This week: multifamily rock stars and rolling stones, plus pumpkin carving advice, and an epic battle between LEGO and Tetris.
A Place Called Vertigo
U2 apparently still had not found what it was looking for from a 2003 online design contest for the band's luxury apartment tower, which was expected to break ground in Dublin later this year. Instead, the Irish rockers will adopt a design from Geranger Ltd., a consortium of Irish entities that includes Ballymore Properties, Patrick McKillen, and the band members themselves. Originally designed by Irish architectural firm Burdon Craig Dunne Henry as a twisting, 300-foot-tall tower, the new blueprints call for a tilted, triangular design that will reach 600 feet, according to an article in the UK Telegraph. An egg-shaped recording studio will be at the top of the building, suspended beneath wind turbines and solar panels built into the facade of the tower. And in keeping with lead singer Bono's commitment to global social improvements, the property will include 34 affordable rentals.
(She Can't Get No) Rental Action
If wild horses couldn't tear Bianca Jagger away from her $4,600 a month Manhattan apartment, leave it to a New York State appeals court judge, who ruled Oct. 18 that the ex-wife of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger cannot claim the apartment as her primary residence and is therefore not protected from rent control and eviction laws. Alleging toxic mold infestations had caused personal injury and rendered the apartment uninhabitable, Jagger stopped paying rent on the unit and sued New York City-based owners Katz Park Avenue in 2003. Katz, in turn, moved to evict Jagger, claiming that she rarely stayed in the apartment and did not file 2003 or 2004 state income tax returns. In its ruling, the appeals court found that Jagger's immigration status alone?she holds a B-2 tourist visa?prevents her from listing a New York address as her primary residence. Jagger's personal injury suit is still pending.
Who You Gonna Call?
Halloween is next Wednesday, and in addition to all the goblins rambling door to door and the inevitable late night fright fests, plumbing experts are warning multifamily operators to beware an even more terrifying All Hallow's Eve nightmare: pumpkin pulp. According to Cincinnati, Ohio-based Roto-Rooter, millions of pounds of the sticky orange goop is scooped out of Jack-O-Lanterns and disposed of in sinks, creating costly backups and damage that can linger long after the post-Snickers stomachaches. Roto-Rooter suggests that all residents follow a simple procedure when it comes to disposing of Jack's stringy innards: Never put pumpkin pulp or seeds down the drain. Instead, carve pumpkins over a thick bed of newspaper that can be disposed of in the garbage?or better yet, in a compost pile. For a great community builder?and as a way to keep some oversight on the carving?multifamily property mangers can host carving contests in a clubhouse where they can properly dispose of the pulp and even roast the remaining seeds for a tasty and healthy resident snack.
Got Game?
Trendy apartment designs being unveiled in Europe feature a new twist on the concept of building blocks. Designed by Ljubljana, Slovenia-based architect firm Ofis, the recently completed Tetris Apartments were inspired by the Russian video game of the same name. Ofis is even marketing the project with a playable Tetris game on the company's Web site. Not to be outdone, Danish architects Bjarke Ingagels Group found an innovative way to pitch their design for the LEGO Towers Project. They built a 1:50 scale model of the high-density residential, retail, and hotel development in Copenhagen out of 250,000 bricks of LEGO. A video of the project, which took five weeks to construct, can be seen here on YouTube.
Editor's note: Send your offbeat multifamily news leads to [email protected].
