Esper Developments

How robotics are transforming living spaces

The use of smart furniture to maximise space is nothing new. Yet with robots the options are limitless, transforming living spaces in ways that were not previously possible. In this article, we take a brief look at the history of space saving furniture, before sharing how a pioneering company is taking this to the next level.

Smart furniture
Smart furniture has been transforming living spaces for over a 100 years. Leonard C. Bailey took out a patent for making the first “folding bed” on 18 July 1899. five years later, Rudolf Coopersmith filed a patent for the Davenport bed. In the ensuing 40 years Coopersmith filed over 30 patents for mechanical parts of sofa beds, mattresses and mattress manufacturing machinery. In 1925 he took out a patent for the sofa bed, the precursor of the modern day pull out sofa.

At a similar time William Lawrence Murphy designed a wall bed, though it didn’t have the pistons and the aesthetics of its modern day counterparts. Today wall beds are common in many studio apartments in cities where space is at a premium.

Expanding tables have been around for a lot longer. In 1835 Robert Jupe designed a table that used a swivel mechanism to separate sections of the table top and allow for segmented leaves to be inserted. Fast forward to today, and most dinning room tables are expandable with a more refined design.

Smaller living spaces
Property has changed significantly over the years. In the 21st century property has become comparatively expensive. Back in the mid nineties the average property was a multiple of three times salaries. Fast forward to today and property is on average seven times the average wage. Reasons for this are extensive, but it is primarily driven by a lack of supply and generally lower borrowing costs. Though the latter has changed slightly with interest rates rising.

Regeneration continues to surge in Manchester and Salford

The latest results show that Manchester and Salford remain thriving hubs for regeneration. Both cities offer excellent opportunities for growth.

The latest crane survey, created by Deloitte, measures the amount of development projects taking place across both Manchester and Salford and assesses their impact. The report covers Manchester and Salford city centres.

Key findings
Deloitte report measures the developments taking place across Manchester and Salford city centres and its impact.

Property types reported on include residential, office, hotel, retail and leisure, student accommodation, education and research facilities and healthcare.
Data for the Crane Survey was recorded between 5 January 2022 and 3 January 2023
13,578 new homes completed in Salford city centre since 2014
702,000 sq. ft of office floorspace was delivered to market in 2022
There are several construction sites in Manchester and Salford city centres
(Image Source Deloitte)
25 new projects
There have been 25 new projects across various sectors began in Manchester and Salford city centres. This includes 17 new residential developments under construction. This is the highest number since 2018. Additionally, 2,734 new homes were delivered to the market.

For the unacquainted, Salford City lies inside Greater Manchester in a very central location. This is somewhat akin to the city of Westminster in London with just a couple of miles between Salford city centre and Manchester city centre.

The results demonstrated that the areas remain an attractive proposition for investors, developers, businesses and residents alike. Salford is nowacknowledged across the sector “as a driving force in the region with a commitment to sustainable growth and regeneration at the heart of its approach”.

Powerhouse of the north
Outside London, the region continues to lead the way in construction activity. This is driving economic growth across the two cities, as well has acting as a positive catalyst for change. The scale of development is substantial which demonstrates the resilience in the regional economy.

Residential initiatives
Salford city centre, has seen the biggest amount of development, with 13,578 homes now having been completed since 2014. The number of new projects demonstrate that construction initiatives are continuing at a frantic pace. this includes Greenhaus, which is part of a £1bn Salford Central masterplan built over 50 acres.

Commercial initiatives
In the office sector, 702,000 sq. ft of new floorspace was delivered to market in 2022, this is despite the trend seeing more people continuing to work from home. Construction levels are growing and take up of this new space is encouraging. High-quality spaces provided by the likes of 100 Embankment and New Bailey in Salford are in demand and attracting new tenants to the city.

Only last month 100 Embankment was named ‘Manchester and Salford’s best performing office’ for 2022 with recent lettings taking the building to c.75% full with over 120,000 sq ft let.

Across the two cities, five new office projects will create 1.1m sq. ft of space, with a total of 1.7m sq. ft. currently under construction including Eden, 115,000 sq ft office accommodation, one of the most environmentally friendly offices in the UK. TLT law firm has signed a 15-year lease to take the top two floors. The building will run on 100% renewable electricity and has been designed using the UK Green Building Council’s 2035 – 2050 standards.