THING OF THE WEEK
SANDY…Sand removed as part of the excavation for a water drainage tunnel through Chester city centre has been donated to the city’s zoo. CWAC and main contractor Vinci Construction have gifted more than 200 tonnes of red sandstone and the lucky beneficiaries are Chester Zoo’s rhinos and painted dogs. The donation has saved the zoo around £6,000, according to Dr Nick Davis, deputy curator of mammals.
Pep Guardiola won’t get much use out of the hairdryers. Credit: Place North West
MAN CITY SUITES...Rumoured to have housed famous names including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus since opening in 2017, CitySuites on Chapel Street is known for its luxury residential offer. Following the success of the first phase of Select Property Group’s aparthotel venture, CitySuites Two is due to open its doors to yet more high-profile residents in October. Among the plush array of amenities and gadgets within the 147-unit scheme is an 18-metre swimming pool, and a GHD hairdryer for every suite. The latter is no good for Pep but if the more follicly endowed Jack Grealish decides to move in he’ll be delighted.
Credit: via Amanda Provan
DOCTOR DUNCAN’S…There is good news for those seeking a remedy for the misery caused by this rainy summer. Well known Liverpool watering hole Doctor Duncan’s is preparing to reopen at the end of the month to cure what ails you through intense courses of liquid therapy. Owner Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group has undertaken a £250,000 refurb of the building, named after William Henry Duncan, Liverpool’s first medical officer of health in 1847.
Here's a little preview of tonight's ground-breaking house build 🏡
And don't worry, we did let Kevin out… eventually!😉@Kevin_McCloud | #GrandDesigns pic.twitter.com/FawDJtj8OC
— granddesigns (@granddesigns) January 27, 2021
GRAND DESIGNS…Who better to judge an architecture contest than a man who for the last 22 years has run the rule over all manner of wacky projects? Grand Designs’ Kevin McCloud has been drafted in to cast his expert eye over the entries in a competition to design a “Post-Covid Town House” – part of Liverpool Architecture Festival. Entrants must demonstrate a realistic design for an energy-efficient family home that could be taken forward as a deliverable scheme. The winner will receive a tidy £4,000, which seems like a pretty cheap fee for a consultant, especially if the project does eventually become a reality. This will please McCloud, though, who is probably sick to the back teeth of seeing projects go over budget.
Bruntwood Works’ safe space at Bloc. Credit: Place North West
SAFE SPACE…We know you’ve all heard about the green and blue roof on Bloc, the sleep pod, the barre studio and the theatre…but did you know there were safes in the basement? A behind-the-scenes tour of the Bruntwood Works office building led us to the cellar, where the relics from the building’s past as a NatWest bank can be found. Today, they’re used mostly for storage – but in THING’s eyes, these safes have speakeasy potential written all over them. Just sayin’ – the Bloc Blind Tiger has a killer ring to it.
