Good morning, guess what's common between your gut health (meaning a longer, healthier life) and the colonisation of Mars? Bacteria.
HTF? Well, to make “space bricks”, scientists from ISRO and IIsc created a slurry of simulated Martian soil with guar gum, urea, nickel chloride, and a bacterium called Sporosarcina pasteurii.
Turned out, this goop can be poured into moulds of any shape, where the bacteria then convert the urea into calcium carbonate crystals over the course of a few days, cementing the soil particles to create bricks out of love, fresh air and Martian soil.
Ingenious.
🏋️♂️🥚🥛
The Rising Sea Is Making New Zealand Sweat
Per latest reports, New Zealand’s Government has come out with a survival blueprint in the wake of climate issues, rising sea levels, storms, floods, and wildfires. Heck, only an alien invasion remains to feature on that list.
What the plan entails
1️⃣ No development in hazardous zones.
2️⃣ Enhanced disaster response.
3️⃣ Safeguarding cultural heritage and financial markets.
4️⃣ Fisheries, farming, and tourism reforms.
Why the Government is worried
🌊 New Zealand is witnessing rising sea levels, posing a threat to its coastal housing stock and cities. FYI, flooding has severely affected numerous coastal belts of NZ repeatedly over the last few years.
🌊 675,000 (that's 1 out of 7) citizens currently reside in flooding-prone zones, accounting for properties worth near-$100 billion. While another 72,065 peeps live in zones with projected sea level increases.
🌊 New Zealand had to shell out $840 million in economic impact and insurance damages in the 2007-17 period owing to disasters resulting from climate change.
Challenges
📌 Insuring homes to face rising risks.
📌 Communities lashing out against authorities trying to shift them from unsafe zones.
Way Forward
📎 Building code updates to account for climate issues.
📎 Public housing stock to be built away from such hazards.
📎 Incentives for development away from high-risk zones, and
📎 Compulsory information disclosure to potential builders/buyers about climate risks.
📎 Mass migration to the safety of the Shivaliks.
Coworking = Retail. Wait, What?
Lines are rapidly blurring between commercial realty, merging industrial, office and retail areas.
How so?
Retail spaces are integrating co-working areas in storefronts. Offices are also adding retail zones.
💡 WeWork’s tie-up with furniture rental player Feather is an example. The latter gets better marketing, while the former gets furniture for its members. Another win-win is the addition of Nguyen Coffee Supply by The Wing into its co-working spaces. Pantry displays, pop-ups and events are lined up.
Industrious first opened a co-working space at the Phoenix Scottsdale Fashion Square in 2018. It is following the same model since.
Are we to get more vibrant and dynamic future offices?
Let’s hope it’s an endless dream, capable of waking up the masses from their WFH slumber.
L&T Finance And Indian Realty - Honeymoon Over
All the folks publishing gazettes on the bright future of Indian realty need to rally around the Larsen and Toubro Finance HQ really really quick.
Why: Because L&T Finance is considering inorganic structures for exiting the real estate lending segment. At least, the minimum goal is to lower the financing arm's high exposure in this category.
Wait, But Why?
L&T is targeting a reduced real estate loan book. The group company already has an INR 11,000 crore (and counting) exposure to real estate as of March, 2022. It feels that some parameters are still not favourable for continuing the funding spree, despite recent market recoveries.
What plans then?
🌂 No new loan underwriting in the category.
🌂 Partnerships with financiers for extra funding for a stuck infra venture. L&T Finance will then deliver the project as a developer, realize sale proceeds and repay the financier.
🌂 No extra capital for the infrastructure category where L&T's exposure stands at over INR 30,000 crore.
In one sip
Partnerships are in store with an entity, against a majority share in a new financial platform, as L&T Finance targets 80% better asset-quality and higher-margin retail composition by FY26.
With the glare on under-performance, the company is clearly sealing all the hatches with more austerity measures.
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Japanese video game publisher Square Enix (yes, same blokes who gave us the iconic Tomb Raider and Deus Ex) recently announced that it will offload three of its game development studios — Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix Montreal — to Swedish firm Embracer Group.
Why: It is selling the assets to cut down on costs and invest in new technologies like the blockchain.
Tomorrow morning is a good time to meet again. 💚
☕ The Crew@Ginger Chai