Welcome to London

As director of a leading Johannesburg based residential property development company, Laurence Grigorov enjoys traveling abroad in order to relax and experience the diverse architectural and cultural styles of the world.

Laurence Grigorov loves travelling to Europe in particular due to the rich history and cultural diversity. A city which he has visited previously, many years ago, is London. Laurence Grigorov would love to return to London again soon to see how the city has changed over the last 15 years.

One of the world’s most visited cities, London has something for everyone: from history and culture to fine food and good times.

Immersed in history, London’s rich seams of eye-opening antiquity are everywhere. The city’s buildings are striking milestones in a unique and beguiling biography, and a great many of them – the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben – are instantly recognisable landmarks. There’s more than enough innovation (the Shard, the Tate Modern extension, the Sky Garden) to put a crackle in the air, but it never drowns out London’s seasoned, centuries-old narrative. Architectural grandeur rises up all around you in the West End, ancient remains dot the City and charming pubs punctuate the historic quarters, leafy suburbs and river banks. Take your pick.

A tireless innovator of art and culture, London is a city of ideas and the imagination. Londoners have always been fiercely independent thinkers (and critics), but until not so long ago people were suspicious of anything they considered avant-garde. That’s in the past now, and the city’s creative milieu is streaked with left-field attitude, whether it’s theatrical innovation, contemporary art, pioneering music, writing, poetry, architecture or design. Food is another creative arena that has become a tireless obsession in certain circles.

This city is deeply multicultural, with one in three Londoners foreign-born, representing 270 nationalities and 300 tongues. London remains one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, and diversity infuses daily life, food, music and fashion. It even penetrates intrinsically British institutions; the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum have collections as varied as they are magnificent, while the flavours at centuries-old Borough Market run the full global gourmet spectrum.

London is as much about wide-open vistas and leafy landscape escapes as it is high-density, sight-packed urban exploration. Central London is where the major museums, galleries and most iconic sights congregate, but visit Hampstead Heath or the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to flee the crowds and frolic in wide open green expanses. You can also venture further out to Kew Gardens, Richmond or Hampton Court Palace for beautiful panoramas of riverside London followed by a pint in a quiet waterside pub.

London

Huamu Lot 10 in Shanghai, China

Huamu Lot 10

Laurence Grigorov, as director of a residential property development company, finds ideas and inspiration from international architectural designs for residential development projects that the company is involved in. Laurence Grigorov has been developing luxury residential projects in Johannesburg, South Africa since 2003. He enjoys modern design trends and attempts to instil these inspirations in the upcoming projects.

China has many new impressive developments and designs and is pushing the boundaries in terms of architectural aspects which Laurence Grigorov constantly keeps up to date with.

One such project that impresses Laurence Grigorov is Huamu Lot 10 in Shanghai, which will create a sustainable mixed-use urban environment that welcomes tenants and visitors to experience nature and art in an active setting, demonstrating a new form of participatory urbanism.

The project is defined by three office towers and a future museum carefully situated around a central grand plaza. Landscaped with lush greenery, subtle water features, and meandering walkways, the plaza is activated by surrounding cultural programming and is designed to accommodate large-scale artwork.

Each of the three towers is efficiently planned and rationally massed to make a strong statement and respond to a variety of future contexts. The glass curtain wall facades allow for panoramic views and bring plentiful natural light to the buildings’ interiors, while strong horizontal elements emphasize their rigidity. Subtle cantilevers at uniform heights create a visually connected Sky Gallery, a dramatic and iconic gesture high above the surrounding neighborhood. At night, these cantilevered elements are illuminated to become grand lighting features, marking Huamu Lot 10 from afar. Stepped gardens located on building roofs and terraces provide building occupants with verdant outdoor gathering space an offer sweeping views of the city.

Sustainability is a key component of Huamu Lot 10’s design. Each façade is outfitted with shading strategies to reduce solar heat gain while still allowing daylight to permeate the interiors. Storm water collection on the roofs capture rainwater for landscape irrigation and tower cooling, while vegetation provides insulation and reduces the urban heat island effect. The development’s integrated public transit connections also encourage more sustainable forms of transportation.

“We’ve conceived the project as an integrated place of culture and commerce,” says KPF Design Principal Jeffrey A. Kenoff. “The project seeks to flip the equation of a tower, which typically includes an iconic top, and instead uses the gallery program as a cantilevered volume near the mid-point of the tower. The result is a moment that engages the pedestrian realm while simultaneously sculpting the project’s identity within the Shanghai skyline.” 

Words & image courtesy of www.architectmagazine.com

 

 

SANCB Celebrates International Guide Dog Day

South African National Council for the Blind
Image: sancb.org.za

A business management and engineering graduate of Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa, Laurence Grigorov served as an engineer at Unilever in Johannesburg before he began a 20-year career in leadership positions. As the director of Laurence Martin Developments, Laurence Grigorov is tasked with the management of numerous high-end luxury properties in and around Johannesburg. Beyond his professional activities, Mr. Grigorov contributes to charitable organizations such as the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB).

Established in 1929, SANCB continues to promote the rights and enhance the lives of people with visual impairments. In April 2019, SANCB partnered with the World Blind Union and a number of related organizations around the world to celebrate International Guide Dog Day. The day of observation was developed to honor and raise awareness of guide dogs.

The World Blind Union uses International Guide Dog Day to discuss topics such as the denial of access of guide dog handlers to restaurants and other public spaces. The organization has been particularly active in response to the treatment of service animals by major airlines.

International Guide Dog Day is also used to promote and praise the International Guide Dog Federation standards for guide dog training. To read more about International Guide Dog Day and the work of SANCB, visit sancb.org.za.