December 2017

This is just a quick note to wish all our followers, sharers, likers, commenters, networkers, collaborators and customers a very happy and restful Christmas, and a peaceful start to the New Year — not long to go now!

The Malls Shopping Centre in Basingstoke have been struggling for years with the inflated roof structure above their main courtyard developing mysterious holes, triggering the roof’s automated deflation alarms. After some investigation they discovered the culprit(s) — the local seagulls! For some reason they continuously peck at the clear outer membrane until they’ve punctured it … and then they abandon their ‘creation’ and start afresh elsewhere! Numerous attempts have been made to scare the birds away using automated bird deterrents, but so far none of them have proved effective. As such, a quicker and more cost-effective solution was required for locating and identifying the severity of the holes.

Earlier in the year we were presented with one of our most challenging projects to date — capturing a 300 megapixel architectural photograph from 5 metres above the Grand Staircase inside the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office! Never a company to turn down such a challenge, we eagerly accepted the project.

The ceiling above one side of the Grand Staircase was in need of renovation and the only way to achieve this was to completely scaffold the area from floor to ceiling. However, as the Grand Staircase is one of the most beautiful and photographed areas of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) — and one that is often used as a backdrop for photographs of official visits — the FCO understandably wanted to keep the unsightly scaffolding hidden as much as possible.

Over the past 18 months we have been working with leading interior design and fit-out firm, FIVE Interiors, to help them document some of their latest projects for their website and other promotional material.

These have ranged from two finely crafted estate agents in north London and Hertfordshire, a stunning modern office re-design for an investment firm in Central London, and the redevelopment of a multi-floor office block in a listed building in the heart of Nottingham town centre.