for the project, enabled Federated Hermes to identify improvement opportunities in line with assessment criteria. Securing BREEAM In-Use Residential certification demonstrates the commitment Federated Hermes has already shown across its non-domestic portfolio, with BIU assessments already undertaken across more than 30 assets, including Centre:MK and One City Place, a mixed-use development in Chester that achieved a rating of ‘excellent’. BIU Version 6, released in May 2020, is the latest version of the world-leading environmental methodology for assets in-use, which is used to assess buildings of all types in over 30 countries. As the go-to non-domestic standard for real estate owners, managers and investors, Version 6 brings the release of a brand-new version specifically created to recognise and drive high standards of sustainability and operational performance in residential buildings. “As the Cargo Building becomes the first residential asset to receive BIU certification, our next step will be to achieve BIU-certified status across our entire residential portfolio. As responsible investors, we adopt a long-term approach to investment and believe that assets which can demonstrate active responsible management, supported by the credentials of a world recognised benchmark perform more strongly over time than others in the same asset class. Rather than looking at investment decisions in purely financial terms, we take a holistic view of how our portfolio impacts on our wider ecosystem, always looking at ways to deliver strong returns while making a positive contribution to society as a whole.” -Sharon Brown, Director – Real Estate Risk & RPM Implementation at Federated Hermes, International “Right from our first discussion around BREEAM In-Use Residential, Federated Hermes has been determined to move forward and showcase the very high performance of the Cargo asset. The ‘Excellent’ outcome is testament to the dedication and commitment of the whole team involved. The high score in the Resilience category shows that the asset is well-prepared and future-ready, giving assurance to the tenants regarding the asset’s sustainability credentials.”– James Fisher, Strategic Real Estate Lead at BRE Global Limited, the awarding body and organisation that established and oversees the scheme “Federated Hermes is a leader in sustainability and has continually demonstrated its commitment to achieving exceptional performance across its portfolio through its involvement with BREEAM’s sustainability assessment framework. The certification process has allowed Federated Hermes to deliver tangible improvements, in turn helping to support its wider sustainability objectives and commitment to net-zero targets.” -Barry Rankin, Director of GWP Project Services For more information on The Cargo Building, please visit: http://www.cargobuilding.co.uk
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is building a massive clock inside a mountain in West Texas, but he’s unlikely to be caught wearing one of the world’s more popular luxury watches. Back in 2018, Bezos tweeted that construction on a clock that will be able to tell time for 10,000 years was underway. The billionaire has spent an estimated $42 million on his project but no amount of money in the world is going to buy him enough time to see his giant timepiece through to its final tick, as he’s well aware. When you have as much money as Bezos and you can’t imagine a time when income will slow, you’re probably going to want to do something memorable. The Texas clock will outlive Bezos, as well as an unthinkable number of his descendants – if all goes according to plan, it will stand the test of time. While he’s here, though, he isn’t flashing an expensive Rolex, although any number of wristwatches can be bought off Amazon. Bezos can actually afford to purchase his own watch – the Ulysse Nardin – 11 milliontimes as it costs just under £10,000. You don’t have to be a millionaire to be able to afford a £10,000 watch and, with Rolex and Patek Philippe models dominating the list of top 10 most expensive luxury watches – no other timepiece breaks into that list – you’d think a man of his wealth would go for one of them. As it turns out, Bezos isn’t unlike those he rubs shoulders with when it comes to watch choice. Microsoft founder Bill Gates wears a Casio Duro that costs just over £50 and can afford to buy 1.6 billion of the nifty devices. The late Steve Jobs also wore a very modest Seiko model and current Apple CEO Tim Cook typically goes for an Apple Hermes. Meanwhile, Barclays’ Jes Staley can buy his Panerai Luminor Marina 534,892 times over at a cost of £3,488.35 per unit. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is another such entrepreneur who isn’t a fan of the Rolex. Musk has often been seen wearing the limited edition Carrera Calibre 1887 SpaceX Chronograph produced by Tag Heuer and SpaceX eight years ago. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t even wear a watch, which is no surprise given his unlimited lineup of t-shirts and jeans. But when you’re that rich, time isn’t as big an issue for you as it is for most people, right? While Bezos isn’t particularly concerned with what goes on his wrist, he’s clearly time conscious enough to spend $42 million on a giant clock. The idea, though, came from computer scientist Danny Hillis, who thought up a 10,000-year clock way back in 1986. Of course, it is a pretty big project, but he can probably get away with some mistakes as no one’s going to be around long enough to give him any stick over it. The clock will be 500 feet in height and will be mechanically powered by day/night thermal cycles, according to Bezos, and is going to be synchronized at solar noon. It’s supposed to tick once a year and chime once every millennium. There’s no timeline as it pertains to the clock’s completion but people can sign up for a mailing list for an alert whenever construction is over. Bezos says he wants his mega-clock to serve as a reminder that the future is really going to be that far ahead. Whether he decides to try on some more luxurious watch brands is left to be seen, but for now, the magnate looks set to stick to his choice Ulysse Nardin.
A Fence is an outdoor physical structure that helps provide an enclosure for an area. While it can be used for various purposes, one major purpose is to demarcate an area as a way of preventing encroachment. They can be constructed from posts and connected with wire, rails, netting, or boards. There are different styles as well as types and they can be made with different materials too. The type and material that you choose will depend largely on what you want to achieve with it. Common styles include: Chain link Split rail Kentucky post and board Privacy fence Wood picket, etc. Common materials for making fences include Wood Aluminum PVC Wrought Iron Electric Bamboo You can read more about them here. Why You Should Install One Installing a fence on your property can have many benefits. Asides the aesthetics and curb appeal that it adds to the property, below are some other reasons you may want to do so. Privacy Most people who live on or own their property usually like privacy. Whatever you choose to do whether swimming, sunbathing, or enjoying time with family, you want to be sure that no one is watching you or trespassing. Installing a fence affords you the privacy you need in your home. Security This is perhaps the main reason a lot of people invest in fencing their property. No one wants an intruder encroaching on their property or home whether it is a criminal or any other wandering soul. You may also live in an area with close proximity to wildlife and do not want them coming into your yard. A good fence will help prevent all of these. Safety For families with kids and pets, fencing off your home is important as you do not want them wondering off your premises. It will keep them in the confines of your yard, preventing them from wandering off. For your pets such as dogs, it can help keep them from getting lost or contracting diseases from outside and bringing such back to your home. It can also help to prevent accidents, such as drowning, if you have a body of water in your backyard. Establishing Boundaries To avoid trespassing on your land either by accident or intentionally, rather than getting upset or worked up about it, you can put up a fence to mark your boundaries. You can establish the start as well as the end of your land and avoid any form of dispute. It also lets you know how much space you have so that you can work within the boundary of your space and not also encroach on other people’s land. Beautifying Your Home Usually, fences are built for utility purposes but that is not to say they cannot be beautiful. As soon as you decide to construct one, part of the groundwork is choosing a type and design that will complement your home. Asides other reasons for putting one up, you may simply put one up to add to your home’s appeal and value. What to Know Before Installation Despite your reasons for wanting to install a fence, depending on where you live, there might be things you need to put into consideration before doing. Though we will briefly look at some of these consideration factors below, you can check out more of them in this article: https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/outdoor/fences/before-you-build-a-fence/. Building Codes and Regulations In Cincinnati, there are regulations and codes for putting up a fence that you need to follow. You also must get approval or permit from the City Council and pay a fee for a Certificate of Compliance or Certificate of Appropriateness. There are also specifications and guidelines that must be followed. Get a Survey A survey of your land helps you know your property line and determine the appropriate place to put your fence. You may be able to get a copy from the Cincinnati Buildings and Inspections Department or may need a professional quantity surveyor to do one for you. This will save you any stress or headache arising from any disputes in the future. It is most likely you have neighbors on either sides of your property so you may also need to discuss with them about putting up your fence. This is not to get their approval but to clear up any boundaries issues or disputes that may occur. Installing Your Fence After you have done all due diligence and gotten the necessary permits and it is time to go on with your fence installation in Cincinnati, you need to decide how to go about it. There are many DIY guides available but if you want a good job, your best bet will be to engage experienced professionals who are local to Cincinnati to handle it for you. Much more than building it, they understand local laws and codes governing fence installations. They can also help you restore, repair, and revitalize old ones. Conclusion Installing a fence in Cincinnati offers you so many benefits which you should take advantage of. You must however remember to take the necessary precautions discussed above to ensure you get the best possible. If you must do it yourself, get all the help you can. If however you want the best outcome, you will be better off employing professionals to get the job done for you. This will serve you better in the long run.
