The World's Weirdest Skyscrapers

The world's weirdest skyscrapers – in pictures: From the Elephant Building to the ‘Death Star’, architects and developers are going to ever stranger lengths in their efforts to stand out from the crowd. Where will this ridiculousness end? Click all pictures to enlarge.

Above - Elephant Building, Bangkok: Designed in 1997 by one of Thailand’s most celebrated architects, Sumet Jumasi, this triple-towered oddity pays homage to his country’s national animal. Boasting 32 storeys of offices, shops and luxury apartments, the building’s ‘ears’ are multi-storey balconies while the tusks are home to its management company.

                            

Porsche Design Tower, Miami: Amazingly, America’s ‘cars in towers’ narrative is not done yet. Porsche – better known as manufacturers of flashy sports cars – is building a 60-storey skyscraper in Miami. But rather than regular ground-level or subterranean parking, the pièce de résistance of this $560m building is its three drive-in elevators. When the building is completed next year, its drive-in lifts will allow residents to bring their beloved vehicles right up to their apartments. Apparently there’s space for up to four cars in some units.

Umeda Sky Building, Osaka: Osaka’s 19th-tallest building consists of two 40-storey towers connected by a ‘floating garden observatory’ on the top two floors. But just for a bit of added fun, the empty space between the buildings is criss-crossed by the world’s highest glass escalator. Those suffering from vertigo may wish to look away now.

Castalia, The Hague: In the Netherlands, this pair of towers is desperate to blend in with its nation’s architectural heritage – not easy when you’re 104 metres tall. Constructed in 1998 using the core of an older building, the renovation added a 35m Dutch gabled roof on each tower – purely for decoration. Home to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, Castalia is more fondly known as ‘the tits’ of Den Haag, thanks to those perky rooftops.

Abraj Al-Bait Towers, Mecca: Rising over the holy mosque of Mecca in western Saudi Arabia, this 600m Big Ben copy (also known as the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel) is the third tallest building in the world – with the world’s largest clock face, naturally. The tower looms over what was once a desert but is now home to luxury apartments, shopping malls and hotels for all the pilgrims who travel to this holiest of sites at this time every year.

Aqua, Chicago: Designed by American architect Jeanne Gang in the city that invented the skyscraper, Chicago’s 82-storey Aqua tower happens to be the tallest building in the world designed by a woman – but that’s not why we’re including it. To capture the urban views, balconies jut out into the sky giving the tower its undulating figure, resisting the angular typologies of Chicago’s traditional tower design.

Tianzi Hotel, Langfang: This bizarre 10-storey creation made it into the Guiness Book of Records for being the world’s ‘biggest image building’. Perhaps not a skyscraper in the traditional sense, the beaming depictions of Fu, Lu and Shou (Chinese gods of fortune, prosperity and longevity) certainly stand out against the skyline. Enter the hotel through the white bearded fellow’s right foot, and take a nap in the hotel’s most luxurious suite – located in his giant peach.

Robot Building, Bangkok: Just down the road from the Elephant Building, architect Sumet Jumasi designed the HQ of the United Overseas Bank as a 20-storey robot representing the computerisation of banking and friendly face of modern technology. Every feature of this android has a practical use: the eyelids are sunshades, the eyes are meeting rooms, and the antennae are lightning rods. Jumasi said his robot was a protest against ‘bland international style in architecture’.

AlDar Headquarters, Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates boasts the world’s tallest skyscraper, the 830m Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and now is also home to the world’s first circular skyscraper. No longer restricted to using steel-frame technology to create tall, straight towers, the UAE-based MZ Architects have built a revolutionary ‘stacked dinner plate’ prototype – at a cost of around £1bn.

Antilia building, Mumbai: The 27-storey private residence of Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, was named after a mythical island in the Atlantic, and is said to have more floor space than the Palace of Versailles. The building boasts three helicopter pads, underground parking for 160 cars, and requires some 600 staff to run it – all for a family of five.

Fake Hills, Beihai : Is your overly flat city in need of some rolling hills? Why not just build them, as the Chinese coastal town of Beihai did. This ‘does what it says on the tin’ residential development, designed by MAD Architects, combines high-rise and groundscraper typology to emulate mother nature’s contours in what is otherwise a very low-level city.

Lippo Centre, Hong Kong: Nicknamed the Koala Buildings for the way their extrusions cling to the glass towers, American architect Paul Rudolph – best known for his brutalist concrete structures – hoped to make this skyscraper a little less ominous by adding the C-shaped extensions to Lippo’s exterior. Instead he made it look like something straight our of Transformers.

Sutyagin House, Arkhangelsk: Wooden skyscrapers could be the future of flat-pack cities, but one man in Russia set the precedent almost 25 years ago. Nikolai Sutyagin (a former gangster) spent more than 15 years piecing together this wooden house on the outskirts of Arkhangelsk, continuously adding new levels until it grew to 13 storeys. Without a permit for his precariously balanced structure, the building’s tower was demolished a few years ago, and the remaining four storeys burned to the ground shortly afterwards.

‘Cell Phone Building’, Kunming: Despite appearances, this 11-storey building in China’s southern Yunnan province is actually quite functional. The screen is the upper-storey window for the penthouse office, while the buttons let light into the lower offices. But we can’t help thinking this old-school handset is due an upgrade by now.

Marina City, Chicago: In the 1960s, when the US’s obsession for the automobile was in full swing, architect Bertrand Goldberg designed these two, 65-storey residential towers with no fewer than 896 parking spaces inside each one. Incredibly, the lower 19 floors of the skyscrapers still house nothing more than a spiral parking ramp. With Chicago now facing an affordable housing crisis, maybe it’s time to put the cars outside?

Tour Triangle, Paris: While many major cities have witnessed a high-rise boom, Paris has remained relatively low-rise thanks to restrictive building regulations. But the ban was finally lifted in 2010, and this 42-storey glass pyramid is due to land, UFO-like, in the 15th arrondissement in 2020. As the first modern tower to be built in central Paris for more than 40 years, it’s going to stick out like a sore thumb.

Cross Towers, Seoul: Danish studio BIG (architects of the New York Dry Line) has proposed the godfather of all clickbait architecture for South Korea’s Yongsan Business District development: ‘the Hashtag’ skyscraper. Designed to get around height regulations while maximising density, the two high-rises are connected by horizontal towers, forming a hash. Although still waiting for the green light, it seems only a matter of time before this #bigdream becomes a #bigreality.

                           

Tower Infinity, Seoul: Also coming soon in Seoul, the 450m Tower Infinity was dubbed the world’s first ‘invisible tower’ by its designers, GDS Architects. Projectors and cameras on the façade will capture the view around the skyscraper before stitching them together in a real-time display, giving an illusion of invisibility – perhaps not the best idea given the tower’s location, right next to Seoul’s Incheon Airport.

Full Moon Tower, Baku: With AlDar’s headquarters having set the precedent for disk-shaped skyscrapers, the Azerbaijani capital will soon be home to not one but two new massive rotund buildings – known as the Full Moon and Crescent Moon hotels. Designed by South Korean firm Heerim Architects, some are suggesting the Full Moon Hotel – with its indented hole and slick facade – took inspiration from the Death Star in Star Wars.

Phoenix Towers, Wuhan: The British architects Chetwoods has unveiled plans for this pair of skyscrapers in the Chinese city of Wuhan. When completed, the taller of these colourful towers should top the Burj Khalifa by 172m, and is intended to beat Saudi Arabia’s impending Kingdom Tower to the title of world’s tallest building when it opens in 2017/18. As if that’s not enough, the smaller tower promises to house the world’s tallest garden.

Window Cleaning In The Courts

Canada, Hong Kong & UK in the law courts.

R v. Skyreach Window Cleaning Inc. (unreported, October 28, 2014, Ontario Ct. Jus Triantafilopoulos J.P.) - This case was a prosecution under the “general duty clause” alleging that the employer failed to take the reasonable precaution of showing workers a user manual for a custom built swing stage system on a building.  A piece of the swing-stage had fallen off the device to the ground below.  The Crown alleged that the swing stage had been improperly parked.

The Court granted a non-suit motion brought by the defence on the basis that the user manual did not specifically specify that the machine should be parked in any particular place for safety purposes. The Court also found that nobody had provided a user manual to the employer in any event.

This case is one example of a prosecution based on an alleged failure of an employer to show a worker the user manual.  In such cases careful attention should be paid to what the manual actually requires the worker to do from a safety perspective and whether other types of training addressed the issues set out in the manual.

What employers should know

The best way to avoid a prosecution, not to mention potentially devastating workplace accidents, is to ensure your due diligence program is fully implemented and continually refreshed and improved.  At the 2015 Ontario employment law conference, employment lawyer Ryan Conlin will provide guidance on scope of employer OH&S duties. This session will review:

Changes to the definition of a "worker" under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its implications,

Recent cases involving criminal prosecutions and jail terms for employers and corporate officers, and

Trends in enforcement of the Act by the Ministry of Labour and how to manage Ministry investigations.

Attending the 16th annual Ontario Employment Law Conference, presented by Stringer LLP and First Reference Inc., is more essential than ever.

The Ontario Employment Law Conference will take place at the Centre for Health & Safety Innovation in Mississauga on June 4, 2015. We look forward to seeing you and helping you apply the latest employment and labour law changes.

Measures to prevent accidents arising from window cleaning: Hong Kong (HKSAR) - Following is a question by the Hon Chan Kin-por and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, in the Legislative Council today: Question:

It has been reported that in recent years, accidents have happened from time to time in which people sustained injuries or even died as a result of falling from heights when cleaning windows. The causes for such accidents include that people fell from heights because they had lost balance due to overstretching of their bodies from windows, or people fell from heights together with dilapidated windows whichhad been dislodged as the latter could not support their body weights. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number and resultant casualties of accidents in which people fell from heights when cleaning windows; if it has, of the statistics in the past five years; if not, whether it will collect such statistics in future;

(2) given that a number of private buildings are not included in the Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme at present, of the measures that the authorities have put in place to ensure window safety of such buildings;

(3) of the procedures adopted by the authorities at present for inspecting and repairing windows of public rental housing blocks; and the monitoring measures in place to ensure that the inspection procedures comply with the relevant safety requirements; and

(4) of the current publicity work through which people are reminded of the need to pay attention to safety when cleaning windows; whether the publicity channels include television announcements in the public interest, or posters posted in the lift lobbies of buildings; the amount of resources deployed by the Government for conducting the relevant publicity work in each of the past five years; whether it has plans to allocate more resources this year to conduct large-scale territory-wide publicity activities with a view to enhancing the coverage of the publicity work, or to create a cartoon character similar to the "Big Waster" in the Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign in order to enhance public awareness about safety in window cleaning in a lively manner; if it does, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Hon Chan's question touches on matters under the purview of different bureaux and departments. My reply to the four-part question, in consultation with the relevant bureaux and departments, is as follows:

(1) Relevant departments have not maintained statistics on accidents in which members of the public fell from heights when cleaning windows. According to the records of the Labour Department, between 2010 and 2014, there were four accidents in which employees fell from heights when cleaning windows, involving four deceased employees.

(2) The Buildings Department (BD) fully implemented the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme and the Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme (MWIS) on June 30, 2012 to tackle the problem of building neglect at source. According to the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap.

123), MWIS applies to private buildings aged 10 years or above (except domestic buildings not exceeding three storeys). BD may issue a statutory notice to the owners of these buildings, requiring them to appoint a qualified person within a specified timeframe to carry out a prescribed inspection and supervise the prescribed repair works found necessary of the windows of the building.

Building owners are responsible for properly maintaining and managing their properties. We encourage owners to carry out regular inspections and repairs of their windows as necessary on their own initiative to ensure safety.

Even if a building is not included in MWIS, where BD has identified dangerous or defective windows, it will take enforcement action under BO, including issuing a repair order to the owner requiring him to carry out repair works, and instigating prosecution against owners who have not complied with the repair orders. BD, the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) and the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) have also launched various schemes to provide financial and technical support to building owners in need to assist them in maintaining and repairing their properties including windows.

(3) The Hong Kong Housing Authority attaches great importance to building safety, including window safety, of its public rental housing (PRH) flats. While MWIS does not cover PRH flats, the Total Maintenance Scheme of the Housing Department (HD) includes window inspection which is conducted by trained inspectors.

If there is a need to repair the windows, the case will be referred to contractors registered under BO. HD will also supervise the repair works to ensure its quality.

(4) BD has launched television and radio Announcements of Public Interest (APIs) in respect of window safety, published a booklet "Important Notes about Window Safety", etc. to provide practical information about proper maintenance and repair of aluminium windows, minor works relating to windows and MWIS to the public for reference.

The "Important Notes about Window Safety" booklet has been uploaded to BD's website. BD will regularly arrange the APIs to be broadcast on television, radio and public transport vehicles. It will also launch newspaper supplements and issue letters to owners' corporations (OCs) and mutual aid committees to remind building owners and occupiers to pay attention to safety when cleaning windows.

Moreover, BD will organise large-scale publicity events for members of the public such as "Building Safety Carnival" and "Building Safety Week" to enhance their understanding of the importance of building and window safety through diversified activities. To complement the launch of MWIS, BD, in collaboration with HKHS and URA, will organise district briefing sessions for owners of target buildings throughout the territory to explain the details of the scheme. BD will also attend residents' meetings and seminars arranged or organised by district organisations or OCs to publicise MWIS in the community and answer residents' enquiries.

BD will continue to promote window safety through different channels. The relevant work is part of the overall duties of BD in promoting building safety and there is no breakdown of the expenditure for the related work. As regards whether publicity would be carried out by means of a cartoon character, BD will adopt an open mind in considering the suggestion.

Concerning PRH, through various channels, HD from time to time reminds tenants of the proper use of windows and draws their attention to the safety issues when cleaning windows, including posting up notices, holding estate activities, distributing newsletters, etc.

In order to prevent accidents, HD also reminds tenants to immediately report any damages to windows in their units to the estate offices for repair.

Separately, the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC) has issued publications relating to the work of domestic helpers, which covers safety measures for household window cleaning. OSHC will also continue to organise regularly courses on working-at-height safety for household workers and domestic helpers and publicity activities to enhance their safety awareness of window cleaning.

Man died after Royal London doctors ignored his symptoms: Doctors missed out on many chances to save the life of a stained glass window craftsman who died of a rare complication after he fell off a ladder.  

Edward Perry, 57, fractured his spine on February 28 2013 whilst trying to get a suitcase out of the loft at his home in Victoria Park Road for a holiday to Portugal. His daughter was told by doctors at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel that his injury was very common and he would be out of hospital within a week, but by March 8 he was dead.

An inquest at Poplar Coroner’s Court heard how doctors failed to act on the fact that his stomach had swollen up by March 2 through paralysis of the bowel, a rare complication of spinal injury caused by surrounding nerve damage. Eventually he suffered “catastrophic vomiting” and cardiac arrest.

Dr Bunker, ICU consultant and anaesthetist, who was drafted in after a year to lead the delayed investigation into his death, said it had been repeatedly noticed in the medical records he had a distended abdomen. He said: “We could have intervened more aggressively to prevent what happened on the night of March 7, the trouble is we continued a conservative approach on the 4, 5 and 6 despite him not getting better.”

However the barrister acting for the family said: “When you say the conservative approach was adopted regarding the abdomen, that’s not the case is it? There was no plan in place regarding the abdomen.” 
Dr Bunker agreed and went on to detail how junior members of staff now receive training on how to manage deteriorating patients, and how neurosurgeons are responsible “not only at the brain and nerves but the whole patient”.

There was also a recognition the major trauma centre was understaffed, as there was only one registrar working that night. Coroner William Dolman recorded a narrative verdict, ruling Mr Perry died of an extremely rare complication of a spinal injury caused by a fall, which wasn’t recognised in time.

He said: “From the facts we are getting very close to neglect but we don’t reach the standard required by law. The real problem arose because the gravity of the clinical picture was not appreciated, the doctors saw the signs but didn’t recognise their significance.”

Another Window Cleaning Fall To Death & Rescue

An Indonesian domestic helper plunged to her death on Thursday morning while wiping windows in a 27th-floor public housing flat in Wong Tai Sin.

An Indonesian domestic helper plunged to her death on Thursday morning while wiping windows in a 27th-floor public housing flat in Wong Tai Sin. The woman, 28, accidentally fell out of a kitchen window at Cheung Yuen House, Chuk Yuen North estate, at about 9.30am and landed on the first-floor podium of the building, police said. The maid was declared dead at the scene, a police spokesman said. “Her 87-year-old female employer told police that the maid fell down by accident while cleaning windows in the kitchen,” a police officer said. An initial investigation found nothing suspicious, he said. It is believed that the woman arrived in Hong Kong for work earlier this month. The city has seen similar domestic accidents involving foreign helpers. 

Policemen set up a perimeter at the residence of the woman who allegedly tortured Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih in Hong Kong January 21, 2014. A foreign maid died today after she fell from a high-rise while cleaning windows.

In August, an Indonesian domestic helper, 32, and an 18-month-old boy fell from a 19th-floor flat in Yau Tong. Police believed the maid was carrying the toddler as she collected laundry from a clothing rack outside the window, but lost her balance. In February 2011, an Indonesian helper, 35, fell out of a 22nd-floor flat while cleaning a window in a Sha Tin flat. She landed on a podium and was declared dead at Prince of Wales Hospital. The city is home to 300,000 domestic helpers, mostly from Indonesia or the Philippines.

Law Wan-tung, 2nd left, who has been charged with two counts of wounding, one count of common assault and three counts of criminal intimidation, walks next to her husband, 2nd right, as they leave a court in Hong Kong on January 22, 2014.

Maid falls to death in Hong Kong: A foreign domestic helper aged 28 died on Thursday after falling from a residential building in Hong Kong, police said. They said the helper, whose name and nationality were not given, fell from a building in the Wong Tai Sin district onto a concrete canopy and was certified dead when officers arrived. “It is understood that she fell off while cleaning windows in a flat,” a police statement said, adding the death was not being treated as suspicious.

There have been a series of such deaths over the years in Hong Kong, where most people live in high-rise apartment blocks. Last August an 18-month-old boy and an Indonesian domestic helper fell to their deaths from the 19th-floor flat where they lived. Police said the helper was collecting clothes from a drying rack outside the window. Conditions for the city's 300 000 domestic helpers - mostly from Indonesia or the Philippines - have come under the spotlight recently following cases of abuse. A Hong Kong mother-of-two was charged on Wednesday with a serious assault on her Indonesian domestic helper. Last September a couple were jailed for savagely beating another Indonesian helper.

An undated photograph provided by her family and released by Indonesia's Migrant Care on January 22, 2014 shows Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih (L) and the same girl sitting in a wheelchair (R) at a hospital in the Sragen.

'Tortured' Indonesian maid welcomes arrest:  A woman accused of torturing her former maid was arrested at Hong Kong airport while attempting to board a flight to Thailand. An Indonesian maid has welcomed the arrest of her former Hong Kong employer, who is accused of torturing her, saying she is willing to return to the city to testify in a case that sparked angry protests.

The ex-employer, a Hong Kong mother-of-two, was arrested on Monday and charged two days later with assaulting Erwiana Sulistyaningsih and two other Indonesian maids, after thousands of domestic workers marched in the city to call for justice. "I'm happy. I had hoped the employer would be arrested," 23-year-old Sulistyaningsih told Hong Kong-based Cable Television in an interview broadcast on Thursday. Law Wan-tung, 44, is accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Sulistyaningsih, who is now undergoing hospital treatment in her home country.

Law, who was arrested at Hong Kong airport while attempting to board a flight to Thailand, was also charged with common assault and four counts of criminal intimidation - charges related either to Sulistyaningsih or to her two previous Indonesian domestic helpers. Prosecutors allege that Law turned household items such as a mop, a ruler and a clothes hanger into "weapons" against Sulistyaningsih. "If I get better, I will go back to Hong Kong," Sulistyaningsih told Cable TV from her hospital bed, adding she was unaware her former employer had allegedly abused two other maids.

The Hong Kong broadcaster said she would return to the city to testify in the case but her father has previously said he would not let his daughter return to work overseas. "Looking at how bad the conditions are working abroad, who would?" Rohmat Saputro said. While Sulistyaningsih's situation has improved and is now able to sit up, she remains bedridden and still suffers from headaches and dizziness, according to media reports.

One of her doctors in Indonesia said she was unable to walk following the mistreatment, which included having her head smashed repeatedly against a wall. Amnesty International in November condemned the "slavery-like" conditions faced by thousands of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong and accused authorities of "inexcusable" inaction.

Elsewhere in Hong Kong, a domestic helper died on Thursday after falling from a residential building. Police said the 28-year-old helper, whose name and nationality were not given, fell from a building in the Wong Tai Sin district onto a concrete canopy and was certified dead when officers arrived. "It is understood that she fell off while cleaning windows in a flat," a police statement said, adding the death was not being treated as suspicious. Last August, an 18-month-old boy and an Indonesian domestic helper fell to their deaths from the 19th-floor flat where they lived. Police said the helper was collecting clothes from a drying rack outside the window.

Stranded window washer rescued on United Plaza Blvd. (Baton Rouge) - The first two fire trucks arrived at 10:41 a.m. and found that the rig, called a bosun’s chair, had jammed, spokesman Eldon Ledoux said. After a ladder truck arrived with a ladder capable of extending up to 107 feet, a firefighter climbed up to the stranded worker, attached the worker’s safety harness to the ladder and helped him down, Ledoux said. “Although, no special or technical rescue techniques were utilized, the equipment and personnel on scene were capable of such a rescue, if needed,” Ledoux said. 

Window Cleaning News

A window washer smiles for the camera as he rappels down the side of a building. These are the Humans of Iowa City, a Facebook snapshot project by Bobby Jett, 52, of Iowa City. He’s a lifelong resident who wants to share the beauty and diversity of his hometown in the most widespread way possible these days, via social media. So far, 2,535 people “like” his Facebook page and 793 are “talking about this.”“I’m surprised at how fast it took off,” said Jett.

OFW falls to death while cleaning window in Hong Kong: Manila – The family of an overseas Filipino worker who fell off from a 12-storey building in Hong Kong has accepted her death. Melanie Nobleza, 45-years old, was employed as a household service worker in Hong Kong. Nobleza's death was relayed to her family almost after a week. The OFW (overseas foreign worker) was reportedly cleaning a window of her employer's home when she accidentally fell to her death. Nobleza had been working in Hong Kong for almost 25 years and had been treated well by her employer, her family said. The family said they will not request for an investigation into her death. They only want her remains repatriated to her hometown in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo as soon as possible.

Worker who fell from Seattle building dies: A 35 year old man who fell 50 feet off a building near Seattle Center this morning has died. The man, reportedly an iron worker, was on scaffolding at a building at 101 Taylor Ave. N. when he fell, according to Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center though he was unconscious and had no pulse when medics arrived, Moore said. Initially, it was reported that the man was a window washer, but it has since been learned he was an iron worker for North Coast Iron in Anacortes. Times news partner KING-TV reported that a co-worker said the victim was on his first day of the job. Worker David Widmer told KING the man had unclipped his safety gear when moving on scaffolding on the top of the building when he tripped over a welder and fell.

Cleaning windows at Dublin's Convention Centre is an extreme sport: Forget the stepladder, bucket of suds and a squeegee - window cleaners for the Convention Centre Dublin must be proficient in abseiling to be up to their role. Thankfully the rain held off for these thrill seeking workers who managed to brave the dizzying heights of the Centre's building frontage. An adventure in itself, the team of window buffers successfully conquered the mountainous (and glassy) terrain in order to work up a decent shine.  "In my profession I work hard but I'll never stop," sings George Formby in the 1930s classic "When I'm Cleaning Windows". Well these lads definitely earned an "honest bob" as they climbed "right to the top". 

Not such a happy new year for staff at London's City Hall, what with continuing job cuts and the prospect of bumping up against Boris Johnson in the lifts. But a slightly less murky one than the previous 12 they've spent in Norman Foster's glass helmet. The windows have been a problem since day one. And for once we can't blame Boris for an exterior window-cleaning bill that started under Ken Livingstone at £61,000 a year and is now £140,000 – all those curvy glass panels take a lot of abseiling, cherry-picking and water fed through poles. And then there's the complication of cleaning inside: a subject of protracted dispute between the company contracted to clean the windows, the makers of the blinds on the windows, the Greater London Authority and the owner of the building, developer More London, which owns the adjacent office development as well. The blinds sit between glass panels, many of which are hard to access, and have not worked properly in several parts of the building, including Boris's own office – with the result that the windows have not been as all would wish since the building opened in 2002. More London and the GLA say sense has prevailed, and a squeegee gang will get to work later this month. Better 12 years late than not at all.

The biggest cleaning event in Scotland: The countdown is on to the opening of Cleaning Expo Scotland 2014, Scotland’s leading showcase for all products and services used in the cleaning and support services industry. Cleaning Expo Scotland 2014 is already set to be a must-attend event with over 1,500 pre-registered visitors already and a significant number of high profile companies exhibiting. Cleaning Expo Scotland 2014 is set to be the largest cleaning event ever held in Scotland. It is taking place at the award-winning Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC), Glasgow, on 3rd-4th September 2014. Visitors to the show can expect to find numerous new, innovative products and information designed to assist in lowering costs and improving standards of cleaning and hygiene, as well as looking at such issues as graffiti removal, chewing gum removal, insurance, legislation and environmental issues.

Investigation finds no evidence to support allegations of misconduct by city of Bainbridge Island employee: City of Bainbridge Island officials said an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing by a city employee has found no evidence of wrongdoing. City officials called for an investigation earlier this year after two Bainbridge residents claimed that Josh Machen, the city's planning manager, had improperly used his city job to promote his private window-washing business. The outside investigation was conducted by Claire Cordon, a Seattle lawyer who specializes in investigating discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing and mismanagement claims. “Allegations were raised regarding the operation of an employee’s private business," City Manager Doug Schulze said in a statement Friday. "In order to determine whether any policy violation occurred, the city hired an outside investigator to complete an investigation." “The investigator could find no basis for concluding the employee engaged in any type of quid pro quo solicitation regarding the private business, or other unethical conduct,” Schulze said.

The allegations against Machen were made in October by Marcus Gerlach, a Bainbridge resident and attorney, and Gary Tripp, the director of the Bainbridge Defense Fund and an outspoken critic of the city of Bainbridge Island. Tripp had previously distributed photos via his email listserv that Gerlach said he had taken of his neighbor's house, which Gerlach said showed Machen washing the windows of the home, and claimed Machen was hired for the job the day after his neighbor had a shoreline permit deemed as complete by the city of Bainbridge Island. The claims of unethical behavior were repeated in the days before the November election by former councilman Bill Knobloch, who wrote in an email distributed by Tripp: "What is it going to take for the current administration to clean up the unfair and unequal treatment of people applying for city-issued permits?"

Machen has been a city employee since 1995. He has been washing windows since he put himself through college by washing windows, and told the investigator that he still earns extra money from the business and said he uses it to pay for his son's school and sports activities. On the allegation that Machen had washed windows for Gerlach's neighbor while they were seeking a permit from the city, the investigator found that the homeowners had actually contacted Machen's company after seeing him wash windows at a neighbor's home, and got an estimate from Machen's son for the job. The woman said she did not realize Machen worked for the city, and there was never any discussion about the permit that the city was processing. The investigator also noted that the permit has yet to be approved by the city. No evidence of any impropriety was found in any of the other allegations made by Gerlach.

"This investigation, which included 38 witness interviews and the review of several hundred documents, did not reveal factual information to support allegations that Machen engaged in unethical conduct or that he had a conflict of interest related to his window-washing business and his duties as a [city of Bainbridge Island] employee," Cordon wrote in her report. "There was no evidence Machen engaged in quid pro quo solicitations involving his private window-washing business and his duties as a [city of Bainbridge Island] employee," Cordon concluded. Some of those interviewed for the investigation called the allegations "ridiculous" and "spurious" and called Machen an honest professional who was an asset in his city job. The allegations, however, were serious, Cordon noted. "Machen has been accused of engaging in egregious misconduct — offering to give property owners favorable land-use decisions in his capacity as the [city] planning manager in exchange for jobs washing people's windows," she wrote.

Focus on outdoor jobs: Take your career out of the office - Where are the jobs? At Jobcentre Plus we found 1,562 land and garden-related jobs, including 1,234 openings for gardeners and groundsmen. Another key sector if you’re looking for work outside an office is in building and construction. From brickies and labourers to roofers and glaziers, there are jobs up and down the country. There are 16,432 outdoor construction jobs at Jobcentre Plus, including 1,067 bricklayers (nationwide from £12 to £16 an hour), 7,249 labourers (Swindon, Leeds, Didcot and Rotherham from national minimum wage up to a top-end of £11), and 579 scaffolders. Add to this another 1,107 delivery drivers and 154 window cleaners and you can easily stay out and about with your work.

Meet iGlass: the touch screen tech trying to change shop displays: Done properly, a shop display window can be a great way of enticing people into your store. Thing is, it’s only really useful when your shop’s open. iGlass might be one way of changing that. The product, which claims to turn a standard storefront window into a touch-screen, appears to have a lot of potential. People can, for instance, buy products, get quotes, browse catalogues or brochures, and view and be alerted to product information. The window display technology works with adhesive rear projection film. Images, video and dynamic media content are projected onto the storefront window — or mobile display — turning it into a TV screen. Music and sound effects are also possible add-ons.

Digital innovation company NXT\, which is launching the product in South Africa, says that the solution can be tailor-made to specific retailer needs and cater for different glass or surface dimensions. iGlass can also be used to play games designed by the retailer, take part in competitions and importantly, share the company information socially on multiple platforms, including social media. iGlass is targeted at retailers and landlords of properties with high foot traffic rates who want to draw more passing trade, but are facing traditional constraints in the retail space. These include limited shopping hours, limited floor space for displays, and increased rental space costs.

“The vision and strategy is to enable retailers to combine the best of digital interactivity and ‘always on’ culture with the familiarity and tangible benefits of the traditional retail environment,” says Wayne Levine, CEO of NXT. Among the planned phases for development is the introduction of an application that will enable consumers to interact with any store that uses the technology, and transmits information from iGlass to themselves, or share with their friends on social media.

NXT\ also plans to introduce QR code technology that will enable a ‘virtual shopping experience’ for consumers using iGlass – as they will be able to use a mobile phone to read the code, which will then direct them to the respective retailer’s mobile site, allowing them to make purchases or conduct transactions on the spot or in the privacy of their homes at a later stage. The use of QR codes will also enable retailers to generate customer leads. That would give it some features reminiscent of the award-winning interactive display iKineo built for men’s retailer Loom. The difference being that while iGlass is more universally implementable, it doesn’t carry quite the same levels of bespoke interactivity.

Intrepid Media, in Hartlepool, says residents are taking note: A North-East business helping companies spread word of their services has hailed its success. Intrepid Media, based in Hartlepool, delivers offers and promotions through the doors of thousands of homes. Sharon Powell, director, says its work is being supported by residents who are opting to back local companies at an increasing rate. She said the national average for responses to direct mail is about 2.6 per cent, with homeowners in Hartlepool supporting firms at double that rate. She said: “We appreciate not everyone likes leaflets through their doors but it is really tough for local companies at the moment and they need to look at ways to market themselves. “Leafleting is a massive boost for any business, not only does it raise the awareness, it also allows you to put forward special offers forward to catch the eye.”
Intrepid Media, which has been running for nearly five years, delivers about 10,000 leaflets in up to ten days, promoting various companies including window cleaners, plumbers and restaurants. She added: “If you put out 10,000 leaflets and you are getting a response of up to four per cent that’s 400 sales or new customers. “The people of Hartlepool are great because if they spot a service they're interested in, they are more likely to use a local company and keep business in the town.”

Traffic jam politics possible but unlikely in Mass. The process of closing lanes of traffic for planned events, such as maintenance or construction, requires permits, administrative meetings, contract stipulations, federal guidelines, and OK’s from on-site engineers that would make it difficult to institute a unilateral lane closure or traffic detour without eliciting some raised eyebrows, in the same way the New Jersey bridge lane closure immediately sparked skepticism from all corners. 

At weekly meetings, the state Department of Transportation brings together a gaggle of in-house staff, including electricians, plumbers, structural engineers, construction and maintenance workers, as well as outside contractors, utilities representatives, and permit recipients to talk about upcoming projects that require traffic detours. “The purpose is to evaluate and prioritize what everyone needs to do, whether or not work can take place nearby or in tandem with something else, or not; and to develop a schedule based on those needs and priorities,” said MassDOT spokesman Michael Verseckes.
Those planned closures are also subject to many restrictions. The maximum width, length, and duration of lane closures is written into construction contracts. Even when window-washers rappel down the side of the Prudential Center and a lane of traffic is closed on the Massachusetts Turnpike in case of a fallen squeegee or bucket, the closure requires a MassDOT permit. And if traffic backs up too badly because of a lane closure, Verseckes said, the state agency has the right to immediately put any project on hold to allow traffic to flow freely.

During the reign of King George III, the street scape of Dublin developed a distinctive style, with long terraced homes overlooking central squares or parks. Because panes of window glass were taxable, the homes used large panes — creating town homes that were bright as a result. Following the Act of Union in 1801, where Ireland’s parliament was dissolved and MPs instead sat in the House of Commons in London, the parliament building on College Green was sold the Bank of Ireland. Its new owners were reluctant to pay the window tax bill on the large building and instead ordered all of them to be bricked up. To this day, the building’s windows are sealed.

When is an office 'professional' — or not? The board revisited the question of whether a window-cleaning company's office met the code's definition of "professional office." Ike Israel of Richmond Realty met with the board a week earlier to discuss the definition as it applies to a former gas station site on the southeast corner of the Pulaski Street-Osborn Avenue intersection. The site is currently in the village center zoning use district, which allows "professional offices."
While board members would like to see the site, now abandoned, rehabilitated and put back to use — the supervisor referred to it as a "blight" — last week they expressed concern over the inclusion of a window-cleaning company in the professional office definition, largely because the use would involve parking of the company's fleet of trucks in the parking lot. Much like a taxi cab company, the trucks would be dispatched from that location and parked there overnight. Board members agreed that the applicant should meet with the board at a future work session to discuss his plans.

Wokingham tradesmen strip off for a cheeky charity calender - Three carpenters, a landscape gardener and a window cleaner are among a group of daring Wokingham workers who posed in the buff for the black and white calendar. Tattooed tradesmen stripped to support a disabled children’s centre in a naked charity calendar. The men have carefully covered their modesty with the tools of their trades in a brave bid to raise funds for town charity Building for the Future. Mr Townsend wanted to thank businesswomen Jane Williams and Laurenne Dorgan for giving their time and skill to produce the artwork. The project is not the first attempt at a nude calendar this year, with borough councillors attempting a similar product this summer before falling short of volunteers. However organisers hope the bid could be revived for a Christmas 2014 release. Hundreds of copies of Wokingham Tradesmen 2014 have been printed and are available from VIP Nails & Beauty in Bush Walk at £5.

Projections for the period 2013-2016: About 22 million units of service robots for personal use to be sold. It is projected that sales of all types of robots for domestic tasks (vacuum cleaning, lawn-mowing, window cleaning and other types) could reach almost 15.5 million units in the period 2013-2016, with an estimated value of US$ 5.6 billion.

Ecovacs Winbot: Window-cleaning robot spied surfing up vertical windows at CES 2014 - Some things at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas just can't help but grab our attention. And the Winbot is one such piece of tech - because it can wander up and down vertical surfaces while cleaning windows. We're not really ones for cleaning, so the fact there's a robot that can do that puts a smile on our faces. But one that can work its way up vertical surfaces? It's head spinning stuff. Mesmerised by this little bot, we watched it clean the same piece of glass and continue to detect the edges so as not to fall off. And, surprisingly, it's not particularly noisy - we thought it would blurt out the noise in order to adhere itself to the surface, but that's not the case. And far from black magic, Winbot uses two suction rings to stick to the glass. If the outer ring senses any loss of suction then clever bot will retreat the other way. We hope it can't go across ceilings, though, as with a 2kg weight if there was a powercut a flying Winbot might not be so much fun. 

Arrest for air rifle: Police have arrested a man after what appeared to be a firearm was allegedly pointed at a window washer yesterday. Sergeant Andrew Stilton said it was not a firearm but a sawn-off air rifle which looked like a pump-action shotgun. "It was very realistic looking." Senior sergeant Allan Whaley said at 11.45am a fight broke out outside the New Plymouth fire station on Liardet St.
It was alleged the man had got out of his car and pointed the air rifle at one of the window washers, known as the squeegee bandits. Mr Stilton said police had tracked the man down by going to the address his car was registered to. They had managed to get in contact with the man who told them he was at Burger King and they went and picked him up. The man would be facing firearms charges, he said. Investigations are continuing and police want to speak to anyone who has any information about the incident.

A clean break from tradition: Dhawan, who travelled abroad researching housekeeping services, re-invented the process for India, combining their methods with those of our other outsourced help — bais. "You can't use a rod with a duster to clean, you need to get up there to wipe down the fans," he says, claiming he has timed each job to the last second. "One-and-a-half minutes to clean one window, four to make a bed," he counts.

Superheroes Surprise Children In Hospital - LOS ANGELES, CA - Superman, Batman and Spiderman made a special visit to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles to visit some of the young patients. Superman and Spiderman showed that they cared because they were taking time from saving the world to clean windows at the hospital and check in on the children. While children looked on, they were joined by Batman who decided to skip the window cleaning and instead, shook hands with those at the hospital. The group was there to cheer everyone up as they get better and also to make sure they have a clear view of the Los Angeles skyline.

SHERIDAN — Capt. Daniel Marshall of Sheridan assumed command of the Wyoming Army National Guard 920th Forward Support Company this month at the company headquarters in Worland. This company provides maintenance support and logistic support such as food, ammunition, water and basic supplies to combat artillery units. Marshall previously served as logistics officer with the 960th Brigade Support Battalion. He has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for one year. Marshall owns and operates A Clear View window cleaning service in Sheridan. Marshall assumed command from Capt. Alexander Fisher.

Small-business owner Michael Stuart to run for Urban County Council - Michael Stuart, a small-business owner and longtime community volunteer, has filed to run for the Urban County Council. Stuart has filed to run in the 2nd District, which includes the Masterson Station and Meadowthorpe neighborhoods. The seat is held by Councilwoman Shevawn Akers. Stuart, who currently serves on the LexArts board of directors, was president and board member of the Living Arts and Science Center for seven years. He volunteers for the West End Alliance. Stuart, 34, has owned a window-cleaning business for the past 13 years.