In 2004, the University of Manchester sparked a minor scientific revolution with the discovery of Graphene; the world’s first nanomaterial.  For an architectural specialist like Harry Dhaliwal, who is franchisee for Belvoir Lettings, the discovery of Graphene has huge possibilities. Through the Harry Dhaliwal specialist Linkedin page, many more property development experts are exploring the incredible potential of nanomaterials in architecture.

Here are just five ways that nanomaterials have already revolutionised building.

Lighter Materials

The light weight of graphene is hugely significant. Bricks, concrete, and steel girders are incredibly heavy materials. They require a lot of energy to transport, construct, and one of the biggest challenges facing architects is how to support such heavy materials in constructions. With the thickness of just a few atoms, nanomaterials are fantastically light. Reducing the weight of building materials is a simple, yet  effective way to dramatically reduce construction costs.

Insulation

The tightly packed structure of Graphene makes it a superb insulating material. While many modern fire retardant materials are bulky, inconvenient, and sometimes even hazardous, Graphene based composites could be light, efficient, and safe. Researchers at Stockholm University in fact have recently developed a new, highly effective, Graphene based insulating foam.

More efficient insulation will make homes more energy efficient; giving home owners cheaper bills.

Rust Resistance

As well as resisting heat, Graphene can insulate against oxygen, therefore preventing oxidisation. New composite materials, combining Graphene with paint, could provide builders with cheap, effective rust resistant coatings for their materials. Rust resistance will increase the life-span of metal building materials, and help homes last longer without repairs.

Semiconductors

As well as insulating, Graphene is also a great conductor. The molecular scale of Graphene materials is helping the electronics industry reduce the size of transistors and semiconductors. Recently, scientists at Manchester University have observed electrons passing through Graphene as viscous fluid, which could change the way we understand how electronics operate.

This tiny, convenient nature of Graphene semiconductors is making wearable technology more efficient, and for property developers like Harry Dhaliwal could increase the potential to include more integrated technology throughout people’s homes. 

Supercapacitors

Graphene Supercapacitors make energy storage far more efficient. While many cars already use supercapacitors in their batteries, architects could potentially take advantage of this energy storage too. Graphene could potentially increase the electrical storage capacity of solar panels, providing homes with cheaper energy as a result.

Top 5 Globe-Trotting Cuisines to Try in Multicultural Manchester

The city of Manchester has a proud history of welcoming people from all around the world. Today, the rich restaurant culture of Manchester reflects the city’s wonderfully multicultural heritage. For busy professionals, food enthusiasts, and followers of posts from Harry Dhaliwal, there’s nothing better than exploring the mix of world foods on offer around Manchester.

Australasia

Situated in Spinningfields in the heart of Manchester, Australasia is one of the city centre’s most unique places to eat. Australasia’s menu borrows from the traditions of Australia’s early European settlers, but fuses that with influences from surrounding Indonesian and Polynesian cultures to create a bold and inimitable dining experience. Australasia’s cuisine benefits from mixing lots of different cultures together, and then applying new ideas too. Making the restaurant unique to Manchester, as this cuisine is still not common across most of the UK. 

Yang Sing

Chinese food is a firmly established favourite across the UK, and Yang Sing cooks its traditional Cantonese dishes to perfection. As well as offering a refined Cantonese menu, Yang Sing provides a wonderful atmosphere steeped in Chinese cultural heritage. Yang Sing even provides Cantonese cookery classes, and Cantonese nursery rhyme sing-a-long events, so that adults and children can enjoy learning more about Chinese culture.

Per Tutti Bar and Grill

Per Tutti means ‘For Everyone’ and that perfectly sums up the character of this Italian restaurant. While the sumptuous flavours of Per Tutti’s classic Italian dishes make it worth a visit, its Per Tutti’s authentic Italian atmosphere and ethos that will make you want to return. Per Tutti is a traditional family run Italian business that places an emphasis on being warm and welcoming to all-consumers.

Mughli Restaurant and Charcoal Pit

Sitting in the heart of Manchester’s famous ‘Curry Mile’, the Mughli serves some of the finest Indian food in Manchester. The Mughli specialises in Indian street food, giving it a distinctive twist from a normal curry house. An extra layer of theatre is added by the Mughli’s open charcoal pit that creates a spectacular array of sights and smells.

Restaurant Bar and Grill

While Manchester is home to an array of exotic cultures, traditional British cuisine isn’t ignored either. The Restaurant Bar and Grill may be unimaginatively named, but it more than makes up for that in its gorgeous steaks made from locally sourced British beef. Although a British steak may not seem as exotic as Australasian or Cantonese cuisine, diners here will enjoy it just as much.

5 of London’s Most Unmissable Places for Food and Drink

London is so vast in size that it’s easy to miss out on the best restaurants and cafes. As franchisee for Belvoir lettings and regular visitor to the capital, Harry Dhaliwal is constantly seeking out the most distinctive venues for business meetings, dinner, or even just a quick coffee. 

So, here are Harry’s five interesting recommendations for food and drink that you won’t want to miss in London:

Dishoom

One of the last remaining Bombay Cafes, Dishoom is far more than your average Indian restaurant. Dishoom serves a wide variety of Indian classics all day long from breakfast till dinner. If you want a really unforgettable breakfast in London, then try Dishoom’s signature dish, the house porridge served with Medjool dates.

Hoi Polloi

In London’s trendy Shoreditch, you won’t struggle to find somewhere stylish to dine. What will prove challenging however is finding a place where style is matched by substance. Hoi Polloi is one contender putting the local competition to shame.

Despite the relatively high prices, Hoi Polloi’s varied contemporary menu and quality produce means it has received glowing reviews from London critics.

Golden Hind

For some traditionally English food, try the Golden Hind fish and chip shop. Serving up classic fish and chips in rolled up paper, the Golden Hind in Marylebone has been faithfully serving the people of London since 1914.

Monmouth Coffee House

If you’re not looking for a full meal, then the Monmouth coffee house is the perfect café. With three locations in Covent Garden, the Borough, and Bermondsey, Monmouth coffee houses provide a relaxed atmosphere and a rich array of ethically sourced coffee varieties. The welcoming character and nature of Monmouth coffee houses have made them favourites with professionals like Harry Dhaliwal.

The Circus

If it’s an unforgettable experience you’re looking for, then The Circus provides a full evening of spectacular entertainment. The Circus is more than just a name; it actually uses circus performers who dance, hang from the ceiling, and backflip around your dinner. Once the dinner is over, The Circus turns the music up and invites its diners to join in the party too. The Circus serves a high quality pan-Asian menu, but with all the spectacular acrobatics going on, the food’s not the main attraction. 

 

Taking Inspiration from Modern Art

The Pop Art movement turned the art world on its head, and produced some remarkable pieces that stand shoulder to shoulder with Van Gogh’s The Starry Night or Picasso’s Guernica. So called because the style incorporated symbols from popular culture, Pop Art removed them from their original context and re-worked them in a new eye-catching style. Interest in the movement has remained strong, with exhibitions still taking place globally. Until January 2016, the Tate Modern is displaying an exclusive collection of Pop Art from around the world.

Harry Dhaliwal prides himself on the affordable, but high quality properties that his company First Step develops. In searching for ideas for new property ventures, he often visits art exhibitions, finding inspiration in some of the world’s most iconic artwork.

As an inspiration for designing a modern space, Pop Art would be ideal – examining the real beauty behind adverts, posters and branding that pervades everyday life. If anything, the abundance of advertising in the 21^st Century further blurs the boundary between life and art.

The World Goes Pop

Following the original movement that started in Britain and the US towards the end of the 1950s, Pop Art influenced many more artists from around the world to seek out images in their respective cultures as stimulus to create pieces of work in this new style. The exhibition running at the Tate Modern focusses on how Warhol’s oversized Campbell’s soup can sent shockwaves to the other side of the globe and everywhere else in between.

In exploring Pop Art from around the world, this exhibition highlights the fact that the movement was more than just an expression of consumerism but a subversion and protestation against individual cultures and politics. From the Middle East to Asia, Europe and Latin America, Pop Art was accepted in all four corners of the globe and the World Goes Pop exhibition brings the lot together in a carefully curated experience.

Celebrating Women in Art

Another aspect of the Tate’s exhibition is that not only are other cultures widely represented but so too are the female artists that are often overlooked in the Pop Art canon. Martha Rosler and Judy Chicago find a place in the folk pop section, examining the female form through the medium that defined a generation of art.

A universal language, art has always crossed cultural borders. Now visitors to the Tate Modern can see how Pop Art’s message has been received and interpreted around the world. 

Harry Dhaliwal: Inspired by the Willis Faber & Dumas Headquarters Building

The Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters is situated in Ipswich and is recognised as one of the earliest examples of the architectural work of Norman Foster, constructed just after he formed Foster Associates. Designed and built between 1970 and 1975, the building housing the insurance firm that is today known as Willis Group Holdings is viewed as a landmark in the forerunners of the development of the architectural style known as ‘high-tech’. As managing director of the innovative property development company, First-StepGroup based in Manchester, Harry Dhaliwal has a keen interest in architecture and in the creative and clever use of space, using his travels to seek inspiration from across the globe. Harry Dhaliwal is inspired by the Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters as an example of a trend-setting architectural style that is still very modern and contemporary forty years after completion.  



The Willis Faber & Dumas Headquarters

The Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters was created based on an inspired design from Norman Foster in conjunction with Michael Hopkins. The concept of the building, which was finalised before the oil crises of the late seventies, includes natural gas heating and an insulating grass roof. Factors such as these have ensured that over the years, the completed building has won almost as many awards for energy efficiency as it has for the stunning architecture. At the time of construction, the building challenged modern ideas of office architecture, focusing on maintaining continuity with the medieval setting rather than simply constructing another high rise. The building, which is constructed almost entirely of glass on the outer walls and sprawls over 21,225 square metres across three storeys, follows the naturally curving and irregular street pattern with a free-form plan said to ‘flow to the edges like a pancake in a pan’. Glazing manufacturer Pilkington worked with Foster’s vision to create a sheath-like glass wall that pushed the boundaries of technology at the time to the limit. Silicon joints and corner patch fillings join together each two metre square solar-tinted panel, maintaining the smooth appearance of the three-storey glass curtain, which is suspended from clamps at roof level. Discreetly placed internal fins of glass reinforce the structure and brace against wind. During daylight hours, the building reflects the ancient medieval scenery and buildings surrounding the structure, while as the building lights up at night these scenes disappear to reveal the activity taking place within. In a pioneering move, the building was created with the raised office floors that would soon become a necessity as technology began to take over the world of business. While many companies had to refurbish or even move buildings entirely to accommodate computerisation, Willis Faber & Dumas were already prepared and were able to make the move with the minimum of logistical disruption. In a modern paradox, this building that was built with flexibility at the forefront of the design has since been granted Grade 1 listed status, meaning that no architectural changes can now be made.  

About Foster & Partners

Foster & Partners is the architecture firm of Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters designer Norman Foster. Widely recognised as one of the most innovative practitioners of integrated design practices and architecture, Foster & Partners has pioneered a sustainable approach to architecture for some forty years to date, creating infrastructure, office spaces, airports, private dwellings, civic and cultural buildings, urban masterplans and much more using environmentally sound design. The practice has long since established a global reputation, with buildings on all six continents and offices worldwide. Since inception back in 1967 Foster & Partners have won more than 140 international competitions and been recognised with over 685 awards for excellence.  

Design Construction

The Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters building is supported centrally by a series of concrete pillars, each set 14m apart and propping up cantilevered floors of concrete slab. The exterior smoked glass wall was crafted from approximately 890 panels, each measuring 2m² and with a distinct lack of any right-angled corners characterising the uniqueness of the building. In the spirit of the democratisation of the workplace, features such as a roof-top garden and restaurant and a swimming pool for staff use were included to encourage a strong sense of community among the workforce. The swimming pool has since had to be covered over but can still be seen beneath a false floor utilised for more office space. The pool cannot be filled in due to the Grade 1 listing of the building, which when granted in 1991 made the building the youngest ever to receive that particular status in Britain. At that time, there was only one other building in the UK at less than thirty years old that had Grade 1 listed status. Right next door can be seen the Unitarian Meeting House, one of the oldest buildings in the city of Ipswich and the only other building in the city with Grade 1 listed status.


Forward thinking, cutting edge design, ahead of its time and creative use of space, are what made the Willis Faber & Dumas building a landmark project. These principles inspire Harry within his own property development business, First-Step Group.

Taking Inspiration from Modern Art

The Pop Art movement turned the art world on its head, and produced some remarkable pieces that stand shoulder to shoulder with Van Gogh’s The Starry Night or Picasso’s Guernica. So called because the style incorporated symbols from popular culture, Pop Art removed them from their original context and re-worked them in a new eye-catching style. Interest in the movement has remained strong, with exhibitions still taking place globally. Until January 2016, the Tate Modern is displaying an exclusive collection of Pop Art from around the world.

Harry Dhaliwal prides himself on the affordable, but high quality properties that his company First Step develops. In searching for ideas for new property ventures, he often visits art exhibitions, finding inspiration in some of the world’s most iconic artwork.

As an inspiration for designing a modern space, Pop Art would be ideal – examining the real beauty behind adverts, posters and branding that pervades everyday life. If anything, the abundance of advertising in the 21^st Century further blurs the boundary between life and art.

The World Goes Pop

Following the original movement that started in Britain and the US towards the end of the 1950s, Pop Art influenced many more artists from around the world to seek out images in their respective cultures as stimulus to create pieces of work in this new style. The exhibition running at the Tate Modern focusses on how Warhol’s oversized Campbell’s soup can sent shockwaves to the other side of the globe and everywhere else in between.

In exploring Pop Art from around the world, this exhibition highlights the fact that the movement was more than just an expression of consumerism but a subversion and protestation against individual cultures and politics. From the Middle East to Asia, Europe and Latin America, Pop Art was accepted in all four corners of the globe and the World Goes Pop exhibition brings the lot together in a carefully curated experience.

Celebrating Women in Art

Another aspect of the Tate’s exhibition is that not only are other cultures widely represented but so too are the female artists that are often overlooked in the Pop Art canon. Martha Rosler and Judy Chicago find a place in the folk pop section, examining the female form through the medium that defined a generation of art.

A universal language, art has always crossed cultural borders. Now visitors to the Tate Modern can see how Pop Art’s message has been received and interpreted around the world.