Four Seasons Hotel - Festival City Dubai
The five star plus 34 storey hotel and 43 storey residential project is located on the banks of Dubai creek and will make a unique feature to compliment the numerous tower blocks on the Dubai skyline.
Due to open in 2010 the 360 plus rooms add to the quality of Dubai accommodation and the cities plans to increase tourism to 15 million people by 2012.
The Jumeirah Beach Hotel
The Jumeirah Beach Hotel
The Burg Al Arab
Net retail space has increased due to the previous escalator well being reverted to selling space. The client and design team should be congratulated in transforming a tired 1960s building into an up-to-the-minute retail experience.
On balance the replacement of a lift serving five floors, being increased in size from about a three person lift to a six person lift would not seem too complex a project. However, there were a number challenges that made it especially demanding. They included:
- The need to create a new and heavier machine room on the roof. The machine room was a modular construction and had to be lifted into position by a large mobile crane within the proximity of St James's Palace, involving road closures.
- Installing a lift within a building with many prized artefacts many of which are valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds and probably irreplaceable.
- And last but by no means least keeping high profile visitors happy in the process.
Gently does it - the modular construction machine room
is lifted into place on The Carlton Club's roof.
The early 1980s design dictated hydraulic lift installations were installed, which, having their machine rooms located in the basement areas, meant that they became completely immersed under 12 feet of water.
It could be argued that once drenched the depth of water becomes irrelevant, but nonetheless, sterling efforts by the site management team supported by the contractors, meant that the lifts and escalators were all fully functioning for the all-important Christmas trading period.
Jim takes the top spot on the podium
After winning the Class A and finishing as overall runner-up in 2006 MG Owners Club Championship, Jim went one better last year by winning the overall Championship with an unprecedented 12 wins, eight pole positions and nine fastest laps from 13 races.
Jim explains: "I have owned and raced the MGB since 1981 and it's always been a consistent front runner but a rebuilt engine and some concerted winter preparation paid off with a win on the opening day of the season at Mallory Park.
"The next race at Donington Park was a disappointment when the clutch exploded when I was leading the race with three laps to go but from there on it all went very much too plan."
Wins at Oulton Park (x two), Cadwell Park, Brands Hatch, Pembrey (x two), Snetterton (x two) and Silverstone (x two) meant that Jim only required one decent result at the final two-race weekend at Pembrey in South Wales.
"I was delighted to finish the season in Wales in style with two wins and two fastest laps," said Jim.
With the rigours of a hard season over, Jim made a return visit to Texas in early December to race a friend's TVR.
"This friendship came about as a result of my exploits racing a 1969 TVR Tuscan, this was another very successful car gaining 23 outright and Class wins from 44 races between 1999 and 2006.
"I had an email from a fellow TVR racer in Texas asking me what he should do to his car to make it more competitive, I gave him the necessary information and a few months later he emailed back saying that he's done everything I recommended and I should go over and race it!
"I've now been over there three times and, after spending more of his money, the car is now very competitive.
"Racing in USA is a tremendous experience and I've made a lot of friends, hopefully I will return again in 2008.
"I was finding it difficult to race two cars at the level I wanted to be at and when I received a very good offer to sell the TVR I took the opportunity to cash in and the TVR was gone.
"I'm still not sure that I did the right thing but at least it allowed me to focus on racing the MGB and winning the 2007 Championship was due reward."
Jim is currently building another MGB to a slightly higher specification to race in the Historic Sports Car Club Championship in 2008.
He says: "It certainly won't win races outright due to the Class structure but even in the hands of an ageing, overweight, short sighted, asthmatic driver it should be very competitive in its Class!
Watch this space for a mid-season update.
The 2008 race dates are:
5th April - Silverstone
13th April - Cadwell Park
10/11th May - Silverstone
24/25th May - Snetterton
7/8th June - Brands Hatch
21st June - Oulton Park
28/29th June - Brands Hatch
20th July - Mallory Park
3rd August - Castle Combe
13th September - Brands Hatch
4/5th October - Silverstone
18th October - Silverstone
These are all subject to confirmation - email jimbaynam@dunbarboardman to check on the final plan.
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Peter Boardman presents Bob French with his leaving card.
A rousing send-off from part of the D&B London team.
Peter says: "Our paths cross from time to time and he is know by most people in D&B - we all wish him a long and happy retirement - although he has promised return as he wishes to write a book on Lifts and would like to consult our library!"
Boardman's BlogAn occasional thought, bon mot or jotting from the busy brain of Peter Boardman...
Looking through some old photographs the other day I came across the following:
Working from home in '96
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So, the news is out that not only do we allow MP's to purchase a second home at the tax payer's expense, it is also common practice for them to pay their wives an allowance, but perhaps a revelation that they also pay their children/friends to absorb their tax free allowance! The constituents of the MPs involved are naturally appalled by the situation. The MP concerned at the moment has a particular shade of blue, or is it green, but the practice is widespread throughout all parties and therefore can be considered to be part of the general political malaise.
Perhaps it's time for a bit of a shake up and to encourage MP's to spend more time in their constituency and simply attend the associated Parliament whether it be in England, Scotland or Wales, for a weekly vote which could take place over two days. This method of democracy would ensure that local MP's are appointed in the first place, rather than parachuting in from the metropolitan areas, and they can be genuinely of service to their constituents. They wouldn't need to have second homes in the capital and when sitting they could simply be accommodated within a hotel. The Parliamentary system is clearly based on a model that Jane Austin would recognise but we no longer rely on people like Mr Darcy & Co. to travel around on horseback and stay over on an extended basis. Strange as it may seem, we live in an age of total communications where the need for MP's to be constantly facing each other is no longer necessary.
Such a shift in the political system would encourage the particular sitting MPs to travel to their local seat of power, whether it be Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales or England and therefore the whole political system can be greener as a result.
Of course, applying a similar system to Europe would also help to stop the excesses in that area. Just think of the benefits... More houses will become available in the capital, more seats on trains and planes. Tables would become available in restaurants and hotels, and the local economies of Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff will be boosted and our taxes would be lower as a result of the savings!
It seems that the EU ruling for VAT on books is pending. While this doesn't particularly impact on business activities because the VAT can simply be reclaimed through the VAT return, it is another example of meddling Politicians trying to grab as much money to fund their own excesses, prop-up tin-pot Dictators in far flung places and support the lunacy of excess travel of thousands of Politicians and associated entourage around the globe. Then they dream up devices such as carbon off-setting and lecture everyone on Green issues to somehow justify it.
We should remember that VAT is effectively a tax to fund Europe and a method of re-distribution of wealth from the more established 'rich' countries to the poorer ones. While this position has not been declared as such, you would think the Politicians would be honest enough to admit it.
I happened to bump into a retired fireman the other day and during the course of conversation I was remonstrating with him about the damage they manage to cause when releasing passengers from lifts. He mentioned to me that they were prevented from undertaking household duties within the Fire Station itself, despite the fact that they spend a great deal of time living there, on the basis that they were not trained to climb up domestic ladders! Is this another example of the over-enthusiastic application of Health & Safety issues? I am sure if Jeremy Clarkson heard about this he would go off on one of his rants!
Moving on to the recent crisis in the Financial Market, it can be seen that the outcome of the so-called subprime problem is to effectively transfer wealth from the Banks, its shareholders and customers to the poorer people it loaned its monies to. In effect, is this another form of wealth distribution, on a scale that is entirely global, all unfolding within the space of 6 months to a year or so without any involvement of Governments. Are we seeing Capitalism doing a cartwheel; with Capitalism standing on its hands, and at this point in the cycle seeing a glimmer of Communist Economic Policy, albeit without a formal Revolution or vote being cast!
See www.ctbuh2008.com for details of the conference.
Construction Line would seem to be one of the older and most established of these approval platforms. You'd think that would suffice and be a suitable reference point for others. However, business sectors are ring fenced in their particular area of operations such as health, education, or transport and they then form their own particular Club. In short, what should be a method of transparent approval process has become another form of stealth tax.