Across New York City, high rise buildings, skyscrapers and unique statement designs are nothing new, but next year is to see a new venture taking place, that aims to redefine luxury high rise living. The latest in sky scraping buildings has been proposed through a superior luxury residential development in
The Messe Frankfurt Ltd and the Hong Kong Trade Development, have collaborated to co-organise the Environment Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This stands as the 13th Eco Expo Asia show to be held in Hong Kong, which takes place between the 25th and 28th of
Fourth interpretation of the MINI Living Urban Cabin concept presented at the architecture exhibition China House Vision draws on traditional Beijing forms of housing as well as developing innovative ideas for maximum quality of living within a minimum space. MINI presents the latest MINI LIVING Urban Cabin at the interdisciplinary
Benoy has completed its first development with e-commerce giant Alibaba – the new Ali Centre in Hongqiao, Shanghai. Benoy was appointed as the Interior Designer, Signage and Wayfinding Designer and Retail Planner for the development. Located in the business district of Hongqiao, Shanghai, the new Ali Centre covers three plots and
TOP architectural practice, Leonard Design Architects, has won its bid to design a landmark sculpture for Incheon International Airport, the largest airport in South Korea, as part of a wider refurbishment of the award-winning duty-free shopping area. The landmark, designed for Incheon International Airport but commissioned by the three biggest
Barbara Res, the project manager behind Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue, will be speaking with journalist and broadcaster, Steph McGovern, at the UK Construction Week (UKCW) Stage on the 10th of October about her experience as a female engineer, the successes and challenges of working with Donald Trump,
The world is growing smaller by the day as technology gets more advanced and widely accessible. As such, consumer property demand is also changing in line with their broadening horizons, and real estate agents who want to truly focus on excellent customer service need to change with the times. How
International consultancy and construction company Mace Group won pitches for contracts to the value of £175 million with the help of the highly-regarded UK Training specialist Kissing With Confidence. This success is an endorsement of the specialist’s outstanding Pitchmaker programme, an intensive and immersive challenge designed to help business winners
Construction work on the 155,000 sq ft Etele Plaza in Budapest has begun. The mall, combining unique architectural solutions and digital services, will feature more fashion brands in one place than any other shopping centre in Hungary. The shopping and entertainment centre is expected to open in 2020. The area
China Hongqiao Group, the world’s largest aluminium producer has decided to expand its operations and improve overall capacities; a move in stark contrast to the reduced usage rate of aluminium and the weighed on prices for the light metal. As to why, we can only assume that the group maintains
Across New York City, high rise buildings, skyscrapers and unique statement designs are nothing new, but next year is to see a new venture taking place, that aims to redefine luxury high rise living. The latest in sky scraping buildings has been proposed through a superior luxury residential development in Midtown, Manhattan, NYC. Sporting 179 high end units and standing at a whopping 1,550ft tall, the new Central Park Tower will be the second huge scale project to come from the Extell Development Company taking place on 57th Street. This will be the tallest apartment building in the city so far, and with asking prices hitting the $100 million mark per unit, it could very well be the most expensive too. A decade of planning with some of the world’s most talented architects, in collaboration with renowned engineers and designers, has formed the new structure. Alongside housing, the tower will offer 50,000 sq ft of amenity spaces, that include an indoor pool and club lounge on the 100th floor. The ground floor will be home to a 320,00 sq ft department store already bought by Nordstrom. The marketing group at Extell Development expect the first residents to move in late 2019 and are hoping that the building will house a whopping 8 bedroom unit over 17,500 sq ft that will carry a hefty nine digit price tag. Extell Development are co-developing the new tower in collaboration with affiliates of China’s Shanghai Municipal Investment Group, SMI USA, and aim to introduce a level of design never seen before. With the luxury apartments not standing cheap, the development comes at a similar time to JDS’s latest venture, who aim to open 46 new units, also on 57th Street, with prices ranging from $18 million – £57 million.
The Messe Frankfurt Ltd and the Hong Kong Trade Development, have collaborated to co-organise the Environment Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This stands as the 13th Eco Expo Asia show to be held in Hong Kong, which takes place between the 25th and 28th of October. Showcasing 330 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions across this globe, with around 14,000 expected visitors. Messe Frankfurt create innovative network platforms and organise some 150 trade fairs annually, both in Frankfurt and at various other locations around the world, it stands as the largest trade fair on the planet. The Hong Kong Trade Development is a statutory body, dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong businesses. With a mission to connect companies to business partners across the globe, the collaboration stands as one of excitement. The Eco Expo Asia event is an environmental trade platform that welcomes various industries to showcase their environmental products and solutions. This year the Eco Expo Asia will debut the: Smart Construction for Quite pavilion, which aims to discuss green building products and solutions for noise-related construction issues, a key concern for many rapidly developing cities and regions within Asia. Amongst the highlights of the showcased products and innovations, will be two sets of hybrid construction excavators from renowned Japanese manufacturer, KOBELCO. These excavators produce low carbon emissions, very little noise and offer a demonstration that a more environmentally friendly solution for the construction industry, and other businesses beyond that, is possible. Every year Eco Expo Asia welcomes overseas pavilions and large amounts of group participation, and 2018 will see the largest Chinese Pavilion to date. With the debut of exhibitors from Hunan and Inner Mongolia, as well as from a number of cities in the Greater Bay Area. Returning Pavilions to the event include participants from Austria, Europe, Canada, State of Bavaria, Korea, Japan and Switzerland. The event allows for buyers and attendees to become aware of what market intelligence is available in exploring green products, for a more environmentally secure future. Mr Urs Heutschi, CEO of Swissenviro, commented on the return of the Switzerland Pavilion: “Eco Expo Asia is a well-organised international trade fair in an important environmental market, covering relevant and current environmental issues with a strong focus on sustainability. As the organiser of the Swiss pavilion it is a pleasure to return and work. Each year there is a high demand from Swiss companies who wish to participate at the expo due to its regional location as well as the number of quality visitors from South China and Southeast Asia.” The Smart Construction for Quiet symposium, will take place on the fair’s very first day, providing a unique opportunity for acoustic professionals, architects, site engineers, noise control practitioners, and build and civil contractors, to learn about the latest policies, and the best ways to tackle noise construction problems. The full day event gathers experts on an international scale and gives industry leaders the change to deliver their knowledge to other, like-minded, establishments. A wide range of environmental product categories will be featured, including green buildings and energy efficient green transportation, alongside water treatment and quality management. After its debut at last year’s event, the Startup Zone will also make a re-appearance, aiming to encourage greener start-ups from new up and coming companies.
Fourth interpretation of the MINI Living Urban Cabin concept presented at the architecture exhibition China House Vision draws on traditional Beijing forms of housing as well as developing innovative ideas for maximum quality of living within a minimum space. MINI presents the latest MINI LIVING Urban Cabin at the interdisciplinary architecture exhibition China House Vision in Beijing from 21 September to 4 November 2018. The micro-apartment concept was developed in cooperation with local architect Dayong Sun. The Urban Cabin in Beijing is now the fourth interpretation of the concept developed by MINI LIVING last year. The Urban Cabin provides temporary living space with a high degree of flexibility and lots of possibilities – on a surface area of just 15 m2. One particular design focus is the local identity and culture of the specific location in each case. After stops in London, New York City and Los Angeles, the latest source of inspiration is Beijing. The central theme of the project is to explore how space can be used in an innovative way to create a new sense of community and maximum quality of living on a minimum surface area. In order to achieve this, the MINI LIVING Urban Cabin Beijing re-interprets traditional forms of urban living in China, thereby stimulating dialogue with community life in the city. MINI Living started in 2016 and is dedicated to developing novel residential concepts for urban conurbations worldwide. Developments in big cities such as space shortage and price increases are taken into account, as well as the desire for flexibility, local identity and communal interaction. In order to address these diverse aspects, the project takes the “creative use of space” principle as developed for the classic Mini in the field of automotive design and applies it to the residential context. MINI Living Urban Cabin Beijing: visionary format with historical roots. Every MINI Living Urban Cabin consists of three formal elements. The living and sleeping sections on one side of the micro-apartment and the kitchen and bathroom on the other side are designed by the MINI Living Design Team. The third section is defined by MINI as an experiential space with the character of an installation: for each cabin, a local architects’ bureau is invited to fill out this space. The theme selected always has to be relevant to the specific location. In Beijing this experiential space was developed in collaboration with local architect Dayong Sun. He has created an open area of encounter as a homage to the courtyards of the traditional hutongs. Golden, telescope-like mirrors are mounted above this interactive space, reflecting the immediate environment but also the broader urban context. A swing at the centre of the space provides a playful shift in the viewer’s perspective. The storage and seating facilities positioned around the Urban Cabin are designed in geometrical shapes reminiscent of traditional Chinese tangram puzzles, also acting as an attractive feature for contemplation. Dayong Sun’s design is inspired by the hutongs common in Beijing’s more traditional districts. A hallmark feature of the city’s architectural history, these residences are made up of courtyard buildings and passageways that are particularly appreciated for the combination of private withdrawal spaces and communal living areas which they offer. This model is now gradually disappearing from the urban landscape as a result of demographic change. The MINI LIVING Urban Cabin in Beijing echoes the underlying principle of hutong while at the same time translating it to the modern age. Global network of creative residential solutions. MINI Living is focused on forward-looking stimuli for a style of residential architecture that focuses on human beings and their need for individuality, flexibility and community. “Each MINI Living Urban Cabin creates maximum quality of living within a very limited space in a specific situational context”, explains Oke Hauser, Creative Lead MINI Living. “The result is a global network of creative residential solutions in which people all over the world feel at home, while at the same time providing a public space for innovative forms of co-living”. With their individual basic format and elaboration, the various interpretations of the MINI Living Urban Cabin concept demonstrate the creative possibilities offered by micro-apartments. This has made them the forerunner to the first co-living project in China, which is to be opened in Shanghai in 2019. Here MINI is collaborating with Chinese project developer NOVA Property Investment Co. to convert an unused industrial complex in the Jing’An district into a multi-dimensional facility consisting of apartments and work spaces as well as cultural and leisure facilities. In addition to the creative use of space, the concept offers residents maximum flexibility with residential units of varying sizes and a vibrant urban neighbourhood. This creative combination of personal privacy and opportunities for communal interaction is supplemented with an extensive range of digitally bookable services, thereby establishing a whole new level of living quality in the urban setting of a modern city.
Benoy has completed its first development with e-commerce giant Alibaba – the new Ali Centre in Hongqiao, Shanghai. Benoy was appointed as the Interior Designer, Signage and Wayfinding Designer and Retail Planner for the development. Located in the business district of Hongqiao, Shanghai, the new Ali Centre covers three plots and includes retail, commercial offices and two central squares. The development consists of four buildings covering a gross floor area of over 140,000m2. The lower floors of each will house new online and offline retail businesses which will be accessible to the public, while the upper floors are given to international Grade-A office spaces. The design philosophy behind the Ali Centre was to create an open and interconnected complex conscious of innovation and reflecting the characteristics of mid-to-high-end commercial needs. The overall concept looks at space maximisation, comfortable pedestrian flow and open-air spaces. As the Interior Designer, Benoy brought together simple elegance with science and technology to inform the interior style across each of the buildings. Through the logical division of indoor space, material use, lighting effects, colour application and furniture selection, Benoy’s team reflects a subtle, harmonious, comfortable and modern interior environment in line with Alibaba’s brand. Benoy also worked closely with Alibaba to ensure the retail and commercial office spaces would have their own identity and visibility yet still be united within the Ali Centre development. “Creating a sense of belonging from the outset was critical to our design approach. We wanted to reflect the Alibaba brand as a destination through colour and identifiable design elements from the moment a visitor, guest or worker enters the development,” said Simon Wong, Director at Benoy. Adhering to the design requirements outlined by Alibaba, Benoy created a strong arrival experience across the building’s lobbies – ensuring consistency for the e-commerce brand. The ‘Ali orange’ has been integrated throughout Benoy’s design, with the signature colour applied throughout the reception areas, information desks and elevator halls. Benoy has also introduced playful and eye-catching environmental graphics throughout the development. Such highlights include the oversized building numbering which can be found on the lobby glass curtain walls, the outdoor structural columns as well as the building entrances. The outdoor spatial design has also benefited from Benoy’s applications with the concept of the ‘Orange Ribbon’ applied to the two sunken courtyards which form focal points within the scheme. Extending from the first basement level to the fourth floor, the design connects across the series of interior and exterior spaces, and plays on the notion of brand consistency and visual connection. “The orange ribbon represents Alibaba as a brand which places connectivity at the heart of its approach and has revolutionised the online marketplace for business networks,” said Simon Wong. The Ali Centre in Hongqiao is the first project to be completed by Benoy for Alibaba and sets the foundation for future successful collaborations for the two companies. With the vision to attract top talent and develop an ‘intelligent business district’ within the Greater Hongqiao region, Ali Centre is set to establish itself as an engine for economic and commercial development for this growing area of Shanghai.
TOP architectural practice, Leonard Design Architects, has won its bid to design a landmark sculpture for Incheon International Airport, the largest airport in South Korea, as part of a wider refurbishment of the award-winning duty-free shopping area. The landmark, designed for Incheon International Airport but commissioned by the three biggest duty-free retailers in Korea: Lotte, Shilla and Shinsegae, will be located in the busiest part of the duty-free shopping area and therefore entries had to be nominated by the retailers to ensure the highest quality design. Leonard Design, an award-winning global architectural practice headquartered in Nottingham, with three further offices in London, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, Australia, was asked to pitch for the work in August 2017 and its designs were chosen above all other nominated designers. Ian Staples, director at Leonard Design, said: “We have been working with Lotte Duty Free for a number of years and more recently have been involved in the bid for the new duty-free license for terminal two of Incheon International Airport. As a result, Lotte Duty Free put us forward as the preferred designer of the landmark and our concept was selected by the airport.” The brief was to create a ‘one-of-a-kind’ landmark within the terminal space which had symbolic character to represent the new Incheon International Airport terminal, as well as sculptural qualities to celebrate the continuous development of the airport. The sculpture is also to house two independent information desks. Ian added: “We took inspiration from the airport itself as flight is central to every customer’s journey. We used birds, or more specifically Incheon’s dancing cranes, and their elegant wing form to influence our design. “We also introduced some modern techniques to uphold the high standard of the airport. As the brief was to create something ‘one-of-a-kind’ we decided to turn shiny metal into a media screen – a new and interesting challenge – which involved perforating the metal with varying intensity and placing LED lights behind to ensure a seamless transition. “While airports are a necessary transition for travelling, as the world gets smaller the demand for quality transport hubs has grown. Modern airports are now considered destinations in their own right and therefore fight to have stand-out features which create the best possible image. “There is a real drive in Asia to become the best and this has certainly influenced the narrative of the landmark. The cultural approach to design and delivery combined with the respect Korean’s hold for good design, helped the final product retain the core qualities of the concept and reflect the high quality of the terminal it will sit in.” For further information visit www.leonarddesignarchitects.com or follow @leonard_design on Twitter.
Barbara Res, the project manager behind Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue, will be speaking with journalist and broadcaster, Steph McGovern, at the UK Construction Week (UKCW) Stage on the 10th of October about her experience as a female engineer, the successes and challenges of working with Donald Trump, and sexual harassment in construction. Despite encountering decades of sexual discrimination, harassment and intimidation, she became the first woman to take charge of a major skyscraper in New York, and was hired to be the vice-president of the Trump Organisation, working for Trump for nearly 18 years, from 1978 to 1996. Initially supportive of Trump, she now speaks freely about how his attitude towards women has changed, She continues to voice strong views about women in construction and her philosophy on feminism, as well as speaking extensively to women’s groups and industry groups about construction and women’s role in it. Barbara published her memoir, ‘All Alone on the 68th Floor: How One Woman Changed the Face of Construction’, in 2013 and she is now coming to the UK to deliver a keynote presentation at the construction industry’s largest event, UK Construction Week, which returns to the NEC between the 9th and the 11th of October 2018. Reserve a free place at this major interview of a true pioneer in construction by registering online at: www.ukconstructionweek.com. Barbara Res’s views on why female engineers and tradeswomen are leaving construction in their thousands in North America can also be read at: www.ukconstructionweek.com/news/blog/barbara-res.
The world is growing smaller by the day as technology gets more advanced and widely accessible. As such, consumer property demand is also changing in line with their broadening horizons, and real estate agents who want to truly focus on excellent customer service need to change with the times. How the demands changing and what is the new role for a real estate agent? Keep on reading to find out! There is still a demand for the traditional estate agent who can offer local properties, but, estate agents now also need to cater to an altogether more internationally focussed customer who is looking to buy abroad for any of a number of different reasons. Whether the client is searching for a second home abroad or a holiday home they can rent out, real estate agents should be prepared for customers looking abroad. This is not only the case for big real estate agencies in for example London, but also for the smaller offices who operate local. Say for example a customer has been looking online for a villa for sale in Denia, the beautiful coastal town in Alicante, Spain. They are going to be looking to their estate agent to provide a number of different services, on top of simple offering a variety of properties to consider. This means that estate agents who want to win the trust, and repeated business, of their customers must be prepared to go the extra mile. Offering Comprehensive Service and Customer Understanding Background information is a key point of the service now expected of estate agents – you are offering property for sale in a specific area abroad, it’s up to you to understand the selling points of the region. Its climate, amenities, popularity with tourists and opportunities for investment are all parts of the essential knowledge required. The relevant information depends on understanding the goals of the customer. A customer who wants to buy a villa to retire to, or holiday in, is going to want different information to a customer who is looking to start or grow an investment. The modern, customer focussed estate agent also needs to be well versed in every aspect of the buying process, and both willing and able to offer the customer approachable help and advice through every step of the process. This could take the form of advising on essential documentation necessary to buy abroad, advice on local building code and regulations, as well as an overview of the financial state of the region if the property is for investment. Versatility Is Always the Goal Simply put, the modern real estate agent cannot be content to be tied to their local area if they’re going to appeal to an ever growing part of the population who are seeking to purchase a second property abroad. A good estate agent will be a “one stop shop” for all a potential customer’s needs and advice requirements, offering sound and accessible understanding for what can be a daunting prospect to many. Know the customer, know their needs, know their situation, and know their goals – with this information an attentive estate agent can make the process of buying a second property abroad easy and streamlined, which will guarantee that all important customer satisfaction.
International consultancy and construction company Mace Group won pitches for contracts to the value of £175 million with the help of the highly-regarded UK Training specialist Kissing With Confidence. This success is an endorsement of the specialist’s outstanding Pitchmaker programme, an intensive and immersive challenge designed to help business winners make the right emotional connection with the toughest of audiences. Mace Group’s business wins is the latest accomplishment in a period of rapid expansion for Kissing With Confidence, which has built a client portfolio that includes major banks, household name companies, Big Four firms and government departments. “Quantifying effect is a classic issue in training and the fact that Mace Group can identify £175 million of business which it has gained through our programmes is a major accolade,” said Russell Wardrop, co-founder and chief executive of Kissing With Confidence. “Nobody can guarantee that a client will win every pitch but Kissing With Confidence’s Pitchmaker programme has helped to gain business amounting to billions of pounds over the years.” Mace Group is currently a £1.97 billion company, operating in 21 sectors, such as higher education, from five global hubs. It has a concentrated focus on championing its people, whether as individuals or in teams. “There is no question we would not be where we are today as a business without the work Kissing With Confidence has done on our pitches. The results speak volumes,” said Terry Spraggett, business unit director at Mace Group. “There is a process, but it’s more than that. By the end of the session there is clarity, confidence and creativity.” “The hardest thing in the biggest pitches is deciding how robust to be, agreeing the line, then holding that line consistently from beginning to end. Kissing With Confidence facilitates that effortlessly, dealing assertively with the biggest of egos,” Terry added. “Then there is the skill in putting it all together, with an arm round the shoulder for some and a kick up the backside for others. Kissing With Confidence reaches out to everyone and makes them believe, especially those tasked with opening and closing.” Kissing With Confidence employs 12 people and it specialises in inspiring future leaders and developing effective and committed teams. It recently has embarked on a major sales growth campaign with the aim of taking turnover to £1.5 million.
Construction work on the 155,000 sq ft Etele Plaza in Budapest has begun. The mall, combining unique architectural solutions and digital services, will feature more fashion brands in one place than any other shopping centre in Hungary. The shopping and entertainment centre is expected to open in 2020. The area can be accessed in only 10 minutes from downtown Budapest via direct links as it is being constructed in the meeting point of a national/international railway station, underground line 4 that connects the area with the inner parts of the city and the entrance section of the M1 and M7 highways that lead towards Austria and Croatia. Estimated to attract around 40,000 customers every day from the capital, the suburbs and the further towns, Etele Plaza will have a modern design with 200 store units, a supermarket, restaurants, cafés, a multiplex cinema, a gym, a children’s play centre and a range of other services with nearly 1,300 parking lots. The exterior design of the shopping centre will be dominated by the largest curtain wall structure of Hungary – with a height and width of 30 meters – above the main entrance and the retracted metal boxes that jump out from the facades. In the internal area, along with the soft tracing, a nearly 200 square meter interactive LED display interface will bring the latest generation of the shopping centre design to Hungary. In the immediate vicinity of the eco-friendly shopping and entertainment centre, Futureal Group’s largest and iconic office development project, Budapest ONE Business Park is being built in Őrmező. Budapest ONE was one of the firsts in Hungary to obtain the international WELL Building Platinum Precertification, which focuses on the aspects having beneficial impacts on employees’ health and well-being while designing the buildings. “The construction of Budapest ONE and Etele Plaza will give a new momentum to the most important centre of South West Budapest,” said Tibor Tatár, CEO of Futureal.
China Hongqiao Group, the world’s largest aluminium producer has decided to expand its operations and improve overall capacities; a move in stark contrast to the reduced usage rate of aluminium and the weighed on prices for the light metal. As to why, we can only assume that the group maintains a positive outlook on the sector despite the bleak picture painted for many of its rivals, and with the group seeing a 39% annual increase up to 2015 despite production cuts, this would be of no real surprise. The expansion plans include an overall increase in capacity to 6m tonnes this year, building upon the already-considerable capacity of 5.19m achieved last year – this figure may vary depending on market conditions, of course, as the company’s Chief Executive illustrates: “If demand is good, we will stick with the plan. If not, we can slow down new capacity expansion or even suspend it.” It is predicted that some $2.3bn will be spent on the capacity improvements, which will see the refurbishment and retrofitting of some of the company’s coal-fired power plants in line with China’s new regulation for carbon emissions. Of course, with one of the primary reasons for the success of Chinese aluminium smelting revolving around the provision of cheap power and production costs, how these changes will affect China Honquiao is uncertain at this point. Hongquiao is also one of the few smelters in China to have set up the capacity to purchase excess inventory, a move which has been noted to support aluminium prices. Critics, however have cited that this has been unable to resolve the growing supply and demand imbalance of aluminium however, and with the group increasing overall production capacity, this imbalance is only expected to increase in severity. Only time will tell how this move will pay off for China Hongqiao, yet, it is still great to see some organisations maintaining an optimistic view of the market and determinedly pushing for growth.
