Pre-owned modular buildings have been recognised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as being extremely environmentally friendly compared with an equivalent new manufactured building.
The reason for this is that the embodied energy required to manufacture a modular building is transportable as the embodied energy is locked within the fabric of the building. Therefore the energy contained within pre-owned modular buildings can be transported and relocated to another site. In traditional buildings this is largely lost when they are no longer required and demolished, even when the materials are re-cycled. However, with modular and portable buildings the embodied energy can be relocated along with the modules to another site.
East Yorkshire is not an area that is first thought of when talking about art hot spots in the UK but this part of Yorkshire is fast becoming one.
One very famous artist by the name of David Hockney, although from West Yorkshire, produced a series of paintings of the East Yorkshire landscape. David Hockney is arguably the most famous and influential British artist of the 20th century. David Hockney’s paintings are renowned around the world having exhibited his canvas art in New York, Germany, Japan and Portugal.
A series of five East Yorkshire landscapes were shown for the first time at Tate Britain in 2007. This beautiful area is often misunderstood by the people of the UK associating this area with fishing and flat, unspectacular landscapes. Hockney changed this perception and along with the regeneration of East Yorkshire, most notably Hull, this area is finally being put on the map for the right reasons.
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Switzerland is a landlocked alpine country in Western Europe with roughly seven and a half million people and an area of just over forty thousand kilometres square. The country is made up of twenty six states called cantons and it contains three global cities, Geneva, Basel and Zürich. Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world by per capita gross domestic product, plus Zürich and Geneva have respectively been ranked as having the first and second highest quality of life in the world.
It is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland has a long history of neutrality and it has not been at war since 1815. The country hosts many international organizations, including the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization and one of the U.N.s two European offices. However, it is not a member of the European Union. Switzerland is multilingual and has four national languages - German, French, Italian and Romansh.
When it comes to places to stay, there is a great choice of Switzerland accommodation available including serviced accommodation such as hotels and bed and breakfasts, plus Switzerland self catering accommodation such as simple hostels, or perhaps a luxury Switzerland apartment.
London is an absolute must for any discerning traveller because as a capital city it has so much to offer from superb places to stay, fantastic restaurants and bars, plus an incredible amount of visitor attractions and places of interest.
The best method of getting around the city is to use the London Underground, which is a metro system serving Greater London and the neighbouring areas. It is the world’s oldest underground railway and with two hundred and sixty eight stations and approximately two hundred and fifty miles of track it is also the longest metro system in the world.
Visitors to the city are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation with all different types being provided including luxurious hotels, self catering properties, a London bed and breakfast, or a Guest House London, right down to the most basic of hostels. Being a capital city the cost of accommodation tends to be more expensive than the rest of the UK, but breaks here do not have to be expensive as it is possible to find a cheap London hotel.
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Modern art is defined from the 1860’s to the 1970’s in terms of galleries and art history. In recent years the appeal of modern art in a widespread context has occurred.
The new style of modern, open plan living had made for the need of equally as modern and unique art for the white stark walls. The apartment living scene has especially contributed but even older style houses are having walls taken down to make way for the open plan living so popular today.
Not everyone has the money to buy modern canvas art produced by famous artists so it has enabled the not so famous but equally as talented new artists to produce work and be successful selling them. Canvas art is quite dramatic as the medium used is either oil or acrylic paint. Both achieve high depth in colour and on a bright white wall, a piece of canvas artwork on a stretched canvas frame has maximum impact.
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Dubai continues to grow despite the recent world economic crisis. The opening of the 1.5 billion dollar Atlantis, the Palm Hotel let the whole world know Dubai is not letting these tough times effect them.
The economy in Dubai is staggering. In 2007 GDP was registered at 54.3 billion US dollars and over the past 7 years, the economic growth was 18% Compounded Annual Growth Rate. Amazingly, the tourism, real estate and finance sectors are taking over as the main economic areas which used to be oil.
Growth of the population is detrimental to the growth of the economy. Between 2003 and 2007, the population created an 8% Compounded Annual Growth Rate which is sure to be logged down as higher as there are now an estimated 1.6 billion inhabitants in Dubai. This is predicted to increase to 2.2 billion by the year 2010. The Dubai property boom is going to be required with an increase in population such as that although it has been said that this should be capped to avoid saturation which is all too common in a situation like this.
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Selous Game Reserve is the largest wildlife controlled area in Africa, covering fifty five thousand square kilometres, which is comparable to the size of Switzerland. As such Selous can justifiably claim to offer unparalleled wilderness and an amazing safari destination.
The spectrum of wildlife here is diverse, all the more interesting because its southern location attracts a unique combination of East and Southern African wildlife, both resident and migratory, and particularly a curious and colourful assortment of over 440 known species of birds. Some of Africa’s most sought after game can be found in Selous Game Reserve including elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, hippo, crocodile and herds of plains game, yet it remains one of the least visited of the great game sanctuaries on the continent.
Ambleside is a very popular and picturesque town situated at the heart of the Lake District National Park, close to the shores of Lake Windermere, which is England’s largest lake. Ambleside itself has become a major tourist resort and one of the most popular bases for exploring the Lake District with an array of excellent shops, restaurants, plus a great choice of of Lake District self catering venues including camp sites, bed and breakfasts, hotels and Lake District cottages.
Ambleside is mostly a Victorian town, although there has been a settlement there since pre-Roman times. Galava, a fort located beside Borrans Park in Ambleside was built by the Romans and was used to house around 500 soldiers. The fort was built to defend the lower fells of South Lakeland from invasion by the Picts and Scots, and also to guard the road to the Roman Port at Ravenglass which is accessible from Hard Knott Pass.
Since The Borrowdale Hotel was bought in March by Lake District Hotels, some of the bedrooms have already been refurbished. Now a more noticeable transformation is about to take place under the watchful eye of Stephen Wilcock who moves from The Lodore Falls Hotel to take up his first role as General Manager.
Stephen Wilcock was Deputy General Manager at the Lodore Falls Hotel during the last four years and was instrumental in minimising disturbance for hotel guests during the £2 million pound Lodore Falls refurbishment. His move to the Borrowdale Hotel coincides with imminent plans to update the lounge, dining areas and remaining bedrooms at the hotel. Work has already started in some of the bedrooms and regular guests have given very enthusiastic praise for the work so far. The lounge will be refurbished during November - in plenty of time for Christmas and there are exciting new plans for the dining room which are due to start in the New Year.
Saadani Game Reserve was gazetted in 1964, covering an area of some 250 sq km from the Wami River in the south to the Mligaji River in the north, with the Moshi railway line as the western boundary.
In 2003 Saadani was upgraded to become Tanzania’s latest National Park under the direction of TANAPA (Tanzania National Park Authority). Boundaries have been expanded to include land north of the Mligaji, which is an important area containing the only permanent elephant population in the area as well as sable antelope. The total protected area now covers over 1000 sq km and the TANAPA headquarters are based at Mkwaja ranch.
Saadani is geographically the closest reserve to Dar es Salaam (130km) and, even considering the present situation of no coast road, it is still a similar distance in terms of time to Mikumi National Park, the next closest wildlife destination. Construction of the coast road from Dar es Salaam is underway and once completed, this will reduce driving time to around two hours from Dar making Saadani the closest wildlife destination to Dar offering an irresistible combination of beach and wildlife viewing.
Saadani sits directly opposite Zanzibar’s Stone Town, which is located approximately 42 kilometres away. Regular flights are available from Zanzibar to Saadani and these only take about fifteen minutes. Visitors to Zanzibar will find an excellent choice of Zanzibar hotels and most other types of Zanzibar accommodation, including villas and lodges. Read the rest of this entry »
Christmas in the Lake District has been a popular choice for couples and families for some years now. Escaping from all the expense and stress of organising presents and the Christmas lunch. The beautiful scenery is so enticing in the winter months and the festive season. Now the Lake District is being a hot spot for company Christmas parties. Many Lake District hotels have spiced up their 2008 Christmas Party programme by providing alternative party themes as well as their traditional Christmas party nights enjoyed by many. With a choice of themes to suit a range of pockets, many Lake District hotels are introducing theme nights such as Elvis Tribute Nights, Las Vegas Casino Nights as well as a Fajitas and Margaritas Party food themes.
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Appreciation of Dubai properties grew rapidly between 2004 and 2006 due to the government deciding to change from the trade based economy to a services and tourism based economy. This had led to huge and groundbreaking skyscrapers so synonymous with Dubai today. Dubai property is so innovative. They have the tallest building in the world that is used solely as a hotel, the Burj Al Arab. This crown is soon to be taken from this iconic building with the completion of The Rose Tower. This tower was completed in 2007 but is yet to open as a hotel. Vying for the tallest building in the world is being undertaken by a number of developments which are still in construction and due to be completed around 2009. Approximately 50km away is a proposed 200 storey tower with a projected height on 1,200 metres!
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