With global population ever increasing it’s no wonder that there are more homes than ever. A high proportion of these UK homes are actually flats and the predictions are that by 2050 two thirds of us will live in cities. So this post inspired by Deacon Insurance is all about the weird and wonderful things about flats.
Romans built the first ever flats
It was in fact the Romans who built the first ever flats. With Roman population increasing they started to build upwards with strong concrete buildings. Often the ground floor was a shop with 2 further floors consisting of apartments.
Forest flats in Milan
In the heart of Milan sit 2 apartment buildings named the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest). These buildings are covered with 20,000 trees and plants from top to bottom creating a vertical forest. These flats were created by Milanese architect Stefano Boeri.
The flat that was frozen in time
Back in 1934 a famous actress called Marthe de Florian fled her apartment in Paris for the south of France and never returned. But what is really weird is that the owner of the apartment building didn’t actually notice. The apartment was discovered again in 2010 when the owner died and experts came in to find out the value of his estate.
The worlds first shape shifting tower block
The worlds first ever shape shifting tower block is set for Dubai by 2020 according to architectural firm Dynamic Group.
Recycling buildings in our inner cities
Lots of familiar buildings in our inner cities are being saved from demolition or neglect by being ‘recycled’ into flats. Take the BBC Television Centre, Battersea Power Station and The Hoover Building all as expamples. This trends doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon either with a huge number of interested buyers.
Living on a train line
In the emerging mega-city of Chongqing chines planners didn’t let a tramline get in the way of them building more flats. They simply built the flats around the train line.
Tallest, Smallest, Largest – where in the world?
The tallest skyscraper in the world is Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa standing at 72 metres high although this might not be for long. In 2020 the 1000 metre mile high Jeddah Tower will take over as the worlds tallest skyscraper. But in the Chinese city of Wuhan they have built some of the smallest 50 feet, 2 person apartments. As for the largest The Copan Building in São wins hands down. With over 1,160 apartment units, and 38 stories this huge building is home to over 5,000 residents.
Flats underwater and Underground
Architects are seriously looking into the possibilities of building down instead of up. There have been talks about a so-called Earthscraper for Mexico City, a 35-storey upside down pyramid built underground. It’s still on the drawing board though with all the structural and practical challenges to overcome. As well as underground there have also been talks of an underwater city just off the coast of of Rio de Janeiro.
The most expensive
Hong Kong actually ranks as the number 1 highest cost of a city centre flat. Coming in second is London which isn’t a great surprise as you actually need £7090 a month to live a comfortable life here. Other UK places such as Oxford, Edinburgh and Brighton come in next at around £5000 a month. With Southampton coming it at around £3000 each month to live a comfortable life. The UK’s most expensive flat was actually valued at £160 million in October 2018. The flat address in question is One Hyde Park, London SW1.
The last word
In this day and age it’s still possible to lose your home or flat due to breaking the terms of the lease or not paying service
charges. These land laws in Britain today stem from feudal system that developed following the Norman Conquest. These laws were all abolished in Scotland in 2004 but they still stand in Britain as Law of Property Acts 1925.
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