Rod Stewart has been given the go-ahead to build a football pitch at his new £5 million mansion as long as he does not have floodlights. The musician submitted plans for an 3G artificial turf pitch at Durrington House in Harlow, Essex, despite being forced to give up playing the game through injury
And Finally
The conditions of the Calais camp known as the Jungle has been a source of controversy on both sides of the channel, with rights groups and the migrants themselves claiming the situation is inhumane. But the BBC reports that some people have actually moved there by choice.
Crowdfunding should be among the methods considered to fund the renovation of the Palace of Westminster, MPs have heard. The Herald has reported that a report by independent consultants suggested taxpayers face a bill of up to £7.1 billion to stop Parliament falling down unless MPs and peers agree
Each year the Ladder Association runs a photo competition to find the biggest Idiots on Ladders. The competition is run in conjunction with the Association's Ladder Exchange campaign where users are encouraged to replace broken or unsafe ladders for news ones at a discounted price.
Following on from a church shaped like a giant version of Cinderella’s fabled glass slipper in Taiwan, which SCN featured on this page earlier in the week, ITV.com as compiled a list of what it calls ‘10 of the world's wackiest buildings’. The list also features the giant basket shaped headqua
Students in America have developed a Martian concrete using materials naturally found on the planet. Led by Gianluca Cusatis, the Northwestern University engineering team in Illinois said the high-strength concrete can be quickly created and is durable enough to withstand meteorite impacts — a key
A church shaped like a giant version of Cinderella's fabled glass slipper has been built in Taiwan to entice female visitors. Over 320 tinted glass panels were used to build the 16-metre-tall high-heeled shoe, which was constructed by the local government of Taiwan's Southwest Coast National Scenic
Tradesmen and women are bucking the ‘cowboy builder’ stereotype but are increasingly under-rated by their customers and suffer from unfavourable typecasting, according to new research. Despite acknowledging positive personal experiences, AXA Insurance found that 60 per cent of people surveyed sa
Tokyo architecture firm Kengo Kuma and Associates have designed a set of cedar building blocks that allow kids to explore more complex and unusual shapes. The designers behind the £80 million V&A Museum in Dundee think the time has come for the next generation of architects to put down the squa
A millionaire who built a 30ft lighthouse in her garden could be ordered to take it down due to lack of planning permission. Doreen Lofthouse, 85, who made her fortune from Fisherman's Friend, built a scaled-down version of a seaside town's Beach Lighthouse on unused farmland, near her home in Fleet
And finally… Discovery of 3,400-year-old Canaanite artefacts sparks unusual plan by Israeli builders
The 3,400-year-old remains of an ancient citadel in Israel are to be incorporated into the designs of a high-rise apartment building.
Construction workers are the safest drivers on UK roads, according to data released today by Aviva. Information compiled using data from the insurance firm’s new Aviva Drive app rated professions by their driving safety scores.
A German carpenter has created a tiny device he claims can turn the flow of sperm on and off. Clemens Bimek says his invention, a "gummy-bear" sized switch, involves a simple 30-minute medical procedure placing a valve on each spermatic duct.
Police in Germany have stepped in after a stash of gold worth millions was dug up in an eastern Bavaria back garden – right after the owner of the house had died. A digger showed up at the house in Bogen, near Passau, shortly after the death of the 53-year-old businessman who owned it, broadcaster
Architects and designers have created quirky obstacles based on features of Los Angeles for a temporary mini-golf range at the city's Materials & Applications gallery, reports Dezeen. Contributors were asked to submit "a single architectural obstacle" that would relate to a feature of the local