Opal Property Group are hitting the Press daily/ weekly at present as more and more of their SPV development companies are being put into administration. First to fall was the Construction arm of the business, Ocon Construction. There has been speculation over Opal’s position for many months, but I have resisted commenting too much to date. Until very recently we were working with Ocon on major projects at the University of Liverpool and Loughborough University.

Stuart Wall founded Opal and over the last 25 years has built the business up to 20,000 student bedrooms, amounting to a £1bn property port-folio. They are a major player in the Student Living sector alongside Unite, UPP, Liberty Living and others. Its no secret that they have suffered major financial problems over recent years with their lending facilities. The crux of the problem is that they have fallen into a trap where their property loan to values are in excess of 100% and the banks wont support them any longer. Despite the fact that their operational business is still strong and generates a lot of annual income, probably around £100m.

I have personally, through our business, worked with Opal since 2006 and our work with them became the platform that we have built our strong student living profile on. I know Stuart personally and have built many strong business relationships with past and current Opal people. I am therefore personally saddened by recent events. I wish everyone who remains part of the business at this time the very best for the future and I hope to work with some of those people again.

So what will become the legacy of Opal?

From my perspective I am in no doubt that my work with Opal created a personal profile for me and our business in the sector. I would even go as far as to say that my career progression can be linked to Opal. Today we work with many public and private clients in the sector and have delivered around 11,000 student bedrooms and counting. Off the back of our sector profile I have been invited to talk at the forthcoming LD Events Student Housing conference in London on the 15th May. I will therefore always owe a debt of gratitude to Opal and their people, past and present. We continue to work with a number of people with previous links to Opal, and I am a firm believer in maintaining positive relationships with everyone I do business with. Profile and reputation are both hugely important, especially in these continuing challenging times.

The big question on everyone’s mind though is what will happen to Opal going forward. They are a high profile operator of Student Accommodation. Will their 20,000 beds be sold? Who will buy them? Is there an appetite to buy them? Could this potentially devalue the asset class in some cities/ regions? I don’t know the answers to some of these questions at the moment, but it will be important to understand what the wider implications of this will be.

The Student Living sector is in a time of change. Universities fees, entry requirements and affordability are key challenges the sector faces. The International H.E. sector is growing as well which is interesting and potentially poses a risk to the UK. I met Prof. Brian Cox last week at MIPIM and he was talking about the importance of our H.E. sector, in both academia and research. I believe the government need to focus much more on the economic value of Higher Education in the UK. It should be a key component to sustaining our economy going forward and at present the Government are not properly supporting this.

So we will see what becomes of Opal and indeed the wider Student Living and Higher Education sectors in the coming months. I wish Stuart and all of the Opal Group people the very best at this tough time and thank them all for some very positive business in previous years.

Last week I was out in Cannes for the annual MIPIM property conference. This year I attended as part of the Manchester at MIPIM Partnership – an extremely well organised delegation of public and private sector partners, led by Sir Howard Bernstein at the City Council.

“Welcoming Lewis and Hickey Architects into the Manchester at Mipim partnership this year demonstrates how the City can achieve great exposure through collaborative working. It also shows that our team is a strong partnership which is inclusive. We want to engage with and support businesses who are established in the City, alongside those who are looking to increase their profile and grow.” Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council.

It was a very successful week for me and I believe I achieved a number of key objectives. These were; to raise our profile in the Manchester property community, to spend time with colleagues from Team Nottingham (part of Invest in Nottingham) and to make as many new contacts as possible through one-to-one meetings and numerous events I attended.

Despite some of the perceptions about MIPIM being all very nice on the Cote D’Azur, it is a tough week. I went with the sole objective of maximising outcomes – I think most people now go with this ethos. I did three back-to-back 18 hour days (from leaving my hotel to returning again). I don’t think I could have pushed myself much further. My feet/ legs took a battering.

Here’s a quick numbers overview of the three main days of the conference (Tuesday-Thursday);

• Over 60 new contacts made.
• 2 Breakfast events attended.
• 2 Lunch events attended (one private).
• 3 Evening Dinners (all private).
• 5 Evening Drinks events attended.
• 8 Private meetings held.
• 5 Stand events/ sessions attended.
• At least 25-30 leads to follow up on (most of which are project related).
• High profile personalities I met included; Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Prof. Brian Cox, Tom Bloxham MBE, Nicholas Cowell (brother of Simon), Sir Richard Leese and Sir Howard Bernstein.

One of the highlights was listening to Brian Cox on the Manchester stand. It was a very smart move getting him involved as it attracted a lot of media attention. Brian spoke in a very informed and engaging manor; he’s a superb public speaker. He emphasised how important it is for the Government to invest more into leading innovation research, especially through our Universities. I think this is a very good point. You can see Brian Cox’s presentation at the link below (its worth a watch). I’m one of the two blokes at the front with a bald spot. I will refrain from naming the other one!

Click here for the Brian Cox at MIPIM video

You can see all of the Manchester stand presentations and also a large section of photos from the Manchester events by clicking here.

So now I have the important task of following up the leads I have, to ensure we can realise value from being at MIPIM this year. I have already secured one major University opportunity from a meeting there, and have also been asked to look at another development opportunity.

As you will know already if you follow my blog or @LewisandHickey on twitter, we are at (#)Mipim again this year. Most people who read this will probably also know what Mipim is, but for anyone who doesn’t; its the European annual Property conference. Its attended by around 20,000 delegates including, Investors, Developers, Agents, Consultants, Contractors, Local Authorities…and a few others! Its a big deal and is essentially three days of intense meetings and networking events. Its hosted every year in Cannes in the Côte d’Azur.

This year I am attending with the Manchester at Mipim Partnership – a delegation, led by Sir Howard Bernstein at Manchester City Council, which brings together 45 partners, mainly from the private sector. Its a diverse mix of companies and people – but all are here to discuss property and in true Manchester style, everyone is friendly, has a ‘can do’ attitude as is patriotic in promoting everything that is great about Manchester. Manchester really go for it at Mipim, they recognise the value it has – and this year is another impressive line-up. Click here to see the full line-up of the stand events. Tomorrow we welcome leading physicist Professor Brian Cox to our stand;

“Acclaimed Physicist Brian Cox will bring international attention to opportunities for growth and progression across Greater Manchester during his keynote speech on the first day of MIPIM in Cannes.”

“The 15:30 (14:30 GMT) presentation at stand B1.00 will explore how the connections between people and places have the power to change the world. It forms part of a day of stand events focused on innovation and Manchester as a city that is leading the way and setting new standards across research, arts and entertainment, science and technology sectors.” click here for full press release.

Tim Hall from our London office is also attending Mipim this year to promote our London team/ work – especially our growth in mixed-use developments and retail led development. Tim is currently en-route to Cannes in a London Car Rally which will go over the Millau Viaduct tomorrow, before arriving in Cannes.

Also arriving tomorrow afternoon is the Broadgate Estates Cycle to Cannes team. I’ve been following these guys on Twitter and they have battled some rainy conditions as the 90 riders cycle the 1500km from London to Cannes. Joining them for the last leg of the ride is Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

So as the UK battles another cold snap in weather, what does the outlook hold for Mipim? Well the weather here looks to be a mixture of sunshine, cloud and scattered showers. The same could perhaps be said for the property related economic outlook…I’m sure there will be lots of headlines emerging from Mipim in the coming days – its a strong platform for press coverage, especially to target International investors. However, the reality is that we remain in challenging times – especially in relation to property development/ construction activity. Having said that, the UK actually seems to be getting some positive press. I picked up a property journal today with a picture of London Bridge and a montage of huge new buildings behind it, with the headline “London’s Building”. According to CBRE, The UK led 16 other European countries in terms of Investment Activity for both Q3 and Q4 in 2012. This is reassuring, but as the title states; its very London centric.

So which sectors are people backing then for 2013? Industrial seems to be topping the asset classes across Europe generally, followed by Retail and then Offices. We’ll no doubt understand this outlook more over the course of Mipim.

I have a busy three days now, each one packed with meetings, key stand events, networking events, panel discussions, lunches and dinners. Most of my time will be spent at events with the Manchester team – these are mostly private access. You can see all the stand events on the website or the YouTube channel McrMipim. You can see my promotional video below where I talk about social media, tall buildings and our University work. Manchester is a competitive market, with some long-established and talented architects in place. However I firmly believe we have a strong offer and I’m keen to build new relationships whilst out here.

I will also be supporting, and spending time with, @TeamNottingham – these guys are promoting a strong message about Nottingham and the Enterprise Zone. They have some great supporters and I’m sure they will achieve a lot out of being here. I am hoping that I can help fly their flag with one of their T-shirts…

Mipim is not a race – its a marathon. You need to try and pace yourself. My objective is simple; to maximise outcomes from Mipim for Lewis and Hickey, this is serious business and I am focused on promoting our business and the regions we operate in.

Keep in touch with our progress by following us @LewisandHickey and re-visiting my blog…

This week has seen some high profile new car model launches at the Geneva Motorshow. The supercar brands, it would seem, are merging closer and closer to Formula One design innovation and technology – this must be good! I’ve had a quick look over some of these F1 related models and thought I’d share some favorites;

First up is the McLaren P1 – the successor to the legendary road going McLaren F1 from the 1990’s (I’ve blogged about the new P1 previously, click here to see it). If money were no object I would buy one of these (£866k) and what an investment it would be as well. The previous version of this car is immensely rare and can trade for up to £10m!

In second place; Ferrari have launched their top of the range successor to the Enzo and F40. Its is called the La Ferrari. As you might expect it is another contemporary interpretation of a beautifully crafted Ferrari. Its looks and sounds amazing. Take a look at the video here. It boasts a modest 963hp and has Hybrid technology, called HY-KERS. This adopts the F1 developed Kinetic Energy Recovery System to boost the power. The car has a lot of F1 inspired thinking in its carbon fibre chassis and bodyshell too, but to own (of even see) one might be a rarity as only 499 will be sold.

In third place, and to complete the top place of the podium…I should be talking about a Red Bull related car. Problem; Red Bull don’t actually make cars. They do however have a sponsorship tie-in with Infiniti cars (who?) They have been around for a while now and, in my view, are probably similar to Lexus. They have produced a ‘Vettel’ edition to further strengthen their brand link – it doesnt really shout F1 to me though…

One final mention is the quintessentially British (albeit German owned) Rolls Royce, and their new Wraith model (below), a 3-door GT/ Coupe car. This will no doubt have big road presence and exude luxury in every way. Take a look at the video here. Oddly, the doors open backwards. I sort of get this idea on the bigger limousine model, but why on this one? It seems clear to me that this is competing directly with the hugely successful British (and also German owned!) Bentley Continental GT, which is much better looking I think.

My lottery winnings are going on the McLaren P1; a British car, truly inspired by F1.

I visit London quite a lot, probably once or twice a week. I head down there from the relatively new East Midlands Parkway station, south of Nottingham, to St. Pancras International. No matter how many times I do it, I find arriving in London is always an event in itself. I actually think St. Pancras is possibly the best way to arrive in London on land.

Originally built and opened in 1868 St. Pancras Station has always been the southern terminus for the midlands railway line. Designed by William Henry Barlow, the station had to span the Regents Canal and, because of gradient constraints with the railway line, the trains came into the station between 4-5m above Ground level. Instead of infilling the land, a vast collection of brick arched cellars were formed underneath the station. These were used to store Beer from Burton-on-Trent. The single span roof structure, required because of the cellars, stretches to just under 75m across. The structure itself is a wrought iron lattice.

The station has suffered some low points; it suffered severe bombing during the Second World War and faced near ruin and demolition in the 1960’s. However during the mid-2000’s the station underwent a major transformation which was estimated to cost £310m. The reported final cost was £800!

Today St. Pancras International is the main London train terminus for East Midlands trains heading up to Nottingham and Sheffield. It also has local platforms for London regional trains and also the southern HS1 line. Finally, it’s the London terminus for the Eurostar, providing rail services direct to Paris, Brussels and many other European destinations.

The trains still arrive at the original level (above ground), but the midland mainline platforms have now been setback under a new canopy, which links in to the original structure. The old beer cellars have been exposed and turned into an open retail concourse. It’s like many you’d see at a major airport, but benefits significantly from not being completely artificially lit and ventilated. Most of the shops and cafes sit in the original brick arched cellars.

Beyond the successful fusion of historic brick and iron structure, with contemporary glass and steel, I think the best and most successful thing about St. Pancras is the fantastic atmosphere it has. I’m talking specifically about the humanistic experience.

The shops have been carefully selected to provide a broad range of essential travel retailers with luxury and aspirational retailers too. Also there are very few ‘high street’ brands here. There are some, but there is an impressive range of Independent retailers, cafes and restaurants too. This is refreshing.

But the thing that perhaps impresses me the most, and almost always makes me smile no matter what sort of a day I’m anticipating or have had, is that there are two Piano’s in the main concourse. These are separate, but sit right in the main concourse thoroughfare. They are tatty looking, perhaps intentionally, but simply say on them “Play me, I’m Yours”.  And people do. People of all ages and backgrounds, often with a suitcase parked beside them, lose themselves for a short while and play some truly fantastic music. This gives St. Pancras life and character; something I believe truly successful buildings should have, beyond the fabric and function. People are encouraged to use this busy transport hub in many different ways.

If you’re looking for a drink don’t go to the Searcy’s Champagne Bar, head to the St. Pancras hotel bar – I think its much nicer. Its in the original ticket hall and many of the original architectural features are retained. You also get a traditional metal (with glass bottom) tankard when you have a pint.

St. Pancras is a great building. Its Architecture, both old and new, works well and I believe it provides an exemplar international transport hub. But what also works so fantastically well at St. Pancras is the way people are able to use it and experience it – beyond getting from A to B which is the only reason anyone is really there. It is a destination in itself and I building I love.

My firm, Lewis and Hickey Architects, have launched a new website today marking a new milestone in our extensive history.

We were originally founded in the City of London back in 1894 as W.A. Lewis. Our first commission from retailer M&S came in 1922 (and we’ve been working them ever since!). In 1930 Patrick Hickey joined the company and then in 1946 we became Lewis and Hickey. For many years we were a southern based practice, operating out of offices in central London and Guildford. In the 1990’s we merged with an existing practice in Edinburgh to form our Scottish office and formed our Prague office in Central Europe. We also had a Dublin office for a period of time, but this was later closed. In the 2000’s we established our offices in Nottingham, Manchester (via acquisition) and also Mumbai office in India.

Today we are ranked the “33rd Biggest practice in Britain” by the Architects Journal under their annual ‘AJ100’ rankings.

Our new website design is based around a central large image pane which illustrates the practices work in a wide range of sectors. The site has a clean, uncluttered and fresh aesthetic, with simple and intuitive navigation. The site is also ‘responsive’ so the format and navigation of the website changes automatically to suit the viewing device, such as tablets and smartphones.

I firmly believe that our new website is a positive step forward for us. It contains a lot of new content in terms of clients and projects. I believe it also conveys a much more contemporary impression of both our work and our business. The website will become an intrinsic part of our on-going media marketing now, especially through Twitter and LinkedIn.

The website aims to promote all aspects of our business, including our excellent geographical coverage, both in the UK and abroad from our seven offices.

Paul Miele, our Group Chief Executive has said; “This is another milestone for our business. Whilst we enjoy a superb heritage, our focus is very much on looking forward and we firmly believe that the website encapsulates this. We are a very diverse business and the new website will really reinforce this message, which we trust will allow us to expand work in new sectors, to further compliment sectors where we already have a strong profile”.

The website has been a personal project of mine. When I joined the Board of Directors just over a year ago, I decided that I would initiate and drive this project. Some great people have been instrumental in managing and contributing to this project, you know who you are, and I’m extremely grateful for your involvement.

A special mention must go to our Web Developers; the team at Black Apricot Creative. This is a young company, founded by a talented group of guys, who are passionate about what they do and pay attention to detail; both of these attributes are ones I appreciate and work by myself.

So, please go and have a little look at our shiny new website. I hope you enjoy it. Please keep re-visiting it as well because we’ll be updating it regularly with news and projects from around our business.

I love tall buildings, particularly getting up them to get an aerial perspective on their surroundings. Over the years I’ve visited the Eiffel Tower, Paris, CN tower in Toronto, Canada, The Rialto tower in Melbourne, Australia, one in Tokyo which I can’t recall the name of (!), The Gherkin and BT tower in London, and last year; The Burj Kalifa, Dubai.

Today I joined the first public visitors in the world to enjoy The view from the Shard. I’ve blogged about the ‘Shard and the uprise of the vertical city’ previously, click here to see it.

Image above | The external open-air viewing deck.

Construction began on the Shard in March 2009, with the envelope of the building complete for its inauguration in July 2012 – that is a phenomenally quick build for such a large building. It is 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, and is the tallest building in the European Union. The tower is 90 storeys high, but has 72 habitable floors. The viewing gallery is on the 72nd floor, at a height of 245 metres (804 ft). The project was conceived by Irvine Sellar in 2000 and the architect was the Italian Renzo Piano. Piano’s concept was born out of the idea of an ice-berg like sculpture emerging from the Thames. Ironically English Heritage, who were strongly opposed to the building, branded it “a shard of glass through the heart of historic London” – and that is where the name ‘The Shard’ came from.

It incredible to think that this development has been built through one of the deepest economic recessions to date. The project nearly failed when it was due to start on site, but a consortium of Qatari investors paid £150 million to secure an 80% stake. If successful in terms of fully occupying the building, it could be worth over £2.5bn. The Shard is a mixed-use building incorporating;

• 54,488 m² (586,504 sq ft) of prime Office space on floors 2-28.
• 5,945 m² (63,991 sq ft) of Restaurants on floors 31-33
• 16,198 m² (174,354 sq ft) 200-bed 5-star Shangri-La Hotel on floors 34-52
• 5,772 m² (62,129 sq ft) of private Residential apartments on floors 53-65
• 758 m² (8,159 sq ft) Observatory on floors 68-72. You can see an interactive view from the top of the shard by clicking here.

You can also see how The Shard compares to other buildings in London, The UK, Europe and the World at this Guardian feature here. In reality, whilst the Shard appears to be huge in the context of London, it doesn’t really rank that highly in global terms. That said the Shard has already become another globally recognised architectural icon for London, along with Westminster, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye etc.

So what of the view/ experience? Is it worth it?….

Image above | The City of London – through the rain!

On entering at ground level I had a brief encounter with Boris Johnson and Irvine Sellar who had just opened the observation decks to the public. As the building tapers to its peak, the internal circulation cores reduce also. This meant a two-stage lift ride (slightly odd). When you get to the top you enter into an open space which spans three storeys in height and, as you would expect, there are full-height glass walls. At the corners of the building there are projecting fins on the façade. This makes viewing out more interesting in my view as you have a close reference point against the long-distance views.

Image above | the internal viewing deck.

Thanks to the British rain, taking pictures proved challenging due to the water droplets all over the glass. When asked to fill in a feedback form on the way down, one visitor said “you need to install windscreen wipers!” Most people seemed unaware at first that there are actually two viewing levels. The top one is open-air! This is fantastic to be able to sense the atmospheric conditions at that height. Surprisingly it didn’t feel windy and you couldn’t hear the wind either. The views out are stunning – even on a rainy day! I think it’s a good height to be at, certainly by comparison to the Burj Kalifa where you almost feel like you’re flying because you’re so high. From the Shard you can see so much detail of London’s rich urban fabric and the constant movement of traffic; vehicles, trains, planes, people etc. You get such a strong sense of London’s architectural diversity as well, the constant fusion of historic and contemporary buildings.

Image above | The view from (and of) the Shard – The Projecting fins.

One of the best things about the Shard is that the views outward are uninterrupted. When you look at the tall buildings of the City, they all look so close together, especially with the Helter-Skelter, Cheesegrater and Walkie-talkie, all being built around Heron tower, Tower 42 and The Gherkin.

Image above | the internal viewing deck

The view from the Shard was, as I expected, a great experience. And one I would certainly do again in the future. There is something really quite mesmerising about watching the world exist when looking down from a height, especially where you can see such detail.

If you’re in London and wondering whether to have a visit to the top of the Shard; do it. You won’t be disappointed.

You will no doubt know by now that I like cars and motorsport. One of the themes that has emerged in my blogs is linking architecture with cars and also my business development work. I lead business development for Lewis and Hickey and I find marketing, in its many different forms, intriguing and interesting. I am a big believer in social media and have significantly raised both mine and my companies profile through LinkedIn, Twitter and also this blog. This form of marketing works and can connect you to new people in a fairly targeted way. I’ve had some great feedback recently on the blog and The high tech house of Sir Stirling Moss especially has a big hitter.

In a broader consumer/ retail context, advertising is important work and can be incredibly powerful in terms of promoting new services and products, but can also change opinions and perceptions of brands. However, if you get it wrong it can also damage your brand. Risky business some might say. Its also very expensive! John Lewis have become known for their annual Christmas advert. I quite liked the 2011 one called ‘Please, please, please‘ (especially as I have young daughter). This has had five million views on YouTube alone – that is people actually wanting to watch it! 2012’s advert was called ‘The Journey’ and features a Snowman. This advert has had three million views as well. Both have a strong emotive angle to them, in both the story and the music.

The weekly car magazine Auto Express recently ran a poll to determine ‘the best car advert ever‘. Car adverts are probably the amongst the highest budget television commercials produced. To give some context/ comparison to their importance; electrical products are trying to promote low/ modest cost products and high volume sales, whereas car companies want to promote reasonable volume sales of very high cost products. A tall order, especially in these economic times. Also brand perception is a huge element of promoting and selling cars and this can be heavily influenced by marketing – especially adverts.

So here’s The top 20 best car adverts ever, as voted for by Auto Express readers. I have linked the titles to their website, so you can watch the adverts and get the synopsis of each story. They are worth a look…

1. Honda Accord: The Cog
2. Ford Puma: Steve McQueen
3. Peugeot 206: The Sculptor
4. Citroen C4: Transformers
5. Volkswagen Golf GTI: Changes
6. Volkswagen Passat: The Force
7. Skoda Fabia: A piece of cake
8. Renault Clio: Nicole and Papa
9. Fiat Strada: Hand built by robots
10. Volkswagen Golf GTI: Singing in the rain
11. Toyota GT 86: The real deal
12. Peugeot 405: Take my breath away
13. Vauxhall Meriva and Zafira: Little dads
14. Land Rover: Discovery 4
15. Audi A4: Not my style
16. Volkswagen Golf: Best left alone
17. Vauxhall Astra: Babies
18. Skoda Fabia: Factory tour
19. Nissan Almera: Sweeney
20. Toyota Corolla: A car to be proud of

There are a couple of these that I don’t remember personally, but my favorites are; The Cog, The Sculptor, A piece of Cake and Little Dads. I think the story of the Audi A4 advert is clever and funny, with its reverse psychology and 80’s mobile phone holding Yuppie! From the list, it would appear that VW have achieved a consistently strong TV commercial production record. Making a product look great, with an emotive story and carefully selected music seem to be the necessary components to success. Some initial intrigue or mystery in the story makes it more engaging for the viewer too. I would imagine selling services, as opposed to physical products, is arguably much more difficult to do.

Next week I will be doing some filming in Manchester for some promotional work we are involved in. I’m looking forward to getting an insight to this work. I’ve got Directors notes to read and I’m told I need to be there early to have my camera make-up applied! When the short interview style piece has been published I will share it with you.

The main message I can take from this blog is that brand perception can be hugely important. How you publicly convey your product and/ or company has a direct impact on how your target clients see you…and therefore their decision to talk to, or work with you. Advertising, in its may forms, is without doubt hugely powerful.

We will be launching a brand new website in the next few weeks. This has been a personal project of mine. I hope it too conveys a much more contemporary impression of our business and our recent work. Watch this space for its official launch soon…

I like Photography; both taking and appreciating photos. I was really disappointed to see that retailer Jessops have been added to the growing New Year list of High street fatalities. In my experience Jessops provided great customer service, mainly because their staff seemed to know about and understand their products, and were passionate about photography.

Recent advances in digital photography seems to have launched a new age of amazing quality imagery; both still and moving. The latest entry level Nikon D3200 can take pictures at 24,000 pixels, up from 14,000 pixels on its predecessor! This improvement is huge, and this camera costs a very reasonable £400.

I have owned an SLR for a few years now and have captured a collection of good shots, particularly some Formula one races and also seeing and recording my young daughter growing up (a telephoto lens and fast shutter speed for both is a real bonus!) I’m told by various people that I can frame a good photo. I just enjoy capturing things and getting a good result. I also try and be creative by bringing a slightly different perspective to an image or subject.

Leica have always been synonymous with producing top quality cameras. Fellow blogger and business contact of mine Tim Garratt blogged about a superb Paul Smith special edition Leica. You can see it here.

Moving to motion imaging (a more modern term for ‘video’); I’ve recently been watching the BBC Africa nature documentary series, narrated by the superb Sir David Attenborough. The new techniques and equipment employed on this series has provided some amazing viewing, not least of which the HD detail of the natural world – seeing a reflection in a tiny water droplet perched on a blade of grass is phenomenal. The use of a new HD starlight camera system provided amazing images of Rhino’s in the pitch black darkness. Also using super-slow motion and macro camera technology allows us to witness natural events in quality better than the human eye and brain could take in. This is providing a new perspective of the world, especially hard to reach places and nature.

Urban photography can be equally interesting in HD as there is so much to see, especially from the air. Specialist anti-vibration cradles on helicopters can help to provide great images like the one on my blog header of London. You can see some great motion images of London from the air on the BBC Apprentice programme.

As you’d imagine, all this new technology is being developed and used in Space too. NASA have been able to capture a new the Blue Marble image of the globe in HD. You can see it here. This is one of the highest resolution images of the globe to date. On a similar theme, the likes of google and Bing are constantly updating their aerial/ mapping images and these are great everyday tools. We use them to assess potential sites for development – its a great way to understand the context of an area, without actually visiting it.

So with photo and motion imaging both enjoying significant advances in quality, we can expect to see advances in the way we produce visualisations of proposed building developments to match. We produce a lot of photo-realistic computer generated images for our projects in-house. We also use external consultants on occasions. One we have worked with extensively in Manchester is mi. These are a great team of guys who are also  passionate about what they do. They produce some amazing and diverse work for a wide range of clients, including TV and Gaming. Take a look at their showreal here.

I think this new world of high definition imaging is great progress, and will no doubt help us to understand and experience our world in new and diverse ways.