Construction Maison

Lee Valley VeloPark Standing on the tenth floor of TfL's soon-to-be offices in the heart of the Olympic Park, there's a panoramic view of Stratford and the rest of London beyond. The landscape is littered with cranes and unfinished tower blocks like the one we're standing in. Among them there's a sprinkling of former Olympic venues that provided the catalyst for this re-imagined Stratford to occur. Or did they? A huge slice of the changes in the Olympic Park comes from International Quarter London . IQL is run by property development company Lendlease , and totals up to 4 million sq ft of offices. Lendlease also built the luxury apartment complex Glasshouse Gardens in the Olympic Park and, originally built the Athletes' Village for the games. The team here knows intimately the rapid changes the area has undergone. Kevin Chapman, head of offices at IQL, tells us, "what we've had to do is bring the commercial office element into the Olympic Park as part...

Have you noticed local Targets undergoing renovations recently ? The retailer is in the midst of redesigning a number of its existing stores, and if yours has yet to be refreshed, here's a look at what's on the horizon. Target recently revealed the makeover of their downtown Minneapolis location , and it's an example of their redesigned store concept , announced back in March. It's one of 45 remodels completed so far in 2017, with 65 more stores to be renovated through the fall. "By the end of 2019, more than one-third of our stores will be reimagined—part of our $7+ billion investment to become an even better, more modern Target," the company writes on their blog. Here's a look inside the Minneapolis store and what could be coming to a Target near you: (Image credit: Target) The grocery section was moved to the front of the store, "so time-strapped guests can quickly check off their grocery lists." (Image credit: Target) The overall look...

The developer of a large proposed Lomita apartment complex will pay the city more than $450,000 initially and then $50,000 annually in development fees to offset the effects of a project more dense than municipal standards currently allow. In addition, to get around the density issue, the city plans to create a specific plan for the area that would permit residential densities of up to 88 units an acre. That’s the exact density of the 220- unit Picerne Apartments , which would sit on a 2.7-acre site on the Torrance border at the northeast corner of Lomita and Crenshaw boulevards. The Planning Commission will discuss the project and specific plan at a 6:30 p.m. Monday public hearing at City Hall, 24300 Narbonne Ave. City staff is recommending approval of the project, saying it is consistent with the goals and objectives of the city’s land-use policies. “Specifically, the project furthers these goals by developing an under-utilized parcel, helping to address a documented housing shor...

1. If you can make it here… New York has long been the ultimate testing ground for businesses. But the city’s population density also makes it an important laboratory for startups, especially in today’s on-demand economy. Food- delivery pioneer Seamless survived the dot-com crash, paving the way for the arrival of meal-kit services such as Blue Apron and Plated a decade later. Related View this story in its original print layout Density has also been instrumental to the growth of ride-hailing and car-sharing companies. Most of them, including Uber and Lyft first gained their footing in smaller cities, then made New York their biggest market. Via, the on-demand ride-pooling service, launched here in 2013, is the exception: Its founders chose New York, figuring riders packed together on subways and buses wouldn’t need much persuading to share a car with strangers, especially when it cost just $5. article continues below advertisement App- based transportation startups have flocked t...

Paul Bass | New Haven Independent Democrat Marcus Paca, left, and incumbent Mayor Toni Harp . Marcus Paca promised that if he becomes mayor, he will fight gentrification, while Mayor Toni Harp argued that the burst of market-rate housing in town doesn’t constitute gentrification. Harp promised to continue New Haven’s “sanctuary city” policies even if President Trump withholds federal grants , while Paca promised to take a closer look at the issue first to avoid losing needed dollars . Those differences between the two Democratic mayoral candidates emerged Sunday afternoon at their first debate, held before a full house in the sanctuary of Varick Memorial AME Zion Church on Dixwell Avenue. The event was billed as a “forum,” not a “debate.” But a debate it turned out to be, from the moment the two Democrats began fielding questions from a panel of three local ministers and passionately responded to each other’s positions in a fast-paced, issues-focused back and forth. Two- term incu...

1st Lake Properties ' newest apartment complex , Bella Ridge (1101 Dickory Ave., River Ridge, 888-802-9150; www.1stlake.com), offers luxury apartment living . The complex is close to Elmwood shops and restaurants and is a 20-minute drive from downtown New Orleans.   The property's 264 units consist of one- (966 square feet) and two-bedroom (1,366 square feet) apartments. Interiors feature granite countertops , stainless-steel appliances and master bathrooms with stand-alone showers and soaking tubs. They also include crown molding and wood-tone flooring, 10-foot ceilings, recessed and pendant lighting, full-sized washers and dryers and ample closet space .   "Our management company prides ourselves in having great amenities, such as pools with soaking and tanning ledges, 24- hour fitness centers and concierge- style services ," says Michele Shane L'Hoste, president of 1st Lake Properties , which has designed and built more than 9, 000 apartment complexes and ...

Houston has a lot going for it: An active professional sports scene , two international airports, delicious Tex-Mex. The fourth-largest city in the US (2.3 million residents) has also long held a reputation as a center for big business, boasting 20 Fortune 500 companies . But in recent years, it’s quietly been building one of the most extensive startup ecosystems in the country, too. The city’s economy (as with much of Texas) is intrinsically linked to oil, which means it’s faced its share of adversity. Houston got hit hard in the 1986 oil collapse -- though the silver lining is that it escaped the 2008 recession relatively unscathed (it was the first major city to regain all its lost jobs, and then some). Credit the benefit of experience. “Thankfully, our financial system learned valuable lessons during the oil crash in the 1980s and resulting glut of speculative building,” says Rob Todd, a former Houston City Council member and founder of the telecom company Amplified Solutions ...

Marietta, GA Area Information Marietta is one of the largest suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Its residents are both blue-collar and white-collar workers, and it has a decidedly young population , with many well-educated singletons in their 20s and 30s. One of the best things about renting an apartment in Marietta is the community feel. Its picturesque central square is host to weekly farmers markets and annual cultural events , such as Art in the Park. Renting an apartment in Marietta puts you close to lots of Southern history. Lovers of yore will enjoy six historic districts, a number of museums, and Kennesaw House, one of the few buildings that remained standing after the city was burned to the ground during General Willian T. Sherman?s March to the Sea. From Marietta, commuters can hop on I-75 southbound to drive to jobs in Atlanta. Commuters who want to avoid Midtown or Downtown Atlanta can take the I- 285 Perimeter highway south to I-20 or east/northeast to Sandy Springs and Dunwo...

The first coast-to- coast solar eclipse in almost 100 years moved across the U.S. at 2,000 mph on Aug. 21. Here are some highlights. (Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post) CARBONDALE, Ill. — At first, Bob Baer thought it had to be a hoax. A man identifying himself as an astronomer had emailed to let him know about two eclipses that would cross the United States — one in 2017, the next in 2024. Carbondale, the small southern Illinois city where Baer was a physics professor, would be the only city at the center of both. Disbelieving, Baer pulled up a NASA projection of future paths of totality — the places where the moon completely covers the sun during an eclipse. The lines crossed right over his city, like an X on a treasure map, marked by the shadow of the moon. Three years later, Carbondale residents are still incredulous at their cosmic good fortune . The city has been badly in need of a break, ever since the recession and state budget crises cut enrollment at the ...