Whenever I’m at the British Library I take a stroll around the amazing development that is going up around Kings Cross. The recession never seemed to dent its relentless progress. Most is very impressive but the office blocks arising in the V between Kings Cross and St Pancras stations are somewhat forbiddingly primitive in their utter blockishness. But then I noticed the delete lattice towers running up the sides of half-compete blocks. They seemed to be a system-built cage lift structure, very attractive in their filigree latticework.
Since then, of course, I’ve started to notice them everywhere. Yesterday, I got close enough to spot the maker’s name: Maber. It turns out that Maber is a northern Italian company that has been making these towers for over 30 years and selling them all around the world with increasing success. There are many variants but they all use a rack and pinion drive to trundle usually bright blue cages up and down the slender towers. They bring a touch of Meccano or Lego to the building site. Another invention that could have been made at any time but, then, most people, like me, must have thought that scaffolding was forever.