THING OF THE WEEK
BROTHERS IN ARMS… When Manchester and Liverpool agreed to work together at MIPIM UK back at the event’s inception in 2014, who’d have thought the combined efforts would evolve to the extent of one leader cutting up food for the other but that’s apparently what had to happen at a dinner this week after Sir Richard Leese arrived with his right arm broken and in a cast. Leese, who commutes by bike to the Town Hall, broke his arm when his wheel got caught in the tram line of the new Second City Crossing, which goes past his office at Albert Square. In London, he bravely soldiered on and kept to all his speaking engagements, but needed mayor Joe Anderson’s help during dinner. Pictures on a postcard please.
FACTOIDS… Alistair Eagles, boss of Seatruck Ferries, delivered a couple of choice nuggets on the panel promoting Lancaster’s town and gown development strategy at MIPIM UK. Eagles told delegates that every London bus going past the Olympia convention centre outside was shipped in from Northern Ireland via Heysham in Lancashire, boosted by a £140m Bay Gateway link road to the M6. Eagles followed that with a quip about Spurs’ new ground, which had its own stand at MIPIM UK, and how it was already familiar to him as each piece of concrete for the stadium had been seen across the Irish Sea through Heysham port.
PRIORITIES… For those of a certain age who enjoyed reflecting on the Spinningfields development era this week, what do you most miss about this area of Manchester from the 1990s? The art deco splendour of Northcliffe House, demolished to make way for the RBS building at One Spinningfields Square? Seeing the Manchester Evening News headquarters on Deansgate? No, of course not. According to a straw poll on Twitter, what you miss most is Shimla Pinks, the sparkly Indian restaurant once a favourite for business lunches and special occasions alike. Gone but not forgotten.
HOME SMART… A homeless teenager has become the first person to move into a 186 sq ft £40,000 micro-home under a programme by the Homeless Foundation. Worcester teenager Kieran Evans moved in this week, and will be responsible for paying rent, bills and food. The homes, called, iKozies, were designed taking inspiration from yachts and first-class areas of aeroplanes and will be managed by the Spring Housing Association. If the pilot is successful, it could be rolled out across the UK to house students and young professionals.
CRACKING PAPER… Check out this origami-inspired building in Norway, designed to create a ‘folded’ appearance. The 150,700 sq ft research centre was designed by architect Lund + Slatto and uses Kebony cladding to give the folded effect. Kebony is a wood that is resistant to wear and weathering, and was considered the best material in terms of cost and aesthetics to create the geometrically folded exterior. It does look a bit like someone’s crumpled up a piece of paper, though.
An example of how the light switch could look in a home
AGEING TECHNOLOGICALLY… Homes could soon predict illnesses such as dementia, according to Wondrwall’s chief executive Daniel Burton. The smart home technology rolls out next month and has been incorporated into Burton’s new business, an assisted living company for the elderly. Burton said: “It will let you see how relatives move around the home. You can see their heartbeat, what time they woke up and went to bed.” Admittedly this sounds like we’d be stalking our grannies, but Burton claims it could predict illnesses before people get really unwell. He said: “If they’re going to the bedroom repeatedly to turn lights on and off, that data gets fed back and could be an indication of dementia.”
WINGING IT… An 11-metre tall liver bird was lifted into place on Wednesday at Edge Lane shopping park which mayor Joe Anderson opens today. The bird, designed by local sculptor Emma Rodgers, is made from model construction supersized Meccano-like pieces to commemorate Liverpool-born toy maker Frank Hornby, and the retail development is also on the site of the first Meccano factory. The stunning 36ft bird comes complete with lights and rests on a podium overlooking the shopping centre.
WEEKEND TRIP… A Stockport exhibition capturing war veterans’ memories, including those of a 99-year-old from Leigh who was captured by Japanese forces, opens this weekend. The project, called ‘Portraits and Voices of World War Two’ will feature at the Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery from 21 October until 18 November. Tom Boardman was held in 1942 after the HMS Exeter, on which he was working, was sunk. He contracted malaria 32 times and had several bouts of dysentery during his captivity, but still managed to make a ukulele out of wooden Red Cross cases using telegraph lines for strings.
MUSICAL TASTE… A rock music milkshake mixer is the latest invention from Blowfish, and the world’s first heavy metal marine biologist claims it works best when shredding tunes from the Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, and Blink-182. Using an electric guitar and hybrid one-part amplifier one-part kitchen blender, the mixer blends powdered milkshake and milk. The rock soundwaves, emitted from the speaker, vibrate the mixture and create the milkshake entirely through the power of sound energy. The rock shaker will be available for guests to try out at Birmingham’s The Big Bang Fair 2018. Strangely the heavy metal marine biologist didn’t play any Bieber to blend the shakes. We wonder why.
