Join us on May 21 for the next monthly meeting of The SoFAB Wine Group: A Casual Wine Class. This time we'll be exploring Oak In Wine and Why, from the types of barrels used to the flavors they impart. We'll sample several varietals with different oak features and discuss the difference between French and American oak.
Certified Sommelier Gabriel Senette (Commander's Palace, Les Grands Esprits Consulting) will conduct a guided tasting and answer your questions. The SoFAB Wine Group is held monthly every 3rd Monday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in The Rouses Culinary Innovation Center by Jenn-Air (1830 M.L.K. Blvd.).
Advance tickets are $25 per person, and $20 per SoFAB/NatFAB Member. At the door tickets will be $30 per person, and $25 for members. Become a member today! Advance tickets close at 4:30 PM on the day of, and a limited number will be sold at the door.


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http://www.concordia.ca/content/concordia/en/finearts/dance/research/michael-montanaro.html
Department of Contemporary Dance
Major in Contemporary Dance
Research & creation
Michael Montanaro
Silvy Panet-Raymond
Michael Montanaro is a trans-disciplinary artist who is best known for his work in the field of contemporary dance and mixed media. A graduate of the Hartford Conservatory, he has performed with the Boston Ballet, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens and Le Groupe de la Place Royale where he also served for 5 years as co-artistic director. In 1985 he founded Montanaro Dance, developing a reputation for using cutting edge technology to create theatrical environments for his choreography. Over its ten-year history Montanaro Dance toured both nationally and internationally.
Since 1996 Michael has worked as a choreographer, director and collaborator on numerous projects including the Cirque du Soleil's "Varekai", Opéra de Montréal`s multi-media version of "Carmina Burana", the documentary "Montanaro In Time", a full length theatrical work "Frankenstein's Ghosts, and a series of short films entitled "Dances for Small Spaces". In 2011 Michael was invited by the Centre for Music Studies at Cambridge University as guest lecturer and also spent two separate periods of time at the University of Chicago as a visiting artist.
A Full Professor, Michael was Chair of the Department of Contemporary Dance from 1999 through 2014. As Director of the Topological Media Lab, Michael he is deeply involved in working with many undergraduate, graduate students and artists in the conception, development, creative direction and realization of many of the labs diverse research streams.
Dedicated to the envisioning, design and creation of projects focused on evolving innovative ways in which new technologies are used to enhance the first person experience within responsive environments, Michael is currently the; principal investigator and director of "InTime"- an FQRSC funded research creation project, focused on building a large scale interactive installation dealing with the perception of time; a conceptual collaborator and mise en scène for "Practices of Everyday Life |Cooking" , an electroacoustic composition / performance piece based on the sonified preparation of a meal by a professional chef/dancer; a collaborator on"Little Burgundy Narratives" funded by a SSHRC Insight Grant ; Arts and Ideas in Motion and the Solar Decathalon China, two projects with Professor Michael Jemtrud and the members of FARMM Lab, McGill University.
In September 2016 Michael was in Linz Austria presenting Practices of Everyday Life | Cooking and the premiere presentation of the interactive installation "Aquaphoneia"
Civic address:
1550 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West
GM 500-01

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Gaming Gives MLB 17 Tournament held on the PS4 will be our 1st MLB tournament that we have held. This event will help showcase what skill the central Illinois area has in MLB.
The event will be held on June 17th, 2017 at 8:00 pm check in at 7:30 pm.
The event will be held on June 17th, 2016 at 8:00 pm.


Supporting educators and school districts within the DuPage County area.
The DuPage Regional Office of Education provides professional development through a variety of methods and opportunities.
Sign up for professional development courses.
Courses designed to serve the needs of educators within the DuPage County area.
Information and resources for acquiring teaching-related licensure.
Find education positions within DuPage County school district.
Training courses provided to ensure experienced individuals drive our buses.
Providing quality GED testing for our DuPage County residents.
The Northern Illinois School Safety Administrators Association (NISSAA) formally incorporated in December to focus collectively and collaboratively on school safety.
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There's a new Trop50 coupon available for print today. This is available from Coupons.com with zip code:12345.
I also found a $1 off 1 Trop50 juice clipped coupon from the 1/11/15 SmartSource insert, available from Klip2save. High value juice coupons can be hard to come by, so, I suggest ordering a few of these today. Klip2save is a great coupon clipping site that offers fast shipping and no minimums on their orders!
To print, head to Coupons.com and enter in the zip code:12345 and you should be able to print off two coupons for free. To order clipped Trop50 coupons, click here: Klip2save.com.


Training a new dog is a daunting task. Yet it is well worth it, especially since a trained dog is generally considered safer, more loyal and far more enjoyable to be around. It is important that you establish positive training methods with your dog. It is difficult to succeed in training when you lack patience and are inconsistent in your efforts. Schedule half an hour each day to train your dog and no more. Longer sessions than that result in boredom for the dog.
There are different tricks you can try when you are crate training your dog. If they are hesitant about the crate, you can put a nice chew bone inside and shut the gate while they are not in it. Your dog will want the bone and will be unable to resist entering the crate. Once in the crate, let them know they did a good job by praising them.
Give your puppy time to be okay with a crate by taking the training one small step at a time. Once he is comfortable walking in and out of the crate, try quietly closing the door and offering him a biscuit through the wires. Gradually increase the amount of time your dog spends in the crate, starting with just a few seconds. If the dog becomes upset, then you need to take a step back and slow down the training.
Whenever you're rewarding your dog for good behavior, make sure you stay calm and in control. When the dog correctly follows your commands, you can certainly give a reward. You may feel great about it, but you don't want to make the pup feel over-excited. Stay calm, have them be calm, and reward them for appropriate behavior.
When you buy a crate, ensure it is the correct size. Do not forget that all puppies will grow up. Be sure to select a crate that allows your dog to have ample room as it grows. Your dog should be able to make itself comfortable in a crate big enough for it to toss and turn.
Using the above advice will reduce the frustration you feel when training your dog. You will see that you will have a nicer and safer pet. When following the training techniques mentioned here, your training will go smoother as long as you are patient and consistent.
This entry was posted in Pet Care Tips and tagged stay calm by One Boutique. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
from taiga.base.api import validators
from taiga.projects.notifications.validators import WatchersValidator

from . import models

class WikiPageValidator(WatchersValidator, validators.ModelValidator):
    class Meta:
        model = models.WikiPage
        read_only_fields = ('modified_date', 'created_date', 'owner')

class WikiLinkValidator(validators.ModelValidator):
    class Meta:
        model = models.WikiLink
        read_only_fields = ('href',)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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"Senator Crazy Pants" wants all guns stored on ranges. Why this gun expert says that's a REALLY bad idea
Brian LilleyArchive
Federal Liberals have yet to say specifically what they have planned for gun control in Canada but we do know one thing - they plan to have much more.
I turn to Tony Bernardo, Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association to see what he makes of some of the troubling op-eds and commentary we've been hearing from politicians and political cops lately.
The High River gun grab violated every Canadian's civil liberties, and must never be repeated.
SIGN OUR PETITION at HandsOffOurGuns.ca
"Miss Me Yet?" The Harper t-shirt & bumpersticker you asked for!
BUY now ONLY from TheRebel.media
The High River gun grab violated every Canadian's civil liberties, and must never be repeated. SIGN OUR PETITION at HandsOffOurGuns.ca
"Don't blame me: I voted Conservative" The t-shirt that says it all -- ONLY from TheRebel.media store!
Ken Sorensen commented 2016-02-12 15:46:33 -0500
Talk about a party of wing nuts. Is there one lick of common sense in this whole bunch? If there is their hiding it well!
Kelvin Grabowsky commented 2016-02-12 00:13:12 -0500
To all commie liberals out there, and I mean this with all sincerity…………… GO FUCK YOURSELVES!!!!!!
Vaughn Bender commented 2016-02-11 23:17:12 -0500
Will it come to this…. fague senario eventually… with this Zoolander running out country???? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Y5N2CyT84
pj hillis commented 2016-02-11 23:02:16 -0500
time to redefine just who the enemy really is.
John Patton commented 2016-02-11 22:43:40 -0500
For all the talk about gun control I was shocked to find that city police or the rcmp do not inform gun shops of stolen firearms and there is no place for me to find out if a firearm I might buy privately is stolen.
20 years ago 7 c7 and 3 c9s were found in a highway ditch between Wainwright and Edmonton. Fell off a truck and turned in by honest people.
Liberals Suck commented 2016-02-11 22:05:44 -0500
Awesome headline Brian. Keep up the good work.
Keith and Helen Harvey commented 2016-02-11 22:01:10 -0500
Store your guns at the club. First of all, many clubs are not taking any more members, their memberships are all filled. Also how many clubs have the size of facility large enough and secure enough to store possibly thousands of firearms and if there is some kind of break in. Who is at fault ? I think it's a con to have all a communities firearms stored in one location so that on the first rainfall the Blue Uniformed Looters will arrive, gain illegal entry and remove what they came for, your legally owned sporting arms. When a government starts a strong campaign to disarm its citizens, it is a clear message that their intentions are to inflict harm on its population, certainly in the way of control. Leaving that population with no means to combat an oppressive brutal dictatorship like the developing Liberal regime we are about to be ruled by. They certainly don't want any true patriots having the ability to fight back. Make no mistake about it, once we get to that point those thieving cops, like the ones at High River, will no longer be the so called good guys but merely Government Goons enforcing a dictators will. They will relish the " answer to no one power " but like every other dictators army, when a revolution starts they also are in the line of fire, which is something that they repeatedly demonstrate that they are fearful of. But really think about it, when you betray the people that gave you their trust and pay you to protect them from harm and now they have nothing left to lose but their life, which has been made a hell. What would you expect from those whose rights you have violated ? When they robbed those people at High River the same will hold true in the future, the police will lose their credibility as a public service and respect for them disappears, because once The Police Break The Law, There Is No Law, that's something they don't teach them in any training because if they were trained to be aware of that, it would make them responsible for their actions.
Sam Young commented 2016-02-11 21:26:48 -0500
I really wish the rebel would stop using awful headlines like this one.
Marcia Provenzano commented 2016-02-11 20:25:09 -0500
It deeply irritates me that my tax dollars support people like the lunatic Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette in her quest to make my life more difficult. It should be Senator Céline Hervieux-Peyote as she acts like she's on cheap drugs. Sez the Senator: "Every time I enter the Senate Chamber, I see two armed police officers at the door, one with a handgun and one with an automatic firearm. I must admit that this does not make me feel safe. On the contrary, I am frightened by the thought that a police officer armed with an automatic weapon could shoot it on the Hill." Atta girl, you tell 'em…
Peter Netterville commented 2016-02-11 19:22:53 -0500
Justin said, "Ban idiots, not guns!!, there problem solved"
That would effectively ban all lefties … if only!
D. Jerome Hauk commented 2016-02-11 19:11:34 -0500
Commish Ryan: I am still waiting for you to release the report on the High River gun grab fiasco. To paraphrase the motto on Quebec' vehicle license plates, I will not forget!
Rae Fraser commented 2016-02-11 18:57:01 -0500
It is pretty bad when our so-called— Prime Minister, has the God Damned gaul — to move our Military BOYS out of their abode , to that they can make room for the ENEMY. Justin better hope that our MEN don't gain some balls real soon.
dave grohn commented 2016-02-11 18:44:15 -0500
if anyone has any extra money to spend on guns and ammo do it now and hide them while you can. we cant trust the tyrants running the show. we are starting to inch closer and closer to a civil war here in Canada as we speak. the next thing that this government is going to do is give police a shoot to kill order. you have a god given right to self defense and if they follow through with this there will be 60.000 cops die in very short order all around this pansy ass fucking country.
I LOVE this fucking song—— It should be the Canadian National Antham—— https://youtu.be/lTs6a0ORdQU
Justin Adam commented 2016-02-11 18:41:34 -0500
Ban idiots, not guns!!, there problem solved
What choo mean by 'ordinary' people ? ' Muther fucka, Jesus H Highland Fuck——
Karan Singh commented 2016-02-11 18:23:27 -0500
Deborah, GPS tracking is good point often ignored by ordinary people (incidentally I work in automotive industry & have been warning people about them being tracked by govt. agencies). Apart from GPS tracking new smart phones can also be used to track people's movement. Now, in my city they've made 'Compass' compulsory that's another way to track the everyday movements of ordinary citizens.
Can you just begin to imagine in your worst fucking night mare————— " I jist gotts me a 9 mill killing machine——- see you Mom- It is a 2 hour drive fo me go register it . " Thank you Justin— You are so cleaver and understanding .
Robert Hewgill – they certainly seem to think people are stupid, but then I would have to give them that, because look at how many voted for this chip off the old block. Though I suspect that the gun ranges will go underground, because they will be put out of business with this stupid idea. Our Nazi government is moving at lighting speed to take away everything that they have had there eyes on.
That way they know where they are, and will confiscate them from there.
In addition to stealing our firearms, I think the long arm of the law is going to use the GPS system to track people who don't comply with their confiscation plan. I'm glad my vehicle is older. I don't want any kind of tracking device, and hopefully those that have it, get rid of it now. The GPS system will be a tool used to control us.
Bill Elder commented 2016-02-11 17:55:13 -0500
"Senator crazy pants" LMAO – good luck giving evidence at the SCC hearing on that constitutional breech from your padded cell. LOL
You never know when there will be a revolution and when there is, you'll want to be able to accidentally shoot your dog in the excitement!
Gary Ellis commented 2016-02-11 17:52:43 -0500
all the guns stored in 1 place just makes it easier to confiscate all guns
Well as I've been telling these libtards will take our guns one at a time & that too in small steps, exactly like I said first further restrict the use/ownership of restricted firearms with disallowing storage at home, once that's done 50% of restricted firearms owner would simply find the process too cumbersome & get rid of their restricted firearms, then they're are left with just half the people to deal with and they are not stop at this brace yourself for further restriction every few months/years until we are completely disarm.
Three Monkeys commented 2016-02-11 17:06:23 -0500
Sorry typo, I meant a Abnormal Deaths of Beluga Whales!
Sorry to be off topic here!
French Media in Quebec just reported that a than normal deaths of young Beluga Whales in the Saint-Lawrence in 2015!
They should ask Montreal Major Denis Coderre if he had anything to do with it?
LMAO!!!!!
Bravo Zulu commented 2016-02-11 17:00:46 -0500
Rae Fraser commented 6 mins ago
Long guns or hand guns ? There is a really big difference, I can tell you with reasonable security——- that as far as hand guns go—- I will never own one again. What I will own— to make up for the lack of fire power – and to save ME and YOU from becoming permanent residents of the Kingston Pen —— is own something as simple as a CO2 powered Beretta. It looks Real . Feels Real. And if you empty it some muther fucker's face—— He will wish he was dead.
And once you are done being sued he will own your house
All because he is alive
Peter Mac isaac commented 2016-02-11 16:59:39 -0500
Rambling lunacy by uninformed anti gun nut jobs. Unfortunately these folks have been given the keys to our country. Whatever damage they create will be undone once the federal Liberals are wiped out in the next election. Don't blame me I voted PC.
Long guns or hand guns ? There is a really big difference, I can tell you with reasonable security——- that as far as hand guns go—- I will never own one again. What I will own— to make up for the lack of fire power - and to save ME and YOU from becoming permanent residents of the Kingston Pen -——- is own something as simple as a CO2 powered Beretta. It looks Real . Feels Real. And if you empty it some muther fucker's face—— He will wish he was dead.
Rural Albertan crime rises and one town is calling it war
New poll: College kids not keen on gun rights
(WATCH) Colion Noir: Steven Kerr wears "Vote For Our Lives" shirt during NBA finals after Virginia Beach shooting
(WATCH) Spiked Online meets Maj Toure: Black Guns Matter


Exempts school districts from the requirements of smart growth.
of the Smart Growth legislation.
Chapter 433 of the Laws of 2010.
Section 2: Sets forth an immediate effective date.
both local school districts and the State Education Department.


Men's health and fitness tips often imply that it takes a lot of time and hard work in order to stay in shape but things are not always like that. If you are one of the many men who don't have enough time to hit the gym every day, then you might be interested in the following arm workouts for men. In this article, we have combined some very efficient workouts. If you do these programs in a single day, according to the plan presented bellow, you will obtain great results. However, be prepared to endure a couple of days of sore muscles as instant gratification comes with a painful price.
This program starts with 8-10 reps of hammer curls. After finishing the set take a one minute rest break and continue with 8-10 reps of lying triceps extensions. Repeat the two sets one more time. When doing the hammer curls, take one second to raise and four seconds to lower. When doing them, your feet should be positioned at the same width as your shoulders and your palms should be facing in when holding the dumbbells. Curl one weight up then reverse the motion and repeat for the other side. When doing the lying triceps extension lie on a bench or on a floor with your face up. Hold a dumbbell in each hand while keeping your arms perpendicular to the ground. Lower the weights until they reach your ears and then reverse the movement.
Start the second program of arm workouts for men with 6-8 reps of chair dips. Take a 90 seconds rest break and continue with the overhand curls. Repeat the 2 sets ( with the proper rest breaks in between them). When doing the chair dip, grab the sides or a chair, arms fully extended, and step forward, extending your legs. Slowly bend your elbows, lowering your body to the floor. Next, straighten your arms and push yourself back again. When doing the overhand curl, take one second to raise and four seconds to lower. Position your feet parallel to your shoulders, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. Curl the weights up to your shoulder and slowly reverse the action.
Start the third program with 15 reps of hammer curls and 15 reps of lying triceps extensions. Repeat the two sets and don't forget to rest for 60 seconds after each set.
The fourth arm exercise program includes four sets with 90 seconds rest breaks in between them. Do 12 reps or chair dips, 12 reps of overhand curls, another 12 reps of chair dips and another 12 reps of overhand curls.
The 4 programs or arm workouts for men presented above will be performed several times during one exhausting day. You should start the day at 9 am, after having had a healthy yet consistent breakfast (preferably a power smoothie). Start with the first program. You have 30 minutes until your next program so be careful with your breaks. At 9:30, you should start the second program and at 10 you should repeat the first one. Since you will be working out all the day, you will need a lot of energy so don't skip your meals. Take a recovery meal at 10:15, resume your workouts by alternating the first and second program until 12:45 when you take lunch. Continue by alternating the first programs until 14:45 when you will enjoy a power shake. After the shake, you start alternating Programs 3 and 4 until your recovery meal at 17:15. Continue with the third and forth program until dinner at 19:30.
As you can see, this article does not contain miracle health and fitness tips. The exercised presented above will indeed offer instant results yet they do require a lot of hard work and are only suitable for motivated men who will not be held back by sore muscles.
Is the HCG Weight Loss Program Safe?


Back in November, the Pociecha's welcomed sweet little Coragan to their family. It's really fun, and such an honor to be able to document the changing stages in a family's life. It really makes me giddy!
Gideon will be 17 months old, so it's about time I post some of his photos. Sometimes I think I need to schedule an appointment with myself so I actually get regular, professional photos of my kids. But I never do, and time continues to pass.


text:
Tag: Property
Canada Water: How British Land is building a new, 53-acre town centre for Rotherhithe
As the first concrete cores rise, we take a snapshot of the mammoth mixed regeneration project
An artist's impression of British Land's new bridge over Canada Water
Before we begin our walk across the 53 acres that British Land (BL) is regenerating on Rotherhithe peninsula, Roger Madelin indulges in a raspberry croissant at Canada Water Cafe (only £2.70 for those who fancy a treat).
The place is packed. Local residents are meeting, chatting and working at tables. It's the kind of image developers like to mock up on computers to show the thriving neighbourhoods their schemes will hopefully create.
It's also cause for Roger to reflect on the fact that BL has a very rare opportunity at Canada Water – a project it describes as a chance to "build London's first new town centre in 50 years" at the heart of a mature, expectant community.
Carpeted with mostly suburban housing in the first flush of Docklands regeneration, the area is already home to residents, increasingly attracted by its close proximity to both the central London and Canary Wharf, thanks to the Jubilee line, but also to east and south London via the Overground.
Roger tells me it's within 45 minutes of more places in the capital than anywhere else.
As joint head of Canada Water at BL, there's a glint in his eye as he talks about the firm's ambitions for the area.
Having spent 29 years at developer Argent overseeing the projects across the country such as Brindleyplace in Birmingham and the rebirth of King's Cross in north London, there's a sense that he couldn't quite resist this one.
"BL noticed I was leaving Argent and asked if I wanted to come and run Canada Water," he said.
"At first I was sceptical, I didn't want to do a residential development, which is what I thought it would be.
"But then I came down here and realised it would be an opportunity to build a new town centre – what an extraordinary privilege.
"Then you get to ask what that is and I think it's about health, environment and sustainability.
"Everyone in the world should regard urban places as very important and I think both Canada Water and Canary Wharf can be exemplars for how to reposition areas as urban centres."
British Land's joint head of Canada Water, Roger Madelin
While Canary Wharf continues its transition from pure business district to a place that's home to companies, residential housing and a potent blend of leisure and hospitality attractions, Canada Water is still in the first chapter of its journey.
Concrete cores are rising on the first of its new buildings, which will include a new leisure centre for the area and social housing on the site's eastern periphery.
But these first structures are very much the vanguard in what will be a transformation of a plot that includes the whole of Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, the old Harmsworth Quay Printworks and connects Southwark Park with Greenland Dock and Russia Dock Woodland.
"With the planning permission we have, we can create a new urban centre," said Roger.
"We have the ability to flex from 3million sq ft of commercial space to 4million – likewise we can build a minimum of 2,000 homes or a maximum of just under 4,000.
"Similarly, we can build up to 1million sq ft of retail and leisure space – we may not do that, but it will be a substantial amount. With the current shopping centre and leisure park, the area has about 350,000sq ft.
"As an overview, we'll have about 35 new buildings, 20 acres of new public space and a 3.5-acre park.
"Many of our buildings will be five storeys high to protect the view of St Paul's from Greenwich, so this will be on a human scale and I think that will attract people.
"The development I was involved with at King's Cross has more people going there at weekends than to work during the week.
"There are dozens of places around London that are teeming with people on Saturday and Sunday.
"It's great for people that live in them, but we also want people living outside to come here and enjoy themselves."
British Land intends to preserve The Printworks building as a cultural venue
That attitude has doubtless been bolstered by the success of event and music venue Printworks, which has seen Harmsworth Quays' immense press halls regularly fill with revellers enjoying some of the very best electronic music in London.
While originally conceived as a temporary use for the vast building in partnership with Broadwick Live, the plan is now to preserve the venue as part of the overall scheme, enclosing and enlarging the existing building and creating a park next to it.
"I credit my wife entirely for the decision to explore retaining the whole building," said Roger.
"She and I walked round here in the summer of 2015 and she immediately saw the amazing opportunity it presented and asked what we were going to do with it.
"I said the assumption was that we would knock it down because it looked a bit harsh but she said we shouldn't because nothing like it would get built again.
"Today, of course, you'd start with that assumption because of all the embodied carbon in the building.
"That was a little in my mind at the time, but not as much as today, when the view is where possible you don't touch existing buildings.
"So, after three years of investigations – drilling, digging and studying – we're pretty confident it was built a lot better than we even hoped, so we have applied for planning permission to keep it and extend it.
"If that's successful, we'll aim to be opening it by the end of 2025 – an amazing cultural venue to complement the others in the city.
"We already know the acoustics are extraordinary, whether it's an electronic music event or a BBC Prom, both of which have been hosted there."
Another artist's impression of how The Printworks could look
This article is, naturally, far too short to do justice to the extent and depth of BL's Canada Water project.
Even a brief walk to its borders reveals the sheer scale of the project, with plans for a new pedestrian bridge across Canada Water itself, which will also include work to boost wetland habitats and see the water level pumped up.
Already there's been space made for charitable endeavours, work to help boost startups and a facelift for Surrey Quays Shopping Centre itself, including wallball courts and a new climbing wall.
Then there's investment in a modular building for TEDI-London – a new higher education enterprise co-funded by King's College London, Arizona State University and UNSW Sydney and focused on engineering – that was erected in only six weeks.
While some of these are temporary benefits, they significantly add to the buzz of the area and provide a flavour of BL's direction of travel as the wider project continues to unfold.
"If we could do something here with applied engineering higher education, that would excite me," said Roger.
"How we deal with the world always involves engineers sorting stuff out and I think, in the UK, the sector has had a bad rap in the past.
"The other things I think are crucial is what we do with the new high street, which will be along Deal Porters Way – what it means to build a space like that now and how we create the public spaces and routes to the amazing parks, docks and woods that are already here.
"We want to make it so that if you have nothing on your agenda for the weekend and you want to stay in London, then you'll just go to Canada Water and all the amazing stuff that's there.
"King's Cross is great – I think this will be bigger, better and greener from a public space point of view."
An artist's impression of the first phase from Canada Water station
Read more: Discover the 2022 Greenwich Theatre panto
Canary Wharf: How Unifi.id delivers tech that helps firms cut carbon in their buildings
Level39-based company's real-time occupancy data designed to help reduce energy wastage
Unifi.id CEO and founder Paul Sheedy
"You cannot manage what you can't measure," said Paul Sheedy, the CEO and founder of Unifi.id.
"The one thing we focus on is giving clients the right measurement tools so that they can manage their buildings better."
In the mouth of a lesser individual, technology designed to track building occupancy in real time and adjust systems such as lighting, heating and air conditioning accordingly might seem a little dry.
But Paul positively vibrates with passion when it comes to his specialist subject.
On the one hand there's the engaging Irish lilt of a Dubliner and a glint in the eye.
On the other there's a burning frustration and exasperation that more isn't being done to tackle climate change and humanity's continued overuse of resources.
He's disarming, funny and deadly serious.
"We talk a lot about smart buildings," he said, waving a hand to indicate the London skyline stretching out to the City and beyond as we gaze out of the 39th floor of One Canada Square in Canary Wharf.
"But 96% of buildings around the world are not smart.
"What we're trying to do is deliver the things companies need to actually make them smarter.
"In most buildings, energy wastage is about 30% – just think of that in the wider context of cutting emissions and gas and electricity prices rising so quickly.
"My focus is all about using less energy and so lowering organisations' carbon footprint very, very rapidly."
Unifi.id's long range RFID cards are logged by its detectors
Based at Canary Wharf's tech community Level39, Unifi.id has developed technology embedded in entry and exit swipe cards that allow its detectors to log employees as they pass key points in a building.
Paul is quick to stress this isn't about tracking the exact movements of individuals as they go about their day, but rather knowing who is in what general area at any given time and then using that data in a number of different ways.
"The lingering effect of the lockdowns is a good example," he said. "Almost all buildings are being run as they were pre-Covid.
"Companies have all their cleaning staff, their restaurant staff and security staff in as though the occupancy was the same.
"But some buildings still have only around 2% of staff in on a Friday.
"That those buildings are being run in the same way is ridiculous.
"Before Covid, the way buildings were occupied was consistent, but now there's not a single one that we run that has any consistency.
"Occupancy is so sporadic and it can be extreme on Mondays and Fridays.
"It's criminal that all the lights are on, the air conditioning is cooling every floor, with only a fraction of the staff in.
"That's why our technology can have an impact – the more we monitor, the better our predictive analysis gets. For example, we can see the effect of external factors.
"We see that about 7%-12% fewer people come to the office on a Thursday if it's raining.
"In contrast, rain on a Tuesday hardly affects anything and we think there's a psychological reason for that because if you've been working from home on Friday and Monday, by Tuesday you'll be feeling a need to return to the office despite the weather.
"On a Thursday, you might just think it doesn't matter so much, especially if you're working at home or off on the Friday.
"Then you have other factors such as train strikes, which can affect occupancy over an entire week.
"Occupancy detection also allows building owners working with us to tell the buildings in advance so they can adapt – keeping floors closed and turning down the air con, for example.
"What we're really trying to say to organisations is that they can adapt to this new way of working, but there will be consequences, so they may need to use hot-desking because certain areas won't be open."
The key for Unifi.id is giving organisations this ability to track change so they can adapt what their buildings are doing in real time, rather than simply guessing what's happening.
Paul says energy is wasted in the vast majority of buildings
"We think there will be a change," said Paul.
"People working from home, paying for all the lighting and heating, will recognise that it would be cheaper for them to go to work, so it will get busier later in the year.
"In many sectors where there is flexibility, we already know what's happening.
"Staff are seeing that it's the right time to go back to work, socialise and interact with other people again."
Greater numbers back in buildings makes Unifi.id's technology even more relevant, given its obvious safety benefits.
Should a building catch fire, for example, knowing exactly how many people are in it and where they are is potentially life-saving information for the emergency services.
"This is something I'm particularly passionate about, because back in Dublin when I was a child, we had 48 of our neighbours die in a dance hall fire – they couldn't get out of the building," said Paul.
"What we want to do for the London Fire Brigade and for the tenants of buildings is to bring in a new policy where, in real time, if something does go wrong, the emergency services and building managers know the occupancy of the building.
"That means they can monitor the evacuation of the building and could save firefighters' lives if they then don't need to go in.
"Also we look at how many people in a building have mobility issues and where they are, so efforts can focus on getting them out safely.
"People don't always do sensible things when it comes to an evacuation.
"We have mechanisms in place where, if we can see people heading the wrong way, a completely automated communication is sent to their mobile to tell them where to go and what to do to get to the ground floor, even if that's to avoid a certain evacuation route."
Paul created Unifi.id following the success of Symphony Retail AI, a company he co-founded that analyses loyalty card transaction data to better understand the behaviour of shoppers.
Originally conceived to create beacon technology – the idea of sending messages from companies to people's phones based on their location and profile – his firm switched its focus to property when it eventually became clear in the advertising world that this was a non-starter.
"I hate to admit failure, but I will," said Paul, who has been based at Level39 since it launched as a tech accelerator hub in 2013.
"The world was convinced that beacon technology was going to be the next big thing in advertising, but it never happened.
"No retailer anywhere in the world ever made it work to detect the right customer at the right time to send them the right offer.
"In reality it didn't work because it didn't think about the individual and what they would have to do.
"So now we focus on making technology that isn't dependent on people doing certain things to make it work – the more you do that, the better your product is going to be.
"It's more difficult for the company, but hey, I wouldn't get out of bed if I didn't know it was going to be a challenging day ahead of me.
"I enjoy squeezing the grey matter and the brains of brilliant people I work with to find what piece of physics we can break, bend or enhance.
"So we transformed into a proptech company, delivering simple essential data to those managing buildings so they can make them more efficient and better for the environment.
"Over the past two years, it's not been a great time to be working in occupancy technology, so a lot of what we did in 2020 was to go back to our clients and say: 'This will end, tell us what we could do to be even better after Covid'.
"With their responses, my tech team sat down and we just worked relentlessly on building new solutions, working out what the next steps would be.
"We saw that the market was moving from card-based access control to apps.
"But we know this doesn't make sense because people don't tap in and out so much using an app, whereas the RFID technology in our cards means we automatically detect people walking into or out of a building or past our detection points.
"We realised that the way to get around this was to develop a facial recognition system.
"We only hold the vectors of a face in the camera, and only when an employee of the company walks in or out of the building – this would be detected and put in the database of who is in the building.
"Then we'd mesh that with 3D counting cameras – with these, we don't know who you are, but we do know how many people pass them, so in reality we have absolute accuracy on the usage of each floor of a building.
"This means that if we do have an evacuation, for example, we know the numbers of people on each floor and we can detect them as they enter each stairway, so we can see the flow and quickly identify where there might be blockages or problems and allow the fire brigade to get to them.
"We really believe that this will become a global system, which will go into major cities around the world, like Dubai and New York.
Paul is clear that Unifi.id's technology cannot be used to monitor the exact position of employees – this isn't about tracking who's at which desk and how many trips they take to the toilet in a day.
He said this would not only be an invasion of privacy on an ethical level, but also that such data would not be very useful.
"We have been careful with every client that we will never be a Big Brother solution – we're only detecting people as employees or visitors who are allowed access to a particular floor of a building," he said.
"Secondly, we will never put our technology into places like toilets or cigarette-smoking areas. If an employer wants to do that, they will be doing it without our technology. That's not what this is about.
"One of my key points is that it should be actionable data, which would deliver the best solution, not just collecting data for the sake of it.
"The world isn't taking climate change seriously enough.
"We're failing on every single metric and we have to realise this isn't about governments – its about organisations and individuals making the right choices on every single thing they do. We have to contain energy with every single device we use.
"What the UK does have is an amazing ecosystem of accelerators for technology companies and a lot of them are now focused on proptech.
"We're now working in collaboration with a lot of those companies and, because we're working with them, this country is now at the forefront of this sector going forward.
"We work with people on LED lighting and automated building management systems and by using our data, businesses can rapidly cut energy wastage now."
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Property: How Canary Wharf-based Impact Capital Group is set to transform Romford
Developer's eco-friendly plans win approval for former ice rink site next to Queen's Hospital
Rom Valley Gardens is set to be built next to Queen's Hospital
"Mega, mega, mega going back to Romford" sang Underworld vocalist Karl Hyde on 1996 hit single Born Slippy, made famous by its inclusion on the soundtrack of Danny Boyle's film adaptation of Trainspotting.
Its lyrics paint an abstract picture of the travails of journeying home to the Havering town from the point of view of an overly-inebriated narrator who's just rolled out of a pub somewhere near Tottenham Court Road.
Fast forward 26 years, though, and not only is travelling from Soho and other parts of London to Romford set to get much quicker, it's an area that's experiencing a degree of mega change.
The opening of Crossrail's central and eastern section – rumoured to be happening in May – will not only mean direct connections to Tottenham Court Road but also radically shortened journey times to whole swathes of the capital including Canary Wharf.
That's something, presumably, the founder and CEO of One Canada Square-based Impact Capital Group, Robert Whitton, is looking forward to.
In addition to being born and raised in Romford, he's created a company that is part of that change.
Impact Capital recently won planning permission from Havering Council to build the best part of 1,000 homes on the site of a former ice rink within walking distance of the town's Crossrail station.
"I used to go skating there and I remember watching the Romford Raiders ice hockey team play," said Robert. "I also used to take my children there to use the facilities."
Artificial slippiness at the site – a piece of land encircled by Rom Valley Way adjacent to Queen's Hospital – came to an end around a decade ago when the rink was demolished and another opened elsewhere in the town.
For the past nine years, various plans have been tabled for the area's regeneration, culminating in Impact's successful application.
While approval from the Greater London Authority and a Section 106 agreement remain outstanding, the hope is to break ground on what will become Rom Valley Gardens by the end of the year.
Impact Capital Group founder and CEO Robert Whitton
"The proposed scheme will see 972 homes built as well as 223 care units for later living or residential care, a medical centre, retail and cafe spaces, gym facilities and other amenities.
Impact's intention is to use its modular construction factory to deliver much of the development, which will have a strong focus on sustainability.
"It feels good to have reached this point – there's a lot of support for it," said Robert.
"When it does come forward people will be very pleasantly surprised, because we are trying to do something that's very different.
"It's not going to be an ordinary development – we are looking for this to be a zero-carbon development, pushing the boundaries and looking for new concepts like inter-generational living and creating a real sense of place and community.
"That's why we've included a lot of additional provision for these things within the plans, which we didn't have to do, but wanted to.
"There will be facilities, both for residents and other community groups – an indoor gym and an outdoor gym and a big public square, where we hope to hold big outdoor events.
"There are residents' lounges and a mixture of public and private open spaces to create a real neighbourhood – in many ways an urban village.
"We've put in there what is now termed 'independent living' with extra care provisioning, which is a great concept – it's the idea of integrating that within a larger development, which will have elements that will also attract younger people, such as the private rental homes, and larger units for families. We want that whole mix of generations.
"I don't live very far from it now, and have lots of friends and family who live in the area, so it's very much my home town. It's a great honour and privilege to be able to bring forward such a transformational project as this."
An artist's impression of how Rom Valley Gardens will look when work is completed
Robert said Impact, which will manage the development in perpetuity once it is built, would use its factory in Peterborough to ensure a high level of quality control in the building process, helping it deliver on its eco-friendly ambitions for the project.
"Construction and the built environment are the biggest polluters in the world, so we want to have a neutral footprint in delivering this neighbourhood," he said.
"That way everyone living there will know this new neighbourhood doesn't have a negative effect on the environment at large.
"They will also notice their energy bills are very, very low – the buildings will be firmly thermal-efficient with double or triple glazing and we'll be making use of renewable energy.
"Because they're built in a controlled factory environment, we can get the air-tightness of those units much better than traditional construction methods, and speed up the time it takes to get the project built."
The development's proximity to Queen's Hospital – something that will be particularly beneficial to its older residents – is also an important element in its delivery.
"Included in the plans is a 3,000sq m diagnostic centre for the hospital," said Robert.
"Timing for that is dependent on agreement with them, but that's great for local residents.
"The hospital has also told us it has big issues with recruitment and retention, so having housing and facilities close to it will be good to help address that.
"Havering Council will work with the NHS so key workers can get prioritisation within the social housing element."
For Wharfers interested in spotting trains – estimates vary, but Elizabeth line services could cut the commute from Romford to Canary Wharf by about 16 minutes per journey – more than half an hour a day, or two and a half hours per week.
Oh, and incidentally, Born Slippy was named after a racing Greyhound that members of Underworld once watched run in Romford – mega.
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Canada Water: How Canada Water Dockside fits into regeneration plans
Art-Invest's scheme to build offices on the edge of the water will see work at town centre's heart
An artist's impression of how the office development might look
Art-Invest is doing something a bit unusual – at least in the context of the ongoing regeneration of Docklands, east and south-east London.
The German developer recently received outline planning permission from Southwark Council for a scheme covering the former Decathlon store (now temporary events venue Dock X) on the edge of Canada Water.
But while rolling cranes onto such sites isn't exactly out of the ordinary, the fact that it intends to build offices, is.
Art-Invest's plans for Canada Water Dockside cover a chunk of land either side of Surrey Quays Road, including the now defunct Hawker House, adjacent to the 53 acres that developer British Land is currently engaged in regenerating.
It's a missing piece in the redevelopment of the area – a site originally earmarked for housing – that enjoys a lengthy stretch of dock edge and connects the British Land project with buildings already completed beside the Tube station.
Art-Invest's plans are for a series of three buildings housing about 1.5million sq ft of space alongside community facilities and places to eat and drink at ground floor level. The scheme also promises to bring up to 10,000 jobs to the area.
"Back in 2019, there was an opportunity to get involved in this particular site, and we were very aware of what was happening in the area with British Land," said Luka Vukotic, development director at Art-Invest.
"Given that the whole area was going to change from a residential district to a proper town centre, we thought it would be quite remarkable to help with that wider vision.
"What really attracted us to it was that it was already established, with existing communities all around it.
"As we were starting to consult with people, we realised how strong they were and how much local identity there already was. In addition, we were really attracted by the green and blue spaces of this place – its parks and its docks.
"With British Land coming forward with a town centre, our scheme needed to be more than just a residential building with a boring ground floor.
"We wanted to create office space with lower levels that everyone could use – both occupiers and local communities."
Art-Invest development director Luka Vukotic
While many had questioned whether people would return to workplaces following the pandemic, Art-Invest remains confident that its plans have a place in the evolving way businesses and organisations operate.
"A lot of existing offices will become less attractive in the coming years for a number of reasons, some technical and some social," said Luka.
"We're convinced we've got a really special location, so it's now about how we make something really remarkable out of this opportunity.
"We want to help build this new town centre and to create the offices of the future.
"What's really helped us in this process was talking to the local community – I personally had more than 150 meetings with community stakeholders, local businesses, local residents and local groups.
"We realised that people really like the idea of a town centre as a place to socialise – to have a drink and some food and to enjoy it.
"So then we asked people what they wanted to see and they said they would like so many things – a food hall, restaurants, local shops, a community centre, a health hub, a bike repair shop. They told us what they thought was missing.
"That allowed us to think about our buildings in a different way – instead of having a large reception area for the offices on the ground floor, we thought it would be amazing to make that space vibrant, to create streets and squares there, before looking at what's above."
The next round of consultations focused on what the office buildings themselves might be like.
"That's when we started thinking about the urban green factor, with external space and terraces, and how we make this a car-free place, a zero-fossil fuel development," said Luka.
"It's how we've begun to develop the vision of what the office of the future will be.
"That's very different from the old thinking, where developers created these super buildings where you can spend the entire day without leaving.
"We thought it would be much nicer to deconstruct the building and ask what's needed that's not already there – then you can create a relatively simple development that plugs into the existing grid of facilities and amenities.
"We ended up with a planning application that has been really well received by the local community.
"That wasn't surprising to us because of all the work we'd done.
"Now we've got the go-ahead, the next five to seven years are going to be really exciting, where we can actually put a lot more thought into what this development is going to be like – to bring more colour to what we have already shown."
An artist's impression of how the ground floor of Canada Water Dockside might look
Art-Invest is working with BIG Architects on the scheme, which will have an eye firmly on sustainability, aiming to create a net-zero development entirely powered by electricity.
"The office of the future is not the building itself, it's the environment you're creating," said Luka.
"Workplaces will be spaces where you come maybe three or four times a week, but not somewhere you'd come to sit at a desk for the whole day.
"When it comes to the buildings, we think that the look and feel of office blocks needs to change – they should be more welcoming.
"Our intention is also to have lots of terraces. A lot of people complain about the weather in the UK, but I think for most of the year you can actually work outside, depending how cold it is
"We use the terrace quite extensively at our office for about eight or nine months of the year.
"Fresh air is very important to us – Canada Water has some of the cleanest air in London and we want to create buildings with opening windows, not sealed boxes that don't feel very human.
"In the future, offices will also be places where you might come to meet other people and to do other things in addition to work that you wouldn't necessarily do at home.
"That's why we think Canada Water has a lot to offer – you can do all sorts of activities within a 500m radius.
"For example, Decathlon are our next-door neighbours and with everything the area has to offer there's an opportunity to encourage healthy lifestyles.
"When we engaged with Decathlon, we realised its vision aligns with what we're trying to achieve in terms of healthy living, active transport, and so on.
"That's why we have a partnership with them and have set aside a £200,000 fund to encourage health and wellbeing in Canada Water over the next five years.
"This is a grass-roots project, supporting what's already here.
"We are strong believers that we don't need to create a place here – there's already a place here – we just need to see if there's something missing or if we can help with something that's already in existence.
"I'd really like to thank everyone who's been involved in the processes over the last couple of years – all those who have worked with our teams, but also all the stakeholders, the community and Southwark Council who will be engaging with us to make this a success.
"We feel that Canada Water is going to be the start of an amazing journey in the years to come."
Art-Invest hopes to start construction in 2023 with its buildings coming in phases. Residents can expect some spaces to open by 2025 or 2026.
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Property: How Berkeley Group's Poplar Riverside transforms a slice of east London
Head of sales and marketing Doug Acton on how 20 years of regeneration will create and urban resort
An artist's impression of the first phase of Poplar Riverside
"I call it an urban resort," said Doug Acton, head of sales and marketing at Berkeley Group and the man responsible for driving the success of its Poplar Riverside development.
"It's close to nature and it has facilities such as a gym, a pool, a spa, a cinema room, shops, bars and restaurants.
"It could almost be a self-contained little town, but it's open to everyone – somewhere to get away from the hustle and bustle of Canary Wharf."
To describe Poplar Riverside as 'tucked away' is both accurate and somehow inappropriate.
Officially launched in June last year, the development covers a 20-acre site, will take around two decades to build and will see about 2,800 homes delivered in the East End.
This is major regeneration by Berkeley division St William – a project that will also provide a new 2.5-acre public park, a couple of bridges across the Rvier Lea, 500m of riverside walkway, 90,000sq ft of commercial space. The list goes on and on.
But take the 20-minute stroll over to the site from Canary Wharf to the soft tranquillity of Leven Road on a sunny day and you'll find it's something of an oasis, albeit one where the concrete superstructures of its first phase have quietly risen.
The waters of the Lea flow lazily past as cranes perform their slow-motion ballet. There's something happening here and it's only just begun.
Head of sales and marketing at Berkeley Group, Doug Acton
"When people come here, they're really excited about the regeneration story – they can see it's a part of this massive growth corridor that's happening along the river," said Doug.
"They can see the potential with our investment in things like the bridges – how that improves the connectivity to Canning Town station.
"The challenge for us is getting more people to come here. Once they see it, they know it really is a transformation, that it's a step change."
And "step" is the right word, because Poplar Riverside is a scheme of many levels.
There are the public parks and walkways themselves and, of course, the river, all framing the buildings.
Then there are raised podium gardens for residents, underground parking and private balconies lining the pointed elevations of the brick-clad blocks.
It's partly the attraction of these features that have seen buyers purchase about 100 of the 156 homes at the first building in the first phase of Poplar Riverside – Calico House.
The next to go on sale will be Porter House, which is right on the river and is expected to hit the market in July.
That will be followed by Bowline House and Sisal House, which all together complete the first phase with 643 properties.
Construction of the first phase of Poplar Riverside
"With Porter House we'll be launching three-bedroom homes for the first time to go alongside the studios, one and two-bedroom homes available," said Doug.
"It's right next to the Lea so many will overlook the river and enjoy views across the London skyline.
"They will also benefit from the Leven Banks park, which includes a children's playground, so it's an exciting block to release.
"One of the things we're really good at as a company, having learnt from projects like Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich and Kidbrooke Village in Greenwich, is that you would never know, as a resident, that construction is going on.
"We commit to the landscape nice and early, not as an afterthought, so people moving in can enjoy it.
A range of properties are available at the development
"We're also constantly speaking to our residents to get feedback and find out what they want and what they don't.
"One of the things we're creating at this development is the Riverside Club – 16,000sq ft of facilities that will help foster community here."
Laid out over two floors that includes a co-working space, a cinema room, meeting rooms and a games room as well as a residents' lounge, a spa, steam room, sauna, salt room and a 20m swimming pool.
"We also have The Great Room," said Doug, who was recruited by Berkeley from the luxury hotel industry to help it deliver the kinds of facilities normally found at such resorts at its residential property developments.
"It's somewhere to work, play and meet just so people can have that strong sense of community.
"We're really keen to create that feeling of togetherness and that goes for families as well – it's not just for adults."
All apartments at Poplar Riverside feature outdoor space
The homes themselves feature floor-to-ceiling windows, underfloor heating, Bosch appliances in the kitchens and Italian terrazzo worktops.
All have some form of outdoor space and the two-bedroom show home features a jack and jill main bathroom, effectively offering both bedrooms en suite facilities.
"There's mood lighting in the bathrooms and good storage comes as standard," said Doug.
"There's even a nod to the golden age of industry with the taps and that's a theme we've carried throughout the properties.
"The principal bedroom has built-in wardrobes and there's an option to have those in the second bedroom too.
"We know storage is really important, so we've also put full-height cupboards in the kitchens to maximise the use of space."
Properties currently on sale at Poplar Riverside start at £410,000. The earliest completions are expected in the second half of this year.
The Poplar Riverside sales and marketing suite, which includes a two-bedroom show apartment, is open for viewings.
An artist's impression of open space at Poplar Riverside
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Thamesmead: How Peabody's Southmere scheme is transforming Abbey Wood
Housing Association has 30-year plan to refresh a massive slice of London connected to Crossrail
An artist's impression of Peabody's Southmere Village
A t present, the journey from Canary Wharf to Abbey Wood takes a little over 40 minutes.
The various Frankenstein options available involve much chopping and changing – the Jubilee line, the DLR, the 486 bus and Thameslink can all come into the equation. It's anything but direct.
But, if the seers are to be believed, all that's about to change. When Elizabeth line services start running (perhaps as early as March, if the optimists have it right), Abbey Wood is set to be the end of the line for Crossrail's central and eastern section.
That will put it squarely in touch with a whole swathe of central London, which is currently much trickier to travel to. The Wharf itself is expected to be around 11 minutes' ride on a single train.
Why does this matter? Effective transportation is the lifeblood of regeneration. In east London, this is best demonstrated by Canary Wharf itself, which struggled as a project until the Jubilee line extension arrived.
What such connections mean for residential areas is possibility – the ability to rapidly access different parts of the city and the things they offer makes living in an area a richer experience.
It's also a two-way street. Visitors come back the other way, further enlivening a place and befitting its residents.
Peabody's Matt Foulis at the Southmere marketing suite – image Matt Grayson
No wonder Matt Foulis of Peabody is smiling. London's oldest housing association took over ownership of Thamesmead, served by Abbey Wood to the south, in 2014 and has a 30-year plan to regenerate the area.
But as project director, Matt's enthusiasm isn't drawn solely from the opportunities Crossrail will bring.
It's because he already knows what the area has to offer and can see how it will continue to develop over the course of the next three decades.
"We are under way on a the delivery of around 20,000 homes at Thamesmead," he said.
"We completed our first development – The Reach – a couple of years ago, we've just started on a site at Plumstead in partnership with Berkeley and we are currently delivering what we're calling Southmere Village – phase one of our regeneration of south Thamesmead near Abbey Wood station."
When completed, Southmere will see 1,600 homes built across four sites close to Crossrail, new public space in the form of Cygnet Square and The Nest – a library and community centre – as well as commercial space for shops, restaurants and bars.
The scheme offers a mixture of properties available for social rent or to buy either on a shared ownership basis or via private sale. Residential blocks Starling Court and Kestrel Court are due to complete in the coming months, with strong sales reported.
A collection of one, two and three-bedroom shared ownership properties is set to launch at Crane Court on February 12.
Matt said: "Our properties have sold really well – I think people are really buying into the wider vision for Thamesmead.
"Over the last two years in particular, everybody has woken up to the importance of green space and proximity to water and the impact they can have on your life, your health and your wellbeing.
"That's what we have here – Thamesmead has five artificial lakes with Southmere the biggest and they're connected by a network of canals.
"They were designed as a surface drainage system but it means we have these fantastic assets that people can enjoy, surrounded by really impressive green spaces.
"Peabody owns, operates and manages all of these areas so we've got overall control of everything that's going on in the area and that has a real impact for not only the people we're trying to bring to the area, but also existing residents."
Beyond the infrastructure, Peabody is also working to boost the cultural capital of Thamesmead, perhaps best known for its Brutalist architecture.
This served as a backdrop to Stanley Kubrick's dystopian cinematic nightmare A Clockwork Orange and, more recently, in the music video for The Libertines' What Became Of The Likely Lads.
A show apartment at the development
Matt said: "We've got a huge programme that we've been operating for the last four or five years.
"That includes things like a regular one-day festival curated by local residents in Southmere Park, which attracted 6,500 visitors last year.
"People who may never have heard about the area or visited it are starting to hear about it and it's starting to draw people in, which has been fantastic.
"We've also set up a culture forum so people living here can help shape what goes on locally.
"That's grown and grown – we've supported theatre productions and a live performance of the film Beautiful Thing, which was made in Thamesmead a few years back.
"It's these sort of things we want to do – grass-roots, community-led projects that are really accessible.
"We've had dance troupes, drummers and gymnasts perform in housing estates – things that are visual and tangible that people from all backgrounds, young and old, can really enjoy.
"This year we have a project called Fields Of Everywhen, which will see two artists inflate and fly an enormous hot air balloon made from tapestries that capture the personal stories of local residents.
"They spent two years working on it and finding out what makes Thamesmead tick. These activities are being driven by Peabody and we're here for the long term.
"We expect there to be around £10billion of investment in Thamesmead over the course of the 30-year plan.
"For example, with funding from the Greater London Authority, we've refurbished a building called the Lakeside Centre on Southemere Lake to provide artists' studios, a cafe, a training kitchen and a nursery – that's being operated by Bow Arts.
"Next to that we'll shortly be letting a contract to build a boating and sailing centre to be run by the YMCA, which has operated on the lake for 30 years.
"It's about making sure we're providing amenities for everybody to enjoy with activities like kayaking, sailing and paddleboarding.
"Eventually we'd really like to open up the canal systems so people can use them to move around Thamesmead in addition to the cycle routes and pavements."
The shared ownership properties set to be released at Crane Court offer prospective buyers open-plan living areas, balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows in distinctive brick-clad blocks within easy walking distance of Abbey Wood station.
"They will be fantastic places to live," said Matt. "We've tried to maximise views over the lake and newly built Cygnet Square where people will have all the amenities they need on hand.
"There's car parking in secure courtyards under the blocks with podium gardens that are communal but for residents only.
"There will also be an on-site concierge service with a residents' lounge that people can use to work from if they choose.
"Combine that with the restaurants and cafes, which will be opening around the square later this year, and that will give people a lot of flexibility if they're not going into the office.
"I've already seen people logging into the Wi-fi on seats around the lake with their coffee and doing the first two hours while sitting by the water."
When investing in property, there's also the future to think of and Peabody has big plans for the wider area including an extensive development to the north west of Southmere along the banks of the Thames.
There it hopes to attract an extension to the DLR across the river from Gallions Reach, further boosting local connectivity – not a bad time to get in on the ground.
Prices for shared ownership properties at Crane Court start at £91,500 for 30% of a one-bed, based on a full market value of £305,000.
Two and three-beds start at £118,500 and £153,000 respectively for the same proportion, based on full market values of £395,000 and £510,000.
Read more: Estate agency Alex Neil hails booming market
Property: Estate agency Alex Neil sees rental demand drive lettings and sales
Area manager Georgia Nailard takes the market's temperature and looks to the year ahead
Alex Neil area manager Georgia Nailard – image Matt Grayson
Much was written over the early months of the pandemic about the inevitable, lasting effects a period of home working would have on the nation.
Cities would become hollow doughnuts as workers fled areas dense with people to work permanently and remotely from desks in rural houses, meeting colleagues only via Zoom and completing assignments via broadband.
Perhaps Mark Zuckerberg's dream of a Metaverse – where we're all constantly online, virtually popping in and out of each others' lives from wherever we are in the world – will come to fruition. But perhaps not.
Far more likely is that genuine, real-life human interaction will once more reassert itself as the dominant preference for work and leisure.
Before Omicron pressed the pause button and Delta was all we had to worry about, workers had flooded back into Canary Wharf – not forced to be present, but eager to meet, work and, crucially, socialise with colleagues and friends.
There was buzz, industry and colour and there will be again.
I've already read at least one columnist's account of her abortive move to the coast followed by a return to London and all its delights, having discovered life beyond the city has serious limitations.
While a sample size of one isn't much to go on, this anecdote fits with a trend in the local property market as demand surges for rentals.
Georgia Nailard is area manager covering estate agency Alex Neil's operations at its Bethnal Green And Bow and Canary Wharf offices.
She said: "Throughout the lockdowns no-one went to work. At first that was exciting, but it wore off pretty quickly and most people and businesses have realised how important it is to actually be in the office with other people.
"Working at home five days a week can be very isolating – going to the office isn't just for the company's benefit.
"Ultimately that realisation means people want to rent in close proximity to places like Canary Wharf.
"What's happened in the last couple of months in the run up to Christmas has been quite dramatic – the rental prices we have been able to achieve are very different from six months before that.
"In some cases we're getting more for them than we would have before the pandemic, which is amazing and something landlords may not be aware of.
"There has been a slight shortage of rental properties coming back to the market.
"There has been a lot of uncertainty over the past 18 months and some tenants have been signing up for longer tenancies, meaning ultimately that there aren't as many places available to rent.
"But the demand is there – usually we'd expect the market to slow down in December and we didn't see that in 2021.
"With the market like this, it means when a new property becomes available we can do a large open day for viewings and we'll usually receive multiple offers, sometimes going over the asking price.
"Doing these events means we also build up a lot of prospective tenants for properties coming onto the market.
"I expect similar trends to continue in January and throughout the year, I don't see that demand slowing down.
"There are often changes of circumstance for people around the Christmas period too, so that may bring even more tenants looking."
That demand is also benefiting the sales market as canny investors see the return of profitable yields to be had in Docklands, while house prices are driven by people's increasing desire to live on the Isle Of Dogs and nearby in east London.
Georgia said: "The way the rental market is going at the moment, there are investors out there who have cash, don't require a mortgage and will see the opportunity Canary Wharf presents – the yield on property in the area is unbelievable at the moment.
"As an agency we're experts in marketing property and, with our international package, that's where we offer something quite different.
"As well as being on all the main UK portals, we make sure the properties we sell get maximum exposure here and across the world, which is really important.
"It's about making certain that we're angling each property at the right buyer, thinking outside the box, being proactive and educating buyers.
"Right now investors are looking for quality rather than quantity.
"It will take time for the sales market to fully recover from the pandemic, but we are starting to see some positive signs, with the numbers of applicants rising and many people looking to sell.
"Ten years ago, I think people saw the Canary Wharf area as a place to rent, but now you are seeing buyers who want to move here for the foreseeable future, with existing residents looking to upsize.
"People want to stay here because of how much it's changing – the pubs, restaurants and bars that are opening, for example.
"The quality of the buildings here is fantastic – they have so many facilities and many of the older developments are located right on the Thames with great views."
Georgia says she always wanted to be an estate agent – image Matt Grayson
Georgia said Alex Neil's role was to make moving home as easy as possible for all concerned, whether that was for buyers, sellers, landlords or tenants.
She said: "I grew up in Brighton and my dad was a car salesman – he was always selling something and had that motivation.
"We moved house quite a lot when I was younger and I loved going on viewings, so I grew up wanting to be an estate agent.
"I love working with people and helping them move – it can be one of the most stressful times in someone's life as property is usually their biggest asset – so we try to take the stress out of things.
"There are so many emotions involved with the process but we try to make it as smooth as possible, making sure everyone's happy at the end of it.
"The best way to do that is to be honest and to set everyone's expectations at the start, rather than raising them to the point where they are unrealistic.
"We always tell people how we'll start from 'x' and end up at 'y'. For sales, that means from viewing to completion.
"A lot of people haven't bought or sold for a good number of years and forget the process. In that time there may have been changes in technology or with other parts of the transaction.
"Everyone is different, so we have to adjust to each person, making sure they understand exactly what the process is and what the steps are, from signing the terms of business to completion.
"Leaving questions with someone will only make them confused so we try never to let that happen.
"It's the same for lettings – we aim to make letting out a property as simple as possible, because it can seem quite overwhelming.
"That's why we've developed a checklist so landlords know exactly what they need to do and what they must have at every stage of the process.
"That's what makes us stand out in the market – we're the experts and we'll help you every step of the way."
Read more: Hamptons launches new office in Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf: Hamptons unveil new office space as vote of confidence in local market
Estate agent's Canada Square branch allows teams to come together to serve clients face-to-face
Hamptons has opened a new branch in Canada Square – image Matt Grayson
You often read about online agencies, but that's not what people like in this area," said Adam Wolfryd, who was appointed senior head of sales at Hamptons' Canary Wharf operation in May.
"People want to deal with you face-to-face when it comes to their biggest asset."
The company recently opened the doors to its new office at 20 Canada Square following relocation from its previous home at 30 South Colonnade via a brief temporary home at nearby WeWork.
"We were essentially working as an online proposition and while we were able to do that, it was challenging," said Adam.
"The feedback we were getting from clients was that they wanted to be able to walk in and talk to us not have to book an appointment or do the whole thing remotely.
"It proved that we're in a business that requires a traditional model to operate effectively. Opening the new office shows how much confidence Hamptons has in the Canary Wharf market."
The company, which has more than 90 branches across the UK, has made a statement with this opening, taking over an expansive space, formerly occupied by a bank.
Dressed in pale woods, potted greenery and crisp digital screens displaying properties in its windows, there are meeting rooms for consultations with clients and plenty of space to house a team covering every aspect of the property market.
Hamptons senior head of lettings Laura Stronghill – image Matt Grayson
The Canary Wharf office's senior head of lettings Laura Stronghill said: "The previous space we had didn't really suit when we expanded the team – we felt we'd outgrown it and the building was set to be redeveloped in any case.
"Then this site came up and it was the right spot for us – it gives the business better exposure, we're closer to the Tube and it means we can bring more people in and do more business.
"We've expanded the sales and lettings teams. We also have our residential development team, who handle new homes, and our property management team, who look after clients with multiple properties, based here, alongside some of our corporate team.
"It means we can get everybody under one roof and provide a better level of service for our clients.
"That's especially important in Canary Wharf as there's a great deal of development going on locally and a lot of investors as well as professionals relocating to the area.
"With everyone here, people walking in can speak to members of our team with a wide range of expertise to help them with whatever they need."
Adam and Laura said that with flexible digital infrastructure in place and the office now open, Hamptons stands ready to handle properties across a broad swathe of the market.
"It's important that people know we will take care of everything from a studio apartment to a five-bedroom house," said Laura. "We have the ability to be creative with our marketing to get the right result.
"I've been with the business for more than 15 years and its core is solid. The backbone of the company is its people, its structure and its ability to retain good members of staff so we can use our experience to do a great job for our clients.
"We're all approachable, we want people to come and meet us and we like to do tiny, noticeable things to make our clients' lives a little bit better.
"Whether that's popping round to a property to turn the oven off, arranging to be there to make sure tenants get their keys out of hours or even helping them move in, it's those little extras you can count on.
"On the lettings side, there are no straightforward tenancies – that's where the team and I come in to assist landlords as much as we can. That's where our corporate reach really helps – we have a lot of tenants employed by blue chip companies.
"Right now, demand is through the roof – in some instances rental prices are already exceeding 2019 levels.
"Tenants are looking to secure longer deals because they don't know where the market's going.
"We're starting to see landlords getting a better return, which is great. We don't want tenants or landlords to feel they're getting the raw end of the stick.
"The happier the tenant, the better the property is kept and the longer they will stay. The past few years have been tough for small landlords so it's been fantastic to give them some good news.
"We will always look after their biggest asset for them and we get very good rental returns. It's about working the market to the best of our ability, that personal touch and having the marketing tools available to do the best job possible for our clients."
Hamptons senior head of sales Adam Wolfryd – image Matt Grayson
Adam is similarly optimistic about the sales market and said Hamptons was ideally placed to help vendors get what they want.
"Experience is one of the first things sellers look for from an agent," he said.
"In the current market, finding a buyer takes a lot of hard work and having an experienced person deal with the offer and negotiation process as well as ensuring the buyer is a viable prospect is essential.
"I've been working in estate agency in this area for more than 20 years and I have a team here with more than half a century of experience.
"In a fast-paced, high turnover industry, Hamptons is a recognised, respected brand and sellers will find an established team at the Canary Wharf office that can really give clients the benefit of that experience.
"We won't rush to force a seller to accept too low an offer if we think that in a couple of weeks we can achieve a higher price, for example.
"We won't put a sale together, unless we're confident that we've done the work we needed to do to ensure that the buyer is fit to proceed.
"As rental yields in this area have hit 5% again, buyer registrations are starting to rise as we're seeing tenants looking to purchase a property and buy-to-let investors coming back to the market.
"That suggests prices will only go in one direction and I'm quite bullish about 2022.
"Over the next 12 months, especially with Crossrail set to open and the Wharf becoming even easier to travel in and out of, people will see what a great place to live it is.
"This new office is a central hub for us – we cover properties of all kinds all the way out to Essex from here. It's always a good time to come and talk to us, if nothing else, just to understand the value of your property – we can advise on whether it's better to keep it and rent it out or to put it on the market. It's the benefit of offering that all-round service.
"Whatever your property requirements are, we cover everything.
"We're connected right across the UK and can also help with financial services, new homes, removals, cleaning and refurbishment as well as sales and lettings."
Read More: Canary Wharf opens 8 Harbord Square show home
Canary Wharf: Open-plan homes launched at Wood Wharf's 8 Harbord Square
Canary Wharf Group unveils warehouse-style properties packed with industrial features
The show home has been dressed to show the space's potential
Through the detective novels of country singer, writer, sometime politician and fictitious amateur sleuth Kinky Friedman, I first developed a desire to live in a loft.
The Texan's austere space shared only with a cat and dressed with a vintage espresso machine, a plaster bust of Sherlock Holmes filled with cigars and two red telephones on a desk connected to the same line to give incoming calls a greater sense of importance, struck me as aspirational.
I even found myself making a pilgrimage to Vandam Street on a visit to New York to see the supposed site of the character's residence – a little like fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle travel to Baker Street to stroke the foot of Holmes' statue.
Turn on the TV, watch something American and, you'll often find the main character living in a raw industrial space with plenty of light streaming in to illuminate exposed brickwork, bare concrete and bold art – the sort of place the supposed income from their job as a cop or a private eye would never actually support.
Cross the pond and, even in London, the dream seems unattainable. Brick-built warehouse properties don't exactly pop up on the market very often.
Which is why the design of Canary Wharf Group's latest collection of 82 properties for Wood Wharf is both clever and just a little bit breathtaking.
The first thing that hits you when you walk into the show apartment at 8 Harbord Square is the sheer size of it.
Buyers could choose to keep the whole apartment open-plan
More than 1,000sq ft of almost completely unbroken space stretches out from the door, dressed to show off the potential dual aspect styling of the Gramercy – the larger of the two types of loft on offer.
While the Prospect is smaller at just over 800sq ft and single aspect, it features the same bare brick and industrial radiator finish.
It also shares with its sibling the fact that the only fixed elements within are the bathroom and kitchen.
Everything else is up for grabs. Buyers can take the spaces as bare shells and fill them full of high-end furniture, art and retro curios or choose to divide the space with walls in a more conventional layout.
"This is a brand new concept for Canary Wharf and, as far as I know, in new-build developments over the last 20 years I've been working in the industry," said Canary Wharf Group director of residential sales Brian De'ath.
"We're creating a warehouse-style space and giving it over to truly open-plan living. The show apartment demonstrates that – there are no internal walls other than the ones dividing the bathroom off from the rest of the space.
"The way we've dressed it reflects one possible way of living in these apartments, but they lend themselves to a multitude of options.
"You could, for example, divide them up into three bedrooms or one bedroom with a study.
"We've created a suite of floorplans to help give people ideas as well as partnering with an interior designer who will also offer advice if that's what buyers are looking for.
"With most new-build properties, those decisions have already been made by the developer – where a bedroom is located and what size it is.
"With these, people can absolutely configure their own space or leave it completely open.
"When the 82 apartments are finished, I hope I can walk into them and see 82 different ways of living in them."
The bathroom and kitchen are the only two fixed features
Launched earlier this month, the apartments all feature Crittal-style windows, exposed brickwork, black ceiling fans, red pipework for the sprinkler system and black cast iron radiators.
Kitchens come in stainless steel with Siemens appliances, while bathrooms include freestanding baths, twin sinks and walk-in Crittal-style shower areas.
The feel is deliberately industrial with exposed electrical conduits and it's all part of Canary Wharf Group's plan to attract a certain kind of buyer.
"It's not something anyone ever asks for," said Brian. "But people have said they really like seeing how the building works.
"We wanted to create a diversity of product on the estate. We've completed our first apartments in 10 Park Drive and One Park Drive and they offer a fabulous way to live in Canary Wharf in a traditional style of home.
"We didn't want to follow them up with another building in the same mould. We wanted to show another way to live here and to reach a demographic who perhaps hadn't previously considered the estate as a place for them.
"What we have here is very different to everything else. It's a real representation of everything you'd get living in a warehouse that was built 150 years ago – the high 2.9m ceilings, for example – but with all the modern conveniences of a new-build and the amenities of the whole of Canary Wharf within a 15 minute walk.
"We think these properties will really appeal to people who are design-savvy, who want to curate their life through the things that they own and live with. We haven't tried to create a building that people say is 'quite nice'. Buyers will either fall in love with it or it won't be for them.
"We can see how popular true second-hand warehouse stock is in London – places such as West India Quay, Shad Thames, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch – such apartments in these places appear on the covers of interiors magazines.
"We think people who like those properties will also like these."
Located in Wood Wharf, 8 Harbord Square will be adjacent to forthcoming shopping area The Lanes – an area intended to have the feel of Soho's bustling streets and businesses. The 11-storey building will be finished in ornate red brickwork and tiles and sits next to Harbord Square park towards the eastern edge of Canary Wharf.
Prices start at £745,000 for a Prospect apartment.
Read More: Discover shared ownership homes at Landmark Pinnacle


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* 6. What current marketing efforts have you made? Did these marketing efforts generate many new customers?
* 7. What do you feel you provide to customers, that larger chain providers do not?
* 8. What do you feel is your biggest barrier to growing your business.
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On April 29th, 2014, the Coalition of Electors released a 98 page report on Housing Authorities from across the world. The entire report is available online here: https://cope.bc.ca/housing.pdf.
The City of Vancouver currently faces a widely recognized affordable housing crisis and market failure. The goal of this discussion paper is to look at cities around the world which have faced similar crises, but which have stood up and taken control of their fate by establishing housing authorities. Case study cities were selected on the basis of shared parameters with Vancouver, including tight-housing market, geography, population size, and policy context. We look at cities from North America, Asia, and Europe. There are programs and initiatives that we can borrow from or translate, and there are also lessons to learn from challenges or failures in certain areas.
Only 3% of housing units in the city of Vancouver are publicly-owned. The city of Vancouver public housing corporation owns only 397 units.
By contrast, the Whistler Housing Authority has built 1,900 units of affordable housing since 1997, with a clear social mandate to house over 75% of city residents. Half the units are rental, and half are purchased – with appreciation fixed to inflation. In addition, the vast majority of Whistler Olympic Village remains non-market housing.
The Surrey City Development Corporation, created in 2007, is also owned by the municipality and generates dividends for the city through property development. However, it includes no affordable housing mandate and has no community oversight.
The New York City Housing Authority owns 2,600 mostly highly density buildings that house 400,000 tenants. Buildings are located centrally near amenities and transit, and are maintained at levels superior to much of the private rental market. The NYHA also demonstrates powerful lobbying and tenant activism.
Toronto Community Housing owns 2,200 buildings, housing 165,000 tenants, prioritizing women with children, new Canadians, and low-income households. TCH has been at the cutting edge of participatory budgeting and democratic governance with tenant oversight.
Hong Kong's private housing market is similarly unaffordable compared to Vancouver. However, The Hong Kong Housing Authority owns an astonishing 48% of the city's housing stock. Housing costs in this public housing are low, greatly ameliorating the lives of many residents.
In Singapore, 83% of housing is public housing, built by the government. Much of it is bought by residents using social insurance, and home value appreciates in a government-controlled manner.
Stockholm contains 30% public housing. Over the past 20 years, administration has been downloaded to the municipality, so there is much to learn from the city's current practices. Maintenance, rents, and tenant participation and negotiated with the powerful 700,000-strong Swedish Union of Tenants.
The municipality is Vienna's largest landlord, directly owning over 220,000 units. In total 60% of residents live in public housing. Housing is built to a high level of design quality.
1) Build housing: The Housing Authority will have developer powers to construct housing, including social housing, public rental housing, as well as regular market housing to generate revenues, and achieve significant market share to break the existing monopoly power that private developers wield.
2) Prioritize social housing for those most in need: Replace substandard privately-owned hotels, and prioritize social housing units for Indigenous People, migrants, women, trans people, seniors, youth, people with mental health and physical disabilities including HIV/AIDs, and vulnerable low-income people who are disproportionately at risk of homelessness and hidden homelessness.
3) Clear and Consistent Definitions: The Housing Authority should operate under clear and consistent definitions of affordable, market, and social housing. Affordable housing should be defined as 30% of household income and should be targeted to lower-income households, and less in rapidly gentrifying neighbourhoods.
4) Quality: Ensure high quality of design, maintenance, and front-line service. In line with the New York model, public housing should be constructed and maintained at levels comparable to, or better than, the private market. Follow Vienna's practice of high environmental design.
5) Monitoring: The Housing Authority should administer a landowner and landlord registry to keep inventory on all types of housing in the city and take measures to protect the city's affordable housing stock.
6) Housing as Public Good: Public housing provision should be accessible to a large cross-section of the population. This will increase public buy-in and reduce stigmatization, as in Hong Kong, Singapore, Stockholm, and Vienna.
7) Democratic governance: Ensure resident participation in Housing Authority decision-making, independent from real estate interests. Enable a tenant union inspired by the Swedish Union of Tenants .
8) Lobbying: Organize locally and nationally to aggressively lobby all levels of government to fund social and affordable housing. Lobbying efforts can enhanced by using new revenue sources to leverage matching funds, and supported by tenant boards or unions.
9) Land: Control of city land-banks should be centralized under the Housing Authority. This is also an opportunity for the Housing Authority to be at the forefront of building relations of solidarity and urban land sovereignty with Indigenous people, communities and Nations.
10) Funding Mechanisms: We have identified a series of potential funding mechanisms, including building new revenue-generating properties, as well as clear direction of development contributions, land-lease revenues and other commercial taxes, and progressive property taxes. into producing city-owned public housing assets.


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A safety notice has been sent out to students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) saying a man has been arrested for alleged voyeurism at its Burnaby campus.
The email sent by BCIT administration said that "an unknown male was observed using a cellphone to capture images in a female washroom" on Monday afternoon.
It said that both campus security and RCMP attended the scene and that the man remains in custody.
The school said in the release that it's taking the incident very seriously, and as a precaution is increasing security and patrols in the affected NE1 building.