THING OF THE WEEK
MANC MONTAGE… With Place North West turning 10 this month, we’ve been looking back over the past decade as part of our Place10 series. Next week marks 10 years since the death of Tony ‘Mr Manchester’ Wilson. You’d be hard pressed to forget the founder of Factory Records around the city with his name, face and quotes adorning many a street and club toilet door in the city. If you’re looking for a Tony Wilson Tour this weekend, here’s your itinerary: stop by Tony Wilson Place on First Street, opposite where his Hacienda once stood; spy him in grafitti form at the canalside Hacienda apartments, and in the Northern Quarter (probably); spot his name etched into the roll of honour at the Town Hall; swing by the Holiday Inn on Aytoun Street and see his quotes in lights; and as of last month, you can spot a Blue Plaque outside the Didsbury flat where Wilson and Factory Records co-founder Alan Erasmus set up the label. Then, if you’re so inclined, finish the day queuing in the rain for an hour outside Fac251, the former Factory Records offices, for some £1 shots…
CRAZY TRAIN… Our dreams of zooming from Manchester to Liverpool in six minutes in a high-speed tube may be one tiny step closer to reality. Hyperloop One’s first successful trial of magnetic levitation pod-based transport this week reached 192mph at the test track in Nevada. The brainchild of Elon Musk, Hyperloop uses magnetic levitation to lift pods above the track and gradually accelerate them using electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube. 192mph is a far cry from the envisioned 750mph, but it’s not bad for five seconds we suppose… The first full-scale passenger capsule is planned for completion in 2018. This is our kind of Tube. London can keep theirs.
PAVEMENT PLAY… The streets of Crewe town centre will become the canvas for an international pavement art festival over the August bank holiday weekend. Around 30 artists will be in Crewe’s Market Square for Urban Canvas’s Chalk It Up, using pastels to create 12ft x 16ft pieces of artwork and competing for a series of cash prizes. During the weekend there will also be opportunities for visitors to give pavement art a go themselves.
SLIDE ALONG… The property eco-system is made up of many roles, some of which may be difficult to get your head around, particularly for youngsters or newcomers to the industry. So Planit-IE has made it easy for anyone who has ever asked the question “what do landscape architects actually do?” with this handy graphic of NOMA’s Sadler’s Yard…
What do Landscape Architects do? We realise transformational change. Before/after sliders at: https://t.co/UEzEtO8gFB #transformationtuesday pic.twitter.com/DJukcHtKVI
— Planit-IE (@PlanitIE) August 1, 2017
EASY FLYING… A project at Atlas Park reached new heights this week, thanks to a planned adjustment to the incoming flight path at neighbouring Manchester Airport. Fit-out and and refurbishment specialist Overbury liaised with both air traffic control and Metrolink to ensure the 300ft-high crane could safely undertake essential project lifting works at Pacific House, on behalf of client Vodafone Group.
CHANGE OF USE… We’re all for bringing dilapidated, historic buildings back into use, however this Darwen ‘entrepreneur’ may have taken that a step too far. Top points for innovation, zero points for legality. Now that’s one conversion we doubt Historic England would approve of…
Police raid “most sophisticated cannabis operation in UK” 20 secret rooms in a Darwen mill – inc a hidden lift and living quarters. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/FbrGYxBWB1
— BBC North West (@BBCNWT) August 4, 2017
