Usually at Grand Designs there’s something a bit left field, and often I find myself wandering around trying to work out where and what it is. Often though, it’s something you’re really not expecting, which was definitely true at last year’s show. I mean, even if you’d seen The Cockroach in the programme, without a further explanation you’d have been none the wiser, and may even have given it a wide berth, just in case it really was cockroaches.
I don’t expect you’d have been expecting, this I certainly wasn’t - and just in case - approached with care.
And while it was colourful, and fascinating, I didn’t need to worry.
It’s a solar powered, pedal powered vehicle for two which the board says is “capable of transporting two people in comfort over large distances” which I’m less sure about. It doesn’t scream comfort, or even something for long journeys to me, even if i wasn’t pedalling.
It’s very inventive though, and shocking too. Or perhaps less shocking really, which is shocking in itself isn’t it?
It’s made from waste collected across London including old bikes, for sale signs, mobility scooter batteries, pipes and leftovers from last year’s show. There’s even somewhere to store your provisions.
And with provisions, of course you need a kitchen…
There was a loo too, but it was mostly a pipe to a bucket, so definitely not one for the Loo Series.
While I’m not sure it will catch on as a vehicle, it’s clear what should catch on is how we deal with our waste responsibly.
