Results tagged “Grand Designs Live”

Stressed workers losing the epic struggle for peace and quiet at home might be about to retreat into futuristic escape pods lurking in the corner.

This Mork and Mindy-style capsule - featuring games systems, surround sound and air conditioning - is on show at Grand Designs Live.

By Andrew Williams

Awareness is a word that's bandied around a lot at the moment.

We're always being asked to be more aware about this issue or that cause, and it can be tricky to keep track of which hot topic we're supposed to be caring about.

IT LOOKS like a brick-built cousin of the nightmarish sci-fi pods seen in The Matrix.

But this egg-shaped home could help homeowners heal the planet.

Alternative builders Eco Hab Homes are showcasing their unusual dwellings at the Grand Designs Live exhibition in Royal Docks. The curious cocoons range from four to six metres in diameter, and range from an £8,900 bungalow to a two-floor home with its own bedroom, living area, kitchen and bathroom, costing nearly £80,000. See www.ecohab.co.uk for more details.

The zero-carbon pod is among several eco-projects taking place at the nine-day show at ExCeL. Presenter Kevin McCloud kicked off his attempt to build a home in six days over the weekend, and rail closures did not stop waves of designers making the trip to East London. The exhibition is expected to attract up to 500,000 visitors this year, and is the subject of a live Channel 4 broadcast.

FREE shuttle buses will be provided for thousands of design show visitors to combat disruption by bank holiday rail closures.

Transport bosses warned travellers to anticipate longer journey times after DLR links around the Docklands were earmarked for closure – potentially cutting off the Grand Designs Live expo from thousands of its customers.

A spokeswoman for the show – which will form part of a major Channel 4 broadcast event – admitted the disruption would “prove a bit of a challenge� especially as the opening weekend will be packed with crowd-pulling celebrities.

Back-up plans have been put in place. Visitors will be bussed to ExCeL in Royal Docks. And the exhibition centre and Docklands Light Railway are laying on a taxi-rank shuttle every four to five minutes from Canning Town station following the suspension of the DLR for upgrading work.

Diarmuid Gavin, Naomi Cleaver, Matt James and Jason Bradbury will be joining Kevin McCloud at this year’s Grand Designs Live London at ExCeL London.

Fans of the TV show should put a date in their diaries for May 3-11, when the event at ExCeL in the Royal Docks will be held for a fourth year.