Not really being desperate to see another shopping mall, I only just made it to Westfield today (it opened last October) to meet a friend for lunch and check it out.  I have to admit that I did really like the design…actually, for an interior designer it’s a bit like being a kid in a candy shop.  Retail design tends to be the most forward, as it has to be new and fresh and enticing, but as my friend (also an interior designer) pointed out, walking into a brand new mall meant every single shop had the latest, best design possible.  

There are also a number of green features.  Apparently there’s a green roof, and various water saving technology and recycling and sustainably sourced wood – all of which any new commercial building should really have.  Most obvious was the lovely long vertical garden.

While this was one of the  more impressive green walls I’ve seen, they do seem to be becoming a bit of a trend.

I loved the TV show and was actually searching for it on-line, trying to find out if it will be aired again and/or if there’s a way to watch the programmes I missed. (I tuned in half way through season 3 – so I have a lot of catching up to do.) 

According to the New House Farm website, the show is not available on DVD but is aired occasionally…

Has anyone heard when it will be aired again?  I can’t find anything on google (which results in the New House Farm website, in BBC’s new environmental website Bloom where some graphic designer went bonkers with Flash – basic version available here, another BBC website on the TV show, and a heck of a lot on Kermit the Frog).

Photo by Cheryl Kempton.

According to the Guardian, ”There are approximately 26m homes in Britain, most of them as well insulated as a rabbit hutch, most of which will still be in existence in 2050. And those homes are responsible for around 27% of Britain’s carbon emissions.”

The Government’s goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.  As the Great British Refurb website states, this ”is a hopelessly unrealistic target.  Unless we can improve their eco-credentials.”

So, Kevin is delivering a pile of petitions to the Prime Minister requesting that the government do more to support green refurbishment of existing homes.  Sign the petition at the Great British Refurb website.

Photo by peterastn.

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