In an industry that has traditionally been predominantly dominated by men, Cannock-based housebuilder Jessup Partnerships is looking to encourage talented women into the workforce and has produced a video to mark International Women’s Day to help inspire other women to consider a career in construction. Site Manager, Kirsty Lynch, originally
HelloParks, founded just over two years ago as a member of Futureal Group, is expanding further with the launch of its latest industrial real estate investment in Alsónémedi, where the company plans to build a 60,000 sqm hall in accordance with the highest sustainability standards. The successful completion of the
Today, Travelodge, one of the UK’s largest hotel chains, announces it is expanding its Spanish operation by acquiring the lease of the popular NH Villa de Coslada hotel in Madrid and it has appointed global hospitality advisors Aldaba Partners to help grow its Spanish hotel portfolio. This expansion programme reflects
Real estate in Dubai couldn’t get any trickier than lately. The publications and various advice you can gather online can cause a panic attack. However, if you Buy properties in Palm Jumeirah, UAE, it is one major hurdle crossed because the area is high grossing and guarantees profitability. Some tips make
The Senoko Oil Fuel Depot in Singapore is a strategic fuel storage depot supporting the Five Powers Defence Arrangement, 5th and 7th US Fleets and the Singapore Government. The UK’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is responsible for the management and maintenance of Senoko. However, an inspection identified several non-conformances in
HID, worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, announces today the successful implementation of its mobile access solution, HID Mobile Access, and mobile-enabled Bluetooth® readers at the new Skyliner skyscraper in Warsaw, Poland. Located in the vibrant Wola business district, Skyliner is one of the tallest buildings in the capital
Bruce Kennedy, Architect Director at BDP, discusses the use of biophilic design for the Heriot Watt campus in Dubai. Every level of the campus benefits from a series of subtle features and carefully considered themes that provide relief from the extreme environment that can reach 50 degrees Celsius in summer.
Cyberhawk has signed an agreement with Shamal Technologies to digitally transform the way major construction projects are managed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Shamal Technologies is a leading geospatial company that delivers end-to-end data acquisition, visualization and analytics solutions that can reduce operational risk. The company is the first
Home staging is a trend from the United States that is now becoming more and more widespread. It involves decorating properties for sale to make them look more appealing. Individual rooms are staged, meaning they are furnished in a homely manner. Hence, it is possible in many cases to sell
A New York-style skyscraper has been planned to replace the Grand Casino in Southport after renovation plans have been put forward by the Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group. The plan is to transform the Grade II listed building into a 48 storey skyscraper called the Tower of Hope, making it
In an industry that has traditionally been predominantly dominated by men, Cannock-based housebuilder Jessup Partnerships is looking to encourage talented women into the workforce and has produced a video to mark International Women’s Day to help inspire other women to consider a career in construction. Site Manager, Kirsty Lynch, originally from Edinburgh was one of those featured in the video alongside her colleague Michelle Howe, a Health and Safety Advisor. Kirsty, 50, worked at Jessup five years ago and recently returned as Site Manager at the housebuilder’s Lower Valley Road development in Dudley. Kirsty previously worked in Health and Social Care for over 20 years, however, decided to take the plunge into the construction industry in her 40s. “After a long and successful career in Health and Social Care, I decided I needed a new challenge so, I retrained, and gained the necessary qualifications for site management. I applied for around 500 jobs to get myself onto site- having no trade background and being female, I did not feel like I was taken seriously. After a while, I eventually obtained a role, but I had to travel around 600 miles a week for work. This position was for a Trainee Assistant Site Manager which led to me being promoted to Assistant Site Manager within two years,” said Kirsty. “I’ve had to work incredibly hard to prove myself. Being a woman brings a different dynamic to a construction site. For the most part, all the sub-contractors, the supply chain and the community, embrace and support my role, however a minority have to be challenged with education and training. Equality and diversity are the starting points ensuring we have equal rights such as pay, career progression and a voice. “This journey has not always been easy, near impossible at times, with archaic and outdated attitudes. Like all good career paths if you want something you have to work at it. Having a supportive employer makes a massive difference, one who supports and embraces the diversity we bring to the role. Changing the rhetoric, change the perspective.” The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that in Q4 of 2022, 2,171,000 people in the UK worked in construction1. Out of those people, just 321,000, 14.7 per cent, were women2. With a number of female employees already in a range of roles across the company, the developer is keen to break the stereotype around women working in construction. Michelle Howe, who joined Jessup Partnerships in 2022 as Health and Safety Advisor, previously worked for a large precast concrete manufacturer as a Health and Safety Co-ordinator. Michelle, who works on sites across the West Midlands said: “Since joining Jessup, I have felt well-supported in my career progression and have received the relevant training to enable my transition from manufacturing to construction. “I feel well supported by my manager and the site teams that I work with on a daily basis, and my opinions are listened to and valued. I have never felt anything other than welcomed and accepted by the site personnel. If I could give any advice to women thinking about starting a career in construction, I would tell them that they absolutely should pursue it. I think that working in construction is far more inclusive than it was five years ago, and there are now a lot more women actually working on site.” International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the achievements of women, promoting equality and raising awareness about discrimination. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
HelloParks, founded just over two years ago as a member of Futureal Group, is expanding further with the launch of its latest industrial real estate investment in Alsónémedi, where the company plans to build a 60,000 sqm hall in accordance with the highest sustainability standards. The successful completion of the land transaction was achieved with the assistance of the consultancy firm Grifton Property. HelloParks, having three modern megaparks in Fót, Maglód and Páty under construction, will be present in the vicinity of the fourth key transport hub around Budapest by the project in Alsónémedi. As a result of the investment, HelloParks is working on the development of more than 1 million sqm of warehouse and industrial space. HelloParks, the Hungarian industrial developer company that creates sustainable megaparks, is launching another project in the southern submarket of Budapest. The construction will soon start on a 135,000 sqm site in Alsónémedi, close to the junction of the M0 and M5 motorways and BILK (Budapest Intermodal Logistics Centre) container terminal. The Big Box type building, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024, will be the company’s largest project to date with a total of 60 000 sqm of flexible space to serve tenants’ demands. The development will bring HelloParks’ industrial real estates to another key location after Fót, Maglód and Páty, giving the company full coverage of the Hungarian capital’s surrounding area. Sustainability and energy efficiency are a priority in HelloParks’ investments. To this end, the new building will be built according to the strictest criteria of the New Construction category of BREEAM sustainability standard to achieve the Outstanding rating and to the EU Taxonomy requirements, as will all the company’s new halls. In Hungary, HelloParks is currently the only developer to build industrial buildings in line with these requirements. The hall will be equipped with a modern building management system (BMS) that tenants can have access to, using the company’s own proprietary application. The mobile app will allow them to monitor energy and utility consumption and adjust heating, ventilation and lighting settings in their rented areas. “There is significant demand for our environmentally friendly, energy-efficient and smart industrial buildings. This is one of the reasons why we are now starting development in the southern submarket of Budapest, following Fót, Maglód and Páty, and are now present in all important locations around the Hungarian capital. We make great effort to meet market demand that is why we are currently developing industrial real estates at a fast pace in all our locations” – said Rudolf Nemes, CEO of HelloParks. The Hungarian-owned industrial real estate developer started major construction works in 2021 on three sites where around 140,000 sqm of industrial building has already been completed. The company is currently working on nearly 130,000 sqm of warehouses which will be expanded by a further 60,000 sqm when construction of the planned hall in Alsónémedi starts. HelloParks’ first two buildings in Maglód and Fót – MG1 and FT1 – were 100% occupied with tenants in record time last year. Since then, the second phase in Maglod, MG3, has also received its occupancy permit, while two more buildings in Fót, FT6 and FT2, are due to be handed over soon. The completion of the first warehouse, PT1, which is being built in HelloParks Páty, will also be completed this year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Today, Travelodge, one of the UK’s largest hotel chains, announces it is expanding its Spanish operation by acquiring the lease of the popular NH Villa de Coslada hotel in Madrid and it has appointed global hospitality advisors Aldaba Partners to help grow its Spanish hotel portfolio. This expansion programme reflects the key findings from comprehensive research, including a study of the Spanish hotel market that Travelodge commissioned from Christie & Co. Research showed that Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world and one of the fastest growing hotel markets across the globe, but there is a significant gap for branded, low cost and good quality accommodation in the midscale and economy segment. This growing segment indexes favourably with modern travellers who are looking for affordable accommodation options. This research indicates a significant opportunity for Travelodge to grow in Spain, as the group has nearly four decades of expertise in operating budget hotels, a strong brand, and a proven successful long term lease model in place. Therefore it can offer investors and landlords an alternative long term income stream in Spain. Whilst offering business and leisure travellers more choice and great value accommodation. At present, the Spanish hotel market is dominated by independent hotel owners, franchise and management agreement operators and shorter leasehold operators. However, our research showed that investors are increasingly looking for stable long term income streams in support of Spain’s growing tourism industry. This fits well with Travelodge’s traditional long term fixed lease model, as used in the UK. To help capitalise on this growth opportunity in Spain, Travelodge has appointed Aldaba Partners, who are renowned across the globe for their comprehensive investment advisory service. Aldaba Partners will help grow the Travelodge business in Spain by finding suitable hotel sites and third party investors. Key growth locations include: Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, Bilbao, Granada, Malaga, Palma, Seville and Valencia. To launch its Spanish expansion programme, Travelodge is delighted to have acquired the lease of the NH Villa De Coslada hotel in Madrid. The 78-room hotel features an on-site restaurant, bar and car-park and is Coslada’s main hotel, situated close to the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium, IFEMA Convention Center and the airport – making it an ideal base for business and leisure customers. Travelodge has acquired a 20-year lease to operate the hotel from Grupo Veintidos. The hotel will be renamed Travelodge Madrid Coslada Aeropuerto and the group will invest approximately €1 million in acquiring the lease and refurbishing the hotel to the new Travelodge budget-luxe premium look hotel design. The Travelodge budget-luxe design includes all the low cost efficiencies you would expect from Travelodge but with the added benefit of thoughtful, stylish design and homely touches throughout its interiors. Work will commence in May 2023 and the hotel will remain open during this period with an official opening scheduled for this summer. Travelodge already operates a successful lease hotel model in Spain and Travelodge Madrid Coslada Aeropuerto, will be the group’s sixth hotel in Spain – and its third Travelodge in Madrid. The group also operates two hotels in Barcelona and one in Valencia. With the addition of this new hotel, Travelodge now operates nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain. Steve Bennett, Travelodge, Chief Property & Development Officer said: “We are delighted to launch our Spanish expansion programme by acquiring the lease of the NH Villa de Coslada hotel in Madrid and appointing Aldaba Partners to help us grow our business across Spain. The Spanish hotel market is growing at pace with demand exceeding supply and we want to take this opportunity to take the Travelodge brand to new business and leisure locations across Spain. With nearly four decades of expertise in operating budget hotels, a strong brand and a proven successful long term lease model in place, we can offer investors and landlords an alternative long term income stream in Spain. Whilst offering business and leisure travellers more choice and great value accommodation.” The Travelodge Spanish operation is managed by Angel Beleno, who joined Travelodge in 2013 as Spain, Director of Operations and in 2014 was promoted to Spain, General Director. Angel has over 20 years experience of working within the hospitality sector in Spain and internationally. Prior to joining Travelodge, Angel worked for Melia Hotels International and Barceló Hotels and amp Resorts in Spain and Mexico. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Real estate in Dubai couldn’t get any trickier than lately. The publications and various advice you can gather online can cause a panic attack. However, if you Buy properties in Palm Jumeirah, UAE, it is one major hurdle crossed because the area is high grossing and guarantees profitability. Some tips make it easier to conclude real estate decisions in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, but the most prominent of them, no matter how simple, can save you months of heartache and wasted investments. According to AX Capital, people who get information from verified sources cut their risks by 50%, and engaging a verified estate company will prevent lousy decision-making. The first question to ask, therefore, is, where are you getting your information from? Highlights of the Palm Jumeirah Palm Jumeirah ticks for many reasons. In 2022, at least four million tourists visited the area for its beauty and luxury. Voters worldwide say the top view of the Palm is a lifetime experience, so much so that it won the Trip Advisor’s choice award in 2022. The Palm Jumeirah is a great location to experience artificial nature at its peak. Be it a skydive, a five-star restaurant experience, or a boat cruise, Palm Jumeirah never disappoints. How Much Are Apartments in Palm Jumeirah? The glittering Palm Jumeirah is definitely gold and will cost you some to buy a property there. Cost of buying property in Palm Jumeirah Property Type Price range Single Bedroom Apartment 2 million – 5 million AED Two Bedroom Apartment 3 million – 7 million AED Three Bedroom Apartment 5 million – 12 million AED Penthouses 10 million – 25 million AED AX Capital is a great place to browse for verified, trusted properties for sale. The cost of villas is in a higher range from as high as 30 million AED to 80 million AED. The prices of properties listed above vary depending on the quality of the apartments and a host of other factors determining the price. A large or a Small House? Considering the cost of living for ex-pats in the country, experts advise purchasing a house that you can conveniently maintain within your budget. Moving into your Apartment The first thing to ensure is your finance in place. Weigh your options as to finance and work within a budget. Gladly, you can allow experts to guide your decisions and prepare you for the transition. As a family, there are some lovely schools for children, and although residents say they need more private schools for their children, there is a fine combination of options. Are you prepared to move into your Apartment? Ready your mind for an endless exhilarating cruise. With your money in your pocket and a couple of gate fees, Palm Jumeirah has the best experiences to offer. Your options include sightseeing, window shopping, fancy restaurant dinners, club nights, beach time, and even quality children’s parks. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Senoko Oil Fuel Depot in Singapore is a strategic fuel storage depot supporting the Five Powers Defence Arrangement, 5th and 7th US Fleets and the Singapore Government. The UK’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is responsible for the management and maintenance of Senoko. However, an inspection identified several non-conformances in the secondary containment system resulting in the issuing of an improvement notice and a £12.3m contract was awarded to Trant Engineering. The project required increasing the secondary containment capacity to achieve at least 110% of the volume of the existing twelve 30m diameter fuel tanks, removing gravity drainage and replacing with a pumped system and providing an impermeable barrier within the bund. To achieve these goals, the existing drainage routes had to be altered to allow an equal number of bunds to drain to each of the existing Tilted Plate Separators with only one bund being drained through each separator at any one time, and at a predetermined flow rate. All existing drainage pipes which penetrated through the bund walls were to be sealed and replaced with pressure pipework laid over the bund walls terminating in an adjacent discharge chamber. This would drain by gravity to the nearby existing storm drainage channel system. The contract has been executed successfully and been handed over to the DIO. Business Development Director, Brendan Dowd says “This unique project utilised our multi-discipline engineering and project delivery teams. We faced a number of challenges, but perseverance and hard work ensured a successful outcome. We are proud to support the DIO with upgrading and refurbishment of their assets around the world.” For detailed info, please visit: https://www.trant.co.uk/news/trant-completes-work-on-senoko-strategic-fuel-depot-in-singapore Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
HID, worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, announces today the successful implementation of its mobile access solution, HID Mobile Access, and mobile-enabled Bluetooth® readers at the new Skyliner skyscraper in Warsaw, Poland. Located in the vibrant Wola business district, Skyliner is one of the tallest buildings in the capital at 195 metres high. It is the first skyscraper commissioned by the developer, Karimpol Group, a developer of office and business parks in Europe. With 42 stories, it offers 49,000 m2 of leasable space with the lower levels dedicated to retail. In terms of physical access control, the strategy has been to segment the building and create various zones based on usage: office space for tenants, free access areas for the public, along with underground parking. To meet security protocols, people are prevented from going directly from the garage to the office floors and are routed to the lobby area first. Szymon Zduńczyk, Karimpol Group’s technical department head, explains, “Another key goal was to introduce touchless entry as people pass the turnstiles in reception, with a lift automatically called to take them to the correct level. We wanted to keep everything as simple as possible for people who work and visit the building.” To achieve this and add value to tenants, Karimpol Group has installed a feature-rich workplace platform developed by Hellopark—the SkylinerAPP. The SkylinerAPP provides a range of functionality for each tenant and their staff: the ability to reserve car parking places, book desks and conference rooms, as well as receive information and news about the building or events going on within it. It is also a tool to log any maintenance requirements: the building’s facility managers are informed about them via the system so they can be dealt with promptly. A HID Mobile Access solution has been integrated with the SkylinerAPP to allow physical access to the building, with both Apple iOS and Android-based smartphones supported. Leveraging Seos® as its underlying credential technology, the HID solution was sourced and installed by GMP Power, who also managed the programming of 300 door readers so they integrate with the mobile access solution. Simplified setup and integration To date, 1,600 users are registered in the SkylinerAPP. The process of adding and authorizing staff to use it is straightforward. On the backend, an office administrator first registers them in the building’s security management system. Each employee then downloads the SkylinerAPP by visiting Google Play or the Apple App Store. Maciej Kizlich, Hellopark’s chief executive officer, explains further, “To make this work at the door level, we’ve integrated HID’s SDK into our mobile app, along with HID’s Origo portal which links to our admin panel. Origo allows us to manage the credentials based on available licences and assign batches of virtual cards to specific tenants. It also integrates with the security management system, so that as long as the user is registered in it, all they need to do once they’ve downloaded the SkylinerAPP, is confirm their identity by clicking on a registration email and they get access.” The system has also been designed so that tenants can manage the virtual credentials themselves from within the SkylinerAPP. At the outset of the project, Karimpol Group specified an access control solution which offered the option to use physical cards as well as an app-based mobile approach. “We expected to run a dual system. As it turns out, 95% of tenants have only ever used the mobile one, with physical cards just given to visitors. That’s due to the success of the SkylinerAPP,” Zduńczyk continues. Integrated mobile access control drives workplace app usage Having mobile-based access control tightly integrated with the SkylinerAPP has added considerable value and driven its usage. Traffic is high and tens of thousands of requests are made within the app. “The amount of interaction people have had with it shows we’ve done a great job. It’s not just another building management app that no one uses. It really helps people get the most out of the building and be more productive in their day-to-day work,” Kizlich adds. Tenants in the building are very positive about it, too. Bolt—the European mobility super app offering ride hailing, shared cars, e-bikes and scooters along with a food and grocery delivery—is one such organization. Karolina Cieślak, Bolt’s regional office manager, explains, “In our previous building, we just used plastic cards. But staff were always losing or forgetting them which wasted my time. Our reception would have to call me to confirm that an individual was really an employee and I’d then have to reissue a card. The attraction of the SkylinerAPP in conjunction with HID’s mobile access solution is one of convenience as frankly no one leaves their home without their phone, I can activate and deactivate virtual credentials easily and, as physical plastic cards aren’t used anymore, it helps us be more green.” Looking to the future, Karimpol Group is preparing to start work on the second phase of the Skyliner masterplan. “We’re collecting feedback from tenants and going through a lessons-learned process, but the expectation is that we’ll implement a HID and Hellopark solution in the next project based on our experiences,” Zduńczyk concludes. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Bruce Kennedy, Architect Director at BDP, discusses the use of biophilic design for the Heriot Watt campus in Dubai. Every level of the campus benefits from a series of subtle features and carefully considered themes that provide relief from the extreme environment that can reach 50 degrees Celsius in summer. Using biophilic design principles, BDP has managed to transform a seven-storey office block overlooking the Arabian Gulf into a unified vertical campus for a Scottish university. The nature around has informed the orientation of learning spaces; the choice of materials for walls, floors and furniture; the flow of air, and even hanging felt screens that absorb sound and provide privacy in open-plan staff areas. Biophilic design has been shown to enhance wellbeing. Although plants, as shown in Heriot Watt’s Dubai Campus where interior green walls run through all levels, can form an important part of the design, it is about more than that. It is also about textural elements, a rich variety of patterns, the choice of natural over synthetic materials and the inclusion of ‘biomimicry,’ which in this case includes carpets that recall stone, moss and grass. BDP’s inspiration for the design of the Dubai campus was the designed landscape of Heriot Watt’s Riccarton Estate. Its lush green parkland has an exceptional tree collection and provided a compelling context for the application of biophilic principles; referencing Scottish standing stones and the pavements of Edinburgh in the slate-lined walls and monolithic reception desk that welcome visitors to Dubai. Biophilic design has succeeded in giving the Dubai campus a sense of identity, orientating staff who travel between the Gulf and Edinburgh, and offering its students a unique connection to the heritage of this ancient Scottish university. Arabic culture is referenced in elements that include an interpretation of traditional mashrabiya screens – a laser-cut, gold anodised aluminium veil encircling the welcome space. Its pattern is lifted from the Heriot Watt coat of arms and filters the sun, recalling the dappled light passing through Riccarton’s tree canopy – while the choice of wood for furniture provides another grounding element within the borrowed landscape. An important aspect of biophilic design is its ability to unite interior and exterior environments, and BDP has located social learning spaces where to provide views through palm trees toward the Gulf. To visitors, staff and students, not all of these features will be immediately evident, but they combine on a subliminal level to instill a sense of belonging. And the client, Heriot Watt University, was open to the philosophy. They understood that biophilic design would enrich the learning environment, infusing the Dubai campus with an identity that links it to its Edinburgh roots. In Dubai, this approach has provided a way of uniting nature, culture and heritage in a contemporary setting, creating a sense of belonging and making students and staff feel comfortable in their surroundings. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Cyberhawk has signed an agreement with Shamal Technologies to digitally transform the way major construction projects are managed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Shamal Technologies is a leading geospatial company that delivers end-to-end data acquisition, visualization and analytics solutions that can reduce operational risk. The company is the first in Saudi Arabia to develop solutions that integrate artificial intelligence technology with unmanned systems. Cyberhawk is a world leader in visual data solutions for energy infrastructure and capital projects. The UK firm captures images of critical infrastructure using drone technology, which is analyzed using Cyberhawk’s cloud-based visualization software, iHawk. As part of the agreement, both parties will combine data acquisition and analytics expertise to launch a powerful Visual Intelligence solution for major capital projects in Saudi Arabia. Shamal Online, the name given to the new data management and visualization platform, will be powered by iHawk. Cyberhawk will also provide technical knowledge transfer support and scale up drone surveying operations for planned construction projects within the region. The construction monitoring solution will support project managers to track milestones, coordinate vendor activities, and schedule future onsite work. The fully enabled IoT solution will empower project managers to make evidence-based decisions by integrating seamlessly with third-party sensors and APIs. Geospatial information, including imagery acquired from ground cameras, CCTV, drones, and autonomous technologies will form data layers for analysis on an unprecedented scale. The agreement was signed during a ceremony held at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) which is an institute focused on driving innovation, economic development, and social prosperity in Saudi Arabia. The partnership is aligned with the Saudi 2030 vision to form strong international alliances and invest in a highly trained Saudi workforce to develop progressive industries and futureproof the economy. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Home staging is a trend from the United States that is now becoming more and more widespread. It involves decorating properties for sale to make them look more appealing. Individual rooms are staged, meaning they are furnished in a homely manner. Hence, it is possible in many cases to sell the house quickly and at a high price. However, the question arises whether such techniques are necessary when demand clearly exceeds supply. In this article, we explain why home staging is useful and what needs to be considered. Why is home staging advantageous? In most cases, the previous owners leave the house completely cleared out and empty. As a result, many brokers face a problem with the sale. According to experts, most potential buyers lack the necessary imagination to see their fully furnished and comfortable home in front of them instead of a bare room. Furthermore, potential buyers often have difficulties imagining whether their own furniture will fit in the rooms. CNN.com has an article on what to expect when you buy a home in 2022. Another problem is that apartments often look very dilapidated, for instance, due to a yellowed ceiling or wallpaper in disrepair. Hardly anyone can imagine such properties as an ideal new home. For this reason, home staging is mainly used for older, smaller properties or properties in need of renovation. With the help of the furnished and handcrafted rooms, it can be seen whether a large bed, sofa, or wardrobe would fit in the room and what a potential layout of the room would look like. Moreover, colorful wallpapers, pictures, cozy blankets, and a few plants create a feel-good atmosphere that makes visitors immediately want to curl up on the couch in order to watch a good movie or play games on a console. Those who don’t want an Xbox or PlayStation in their setup can also switch to online games, which can now be conveniently played on a smartphone, such as casino games. There are comparison portals that help players find reputable casinos and discover the best bonus offers. There are lots of European providers, but there are also South African casinos. If you have some South African rand (ZAR), there are operators that accept them, and the best of them can be found on Casinos.co.za. There’s an overview of each operator and their most important features in brief. This way, users can make a solid choice and get to the selected provider with one click. The comparison platform is free of charge. And who knows – maybe you’ll win something that will make the new apartment much more affordable. Even though real estate prices are currently very high and apartments are usually sold quickly, home staging is still a useful method. It speeds up the buying process, as sellers decide more quickly to buy an apartment or house in which they feel comfortable and in which they can better imagine a cozy interior. The fast sales process saves costs for the real estate agent. Additionally, older buildings with a few flaws can hardly be sold any other way. What are the costs of home staging and how do experts work? Home staging increases the attractiveness of the property, which also means a higher purchase price. That’s why more and more real estate agents worldwide are turning to professional decorators to stage the property and create the ideal home with the help of homely elements such as pictures, comfortable sofas, and pleasant lighting. In order to achieve this, agents are also willing to spend some money. For staging an apartment with 1000 square feet, 2500 to 3000 pounds are estimated, plus the cost of renovation work by craftsmen. Home stagers are most often hired by real estate agents prior to a showing in order to make a quicker sale for their clients. But more and more private sellers are also turning to home stagers and hiring experts to remodel living spaces to promote sales. Depending on the clientele and the property, they adapt the kitchen, bathroom, and other living spaces in consultation with the client. The optimal staging of the property follows the design and aesthetic rules. Home stagers work specifically with laws of perception and spatial illusions to fully use the potential of the property. Particular attention must be paid to the cut of the room as well as light and color effects. According to the effort, a home stager needs about three to five days for a job. Since the concept is very promising and the purchase price rises by the decoration, such investments are made by the brokers ever more frequently.
A New York-style skyscraper has been planned to replace the Grand Casino in Southport after renovation plans have been put forward by the Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group. The plan is to transform the Grade II listed building into a 48 storey skyscraper called the Tower of Hope, making it one of the tallest buildings in the north of the country. The building will house 140 apartments, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedrooms, 109 five-star hotel rooms, a restaurant, a wedding venue, and a car park for visitors. The project will also boast a health and wellbeing centre, a gym, a spa, and a green space for the surrounding community to use. The hotel group is keen to ensure that the community is behind their project, and has confirmed that all profits from the sale of the building’s apartments will go to charity. The Grand Casino has been unoccupied since 2007 and has housed a variety of different businesses over the years. Starting out as a car showroom in 1923 before being converted into the Grand Cinema in 1938, it remained a luxury cinema for several decades before being converted once again to a bingo hall in 1966. Just before the turn of the millennium, it was closed again and re-opened as the Grand Casino. It’s no surprise that the casino lasted only a few short years before being closed down, as this was the same time that online gambling was taking off in a big way. For the first time, people could gamble from their own homes and not have to worry about getting their winnings home safely from the casino. Since then, hundreds of online casinos have sprung up, all with a large variety of different games on offer. There are trusted review sites that have compiled a comprehensive list of the best real-money slots available, with hundreds of slots to offer. The site also has a page for free slots if you miss playing but don’t want to gamble. Furthermore, they have all the information you need to get started, along with security information, customer service, bonus offers, and how to claim them. This transformation killed a great number of brick-and-mortar casinos, though it’s particularly sad to see a building as beautiful as the Grand Casino sit empty for so long. The beauty of the original building was a big influence in the hotel group choosing it for its latest project. Andrew Mikhail, chairman of the leisure group, said of the project “Bringing fabulous buildings back to life is such a rewarding feeling, and a building as stunning as The Grand Casino deserves to be enjoyed by the people of Southport and beyond”. He also spoke of the need to “cherish the past and build the future”, which perfectly encapsulates the mixture of old and new he is aiming to achieve with this building. The collective has already invested millions of pounds into the surrounding area, with ownership in The Bold Hotel, Lord Street Hotel, Lord Street Sports Bar, and a variety of other businesses in Southport’s Northern Quarter. This slew of recent investments represents an upturn in the fortunes for the Southport area, and can in part be attributed to the Town Regeneration Fund Schemes introduced by the government for struggling towns. Sefton Council is estimating nearly £400m of private investment could be on its way to the seaside town, with The Tower of Hope being a major part of that. The council also anticipates this will have a positive impact on the surrounding community. The tower will bring in a large tourist trade, giving a huge boost to small businesses around the area and the local economy as a whole. Not only that, personal and commercial property prices are expected to increase due to the increase in demand for the area. Building work on the new tower has already begun, creating close to 100 new jobs in the area, with more anticipated upon the completion of the building. It is hoped that landmark investment such as this will draw in other private investors and create a bustling metropolitan area to rival that of its close neighbour, Manchester. This 48-storey behemoth isn’t likely to be a one-off, with the investment group already floating ideas for a sky bar to join this grand hotel. The Tower of Hope isn’t an arbitrary name, chairman Andrew Mikhail has been quoted as saying “I hope that people will look up, see the Tower of Hope and realise, that anything is possible”. If the tower is able to live up to the grand expectations that Andrew has laid out for Sefton Council and the people of Stockport, it will surely achieve its aim.
