The architecture trend dividing London's elites

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  • čas pƙidĂĄn 12. 11. 2021
  • Underground lairs have hollowed out London.
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    One of London’s most unusual luxury trends might be its gigantic basements.
    Professor Roger Burrows and his coauthors collected data on every basement construction project in from 2008 to 2019, and mapped it. They found more than 7,000 basement additions had been built. A combination of historic preservation laws, rapidly ballooning property values, and changing tastes have led to a boom in basement building.
    This construction hasn’t been without complications. Many of the existing residents see the constant construction as a “plague” that’s hollowed out the city, contributed to air pollution, and even changed the acoustics of their homes. Burrows sees it as a symbol of increasing wealth inequality in the global city.
    Correction: Typo 1:25, Roger Burrows is Professor of cities at Newcastle University.
    Further Reading:
    You can read the full paper, by Burrows and his coauthors, here: www.ncl.ac.uk/apl/news/item/b...
    This DailyMail article chronicles the collapse of a mega-basement:
    www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
    Here’s Brian May’s Instagram post, included in the video, about his basement flooding:
    pCRQOnqIFl...
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Komentáƙe • 2K

  • @Vox
    @Vox  Pƙed 2 lety +1670

    Thanks for watching! If you’re wondering about the most unusual basement Professor Roger Burrows found, he had this to say:
    “It bends belief what’s in some of these. We found one example of a particularly colossal dig with two swimming pools and a beach. A sandy beach. And the pool had a wave machine.”

    • @DarthSameth
      @DarthSameth Pƙed 2 lety +33

      In case you didn't know, @1:29 "Newcastle" is misspelt "Newscastle"

    • @ose5226
      @ose5226 Pƙed 2 lety +104

      Can you do a follow-up video talking about the impact on flooding and other things?

    • @gigantkranion
      @gigantkranion Pƙed 2 lety +42

      I'm confused,
      Did Gianluca Vialli have a basement made in his own property but, decided to fight against his neighbor's request or...?
      Did he live through a previous neighbor's permission and fought against it as he already understood the effects...?

    • @yashmoitra
      @yashmoitra Pƙed 2 lety +21

      Eat the rich

    • @thepragmaticchoice
      @thepragmaticchoice Pƙed 2 lety +52

      Why was there no footage of actual construction of these layers? This video was lazy

  • @raydunakin
    @raydunakin Pƙed 2 lety +13607

    Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see any explanation in this as to how the home got flooded with sewage, nor what evidence there was that underground construction was to blame.

    • @hopeweiss9549
      @hopeweiss9549 Pƙed 2 lety +1763

      they didn't explain outright but the implication is that when you dig underneath houses your can a) rupture the sewer line or b) mess with the way water and such drains trhough the soil or it could be something else entirely.

    • @raydunakin
      @raydunakin Pƙed 2 lety +2306

      @@hopeweiss9549 Yes, they definitely implied that the flooding was somehow connected to the excavations, but implications are a poor substitute for factual evidence.

    • @Lovehandels
      @Lovehandels Pƙed 2 lety +1317

      They didn't go into detail as to what exactly is happening and in the end I came away from this video saying the rich are bothering other rich people with their richness...like...so what?

    • @jackotherstar3982
      @jackotherstar3982 Pƙed 2 lety +321

      Gotta love Phil Edwards videos not explaining their premise.

    • @ktigertiger2621
      @ktigertiger2621 Pƙed 2 lety +269

      London is built on a marsh and the river Thames is a tidal river. So it could easily be a large amount of rain combined with a higher than usual tide causing the storm drains to overflow to the sewers and at some point it’s ruptured. It would not help that people would of disturbed the ground around where these sewage pipes and storm drains are and so due to many events the ground started seeping up horrible water because it couldn’t hold it all.
      Apologies if that was too long.

  • @matthewmelange
    @matthewmelange Pƙed 2 lety +4215

    That was a very empty episode.
    The topic was interesting but there wasn’t much to discuss beyond “London homes are building big basements and their rich neighbors are upset & blaming things on them.”

    • @footytv1203
      @footytv1203 Pƙed 2 lety +39

      I have a similar feeling on the topics this video host covers.

    • @ckannan90
      @ckannan90 Pƙed 2 lety +79

      Yeah honestly I wanted at least more tours of these basements or something. Either lean into the vicarious living aspect of videos about the mega rich, or actually explain something. This video just points out that an interesting thing is happening. Which is ok I guess

    • @matthewmelange
      @matthewmelange Pƙed 2 lety +39

      @@ckannan90 Like all they had was 2 rich people. The guitarist from Queen complaining that his house flooded and blaming it on his neighbor's basement. Then some retired soccer player complaining about how his neighbor performing construction on their own home would cause noise & pollution.

    • @justSTUMBLEDupon
      @justSTUMBLEDupon Pƙed 2 lety +20

      It’s like we are raising a generation of people who care so much about what other people have and to despise them for it. Why am I supposed to be upset about this?

    • @ca-ke9493
      @ca-ke9493 Pƙed 2 lety +33

      Yeah, he didnt even go into why these basements are a concern. My neighbour upstairs is renovating and I get noise and dust, but that isnt newsworthy?

  • @ryanmalyk5830
    @ryanmalyk5830 Pƙed 2 lety +1379

    This video just explained that there are alot of basements in London and that they are bad...with no explanation of why or how

    • @insertchannelnamehere8685
      @insertchannelnamehere8685 Pƙed 2 lety +25

      Why: Rich people want more space
      How: By hiring a construction company, filing a permit, and getting it built
      Both were either touched upon by the video or are fairly obvious

    • @thegreentaxi1
      @thegreentaxi1 Pƙed 2 lety +83

      @@insertchannelnamehere8685 But how is that newsworthy? It feels like this video is missing a point. Rich people build basements, the guy from queen and some football coach are mad. But why should Vox's audience care about that? My neighbor is renovating, too, but I don't see them making a documentary about it

    • @katg7387
      @katg7387 Pƙed 2 lety +5

      Well extreme wealth is self-evidently bad as is points to income inequality.

    • @sigma_z
      @sigma_z Pƙed 2 lety +15

      The guy from Queens and the football coach are selfish. If someone wants to build on excavate on THEIR land, they should be able to do so. Excavation never lasts forever and if you have rich neighbors, most likely you're already rich so just go on holiday if the noise bothers you that much and get paid for it like you already do with your ÂŁ1million a week salary for not even being able to score, put a ball into a net. seriously, selfish people!

    • @apark8787
      @apark8787 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@insertchannelnamehere8685 i think he means why basements (as opposed to high floors). I'm wondering that myself, seems much easier just to build floors on top rather than excavating down.

  • @vykana
    @vykana Pƙed 2 lety +274

    This video explains how rich people like building basements and that some people don't like it. Other than that there was no further discussion on why it's a problem, its connection to sewage, or anything.

    • @liamkoehler8820
      @liamkoehler8820 Pƙed rokem +3

      Classic vox. Thanks for saving me 5 min.

    • @lvseka
      @lvseka Pƙed 7 měsĂ­ci +1

      True, a quick mention of noise and some local pollution, as if construction is quiet anywhere around the world.

    • @joliecide
      @joliecide Pƙed 2 měsĂ­ci

      Hehe that's Vox. Empty journalism.

  • @luisgaldamez8686
    @luisgaldamez8686 Pƙed 2 lety +3751

    So you’re telling me, I should move my waterproofing company to London?

    • @jonathanbrito2787
      @jonathanbrito2787 Pƙed 2 lety +32

      This can be a big problem

    • @innocentboi561
      @innocentboi561 Pƙed 2 lety +178

      sounds profitable

    • @NatashaVincent
      @NatashaVincent Pƙed 2 lety +139

      Can't imagine having one's art collection in a basement ultimately buffered by clay. While I'm not an architectural expert, that sounds bonkers to me.

    • @Raph584
      @Raph584 Pƙed 2 lety +6

      Bold of you to assume you can afford it

    • @innocentboi561
      @innocentboi561 Pƙed 2 lety +8

      @@Raph584 nah, loans and finding investors can solve it

  • @Falco.
    @Falco. Pƙed 2 lety +3672

    Professor Burrows knew at his birth that he would become an expert in underground lairs

    • @johnong2655
      @johnong2655 Pƙed 2 lety +24

      Burrowing lairs

    • @mutttaaaz9165
      @mutttaaaz9165 Pƙed 2 lety +8

      Wanted because building under bedrock

    • @k.silverpoint
      @k.silverpoint Pƙed 2 lety +36

      Another win for nominative deteminism.

    • @caesar7734
      @caesar7734 Pƙed 2 lety +39

      He reminds me of a lawyer called Sue Yoo.

    • @granitegrizz
      @granitegrizz Pƙed 2 lety +9

      I knew I couldn't have been the first to make the joke, and I'm glad I wasn't.

  • @rosgill6
    @rosgill6 Pƙed 2 lety +4

    The "haves and have yachts" needs to take off as a meme NOW! lol

  • @SirAdser
    @SirAdser Pƙed 2 lety +53

    For those not based in London. The May story, his basement flooding, was caused not by mega-basements, but rather some extremely heavy rain that caused the sewage and drainage pipes to burst in various places all over Kensingtong & Chelsea. It flooded Portobello Road, Notting Hill Gate and a few other high streets. Basements flats and basements in general are always suspect to flooding issues in areas with heavy rainfall. Really a better framing for this might have been a story on that rainfall and the other adverse weather that the UK has has over the last few years due to climate change and how the UK, a country that has historically had little cases of adverse weather, is now slowly struggling to cope with extreme weather events.

    • @Mokomis_
      @Mokomis_ Pƙed 2 lety +3

      Mega basement's might not be the direct cause but they might have helped create the problem if the construction had already weakened the pipes, with shockwaves and shifting earth.

  • @jacobbwalters8133
    @jacobbwalters8133 Pƙed 2 lety +3761

    I wish that Vox would have gone into depth a little more about what makes these basements problematic. Are there studies that support flooding being caused by them? I live in Michigan, USA, where flooding is relatively common and everyone has a basement, yet no one has ever blamed the flooding on the basements here


    • @mopo3953
      @mopo3953 Pƙed 2 lety +215

      Definitely flooding might be caused by basement because it reduces the amount of soil which is able to absorb water. There is a reason why planning offices in London require flood risk assessment and basement impact assessment reports to be prepared by geotechnical engineers before permission is granted. I imagine houses in the US are probably not close enough so it's not an issue.

    • @theicedragon100
      @theicedragon100 Pƙed 2 lety +36

      @@mopo3953 but doesn't London have a water drainage system like other cities.

    • @christianmoore7109
      @christianmoore7109 Pƙed 2 lety +86

      There really isn’t anything that makes these basements problematic, other than that rich people don’t like it when other rich people have them.

    • @beedebawng2556
      @beedebawng2556 Pƙed 2 lety +30

      You're talking about two different types of flooding.

    • @DennisMoore664
      @DennisMoore664 Pƙed 2 lety +53

      "Gone into depth a little more" about a story about basements - nicely played, sir.

  • @jackrotz2139
    @jackrotz2139 Pƙed 2 lety +1135

    1:24 When he stated where he was a professor in the school of architecture, planning and landscape, and went on to say he wasn't an architect and he wasn't a planner, I was assuming he was going to say he was a landscape

    • @ItsMr07
      @ItsMr07 Pƙed 2 lety +7

      bro 😂😂😂

    • @mwakampundu239
      @mwakampundu239 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      😂😂😂

    • @xyzabc4178
      @xyzabc4178 Pƙed 2 lety

      They got the name of the university wrong

    • @MerkhVision
      @MerkhVision Pƙed 2 lety +2

      I love the way u think hahaha

    • @djmips
      @djmips Pƙed 2 lety +3

      Landscaper...

  • @NiallEveritt
    @NiallEveritt Pƙed 2 lety +53

    There are cases where the street and some houses have collapsed or sunken into the dig sites. It would have been good if you'd included those or gone more into detail about the construction issues and engineering risks.

    • @DavidGilling
      @DavidGilling Pƙed 2 lety +2

      This video felt like a teaser or intro. No depth at all

  • @bjarnisvanurbirgisson4147
    @bjarnisvanurbirgisson4147 Pƙed 2 lety +17

    I'm still confused on the problems of these basements, could we have had a better explanation on those?
    How are they causing flooding, and what examples of basement related collapses have occurred in London?

  • @shedactivist
    @shedactivist Pƙed 2 lety +5643

    My heart bleeds for the rich complaining about the antics of the super-rich

    • @oaktree__
      @oaktree__ Pƙed 2 lety +197

      Well, the ultra-rich don't care what people like us say; they might care about what the rich say, though.

    • @aturchomicz821
      @aturchomicz821 Pƙed 2 lety +44

      Yeah may they suffer for what they have done lol

    • @segamai
      @segamai Pƙed 2 lety +153

      World’s tiniest violin and all that

    • @eustatic3832
      @eustatic3832 Pƙed 2 lety +73

      Well, the video introduce s that as 'the haves and have yachts'

    • @Dukenukem
      @Dukenukem Pƙed 2 lety +54

      @@oaktree__ no, the really ultr-rich don't care what anybody says except their family or close business partners, they can pay everyone else to shut up.

  • @beanboi8637
    @beanboi8637 Pƙed 2 lety +948

    Give it decade and soon there's gonna be an underLondon

  • @jackmeeks2294
    @jackmeeks2294 Pƙed 2 lety +11

    What an atrocious interview. Not only do they not explain the cause of the sewage. I've never seen an interviewer that is supplying the answers to their questions within the question. Leading questions will give you exactly the answers you're looking for.

  • @sharsasuke01
    @sharsasuke01 Pƙed 2 lety +8

    I didn't even know you could build a basement after a house has been constructed.

  • @ANNIHILISTIC
    @ANNIHILISTIC Pƙed 2 lety +413

    Saruman:
    _"The elites dug too greedily and too deep... you know what they awoke in the basements of Lon-dûn...."_

    • @jennbaker6964
      @jennbaker6964 Pƙed 2 lety +29

      they dug so deep they unleashed the demon of brexit upon the earth

    • @Lius525
      @Lius525 Pƙed 2 lety +12

      ...class conciousness?

    • @AdriSkynet
      @AdriSkynet Pƙed 2 lety +7

      Underrated comment.

    • @luizf.g.3999
      @luizf.g.3999 Pƙed 2 lety +21

      shadow and flame ... i mean sewage and structural damage

    • @jennbaker6964
      @jennbaker6964 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      @@Lius525 bruh we're talking about england. that was there in the atlee era, thatcher annihilated labor power just like reagan did in the us. now just like america the idea of class consciousness is kind of a joke.

  • @vladcampos
    @vladcampos Pƙed 2 lety +276

    I usually enjoy Vox content, but this video felt kind of incomplete. To the point I thought I had missed something and even rewind it a little bit during the call with the professor. I believe that more details about the basement, construction, regulation, blueprints etc. would be better then all the talk about Queen and the soccer player.

    • @snakedoktor6020
      @snakedoktor6020 Pƙed 2 lety

      ...would be better than, not then.
      I couldn't agree more...but a thought:
      I don't know when, or better yet why, people have started substituting then for than.
      Then denotes a continuation of something, whereas than denotes a comparison, as was the comment's intention.
      Similar to standing ON line instead of IN line (how it should be).

  • @youarewinston
    @youarewinston Pƙed 2 lety +12

    Always thought London planning approval was that you can build up to 4 houses and then a hotel

  • @pepessz32
    @pepessz32 Pƙed 2 lety +9

    London's superrich: "Well, we have our own private pool and cinema on our basements."
    Bruce Wayne: "That's nice."

  • @benpalmer7596
    @benpalmer7596 Pƙed 2 lety +1828

    As a London resident, it's fascinating to see this perspective on the divide between the elites. You go past these areas quite often in Mayfair, Soho, Marylebone, etc and they all seem like lovely houses, but you do wonder how they get such astronomical values (other than money-laundering, which London is the capital of in the world). I guess this is partly how; massive basement conversions underground adding more and more layers. It's surprising how many of them can go that far underground at all, considering the complex layers underneath such as the Tube, water and gas pipes, sewage system, etc. which are essentially impossible to move entirely. I guess it's an issue that arises when you want to love in the centre of an historic city and basements just aren't a thing for Brits usually, so we never think about them and the transformation occurring underground. Great video

  • @NeedForMadnessSVK
    @NeedForMadnessSVK Pƙed 2 lety +2408

    The professor is a great example of nominative determinism.

    • @AliHSyed
      @AliHSyed Pƙed 2 lety +10

      Hahaha you're right!

    • @NoxCaelis
      @NoxCaelis Pƙed 2 lety +456

      "Yes, I am researching about basements of the rich now."
      "And what is your name again?"
      "I'm Professor Burrows."

    • @masterimbecile
      @masterimbecile Pƙed 2 lety +363

      That's a fancy way of saying "people perfectly named for their career."

    • @choibtc6121
      @choibtc6121 Pƙed 2 lety +83

      @@masterimbecile thanks for the explanation. I did need it

    • @tash_g
      @tash_g Pƙed 2 lety +11

      @@masterimbecile thank you.

  • @LeanneModenPoet
    @LeanneModenPoet Pƙed 2 lety +2

    Professor Burrows writing about digging underground. That's some lovely nominative determinism!

  • @Sam89365
    @Sam89365 Pƙed 2 lety +4

    Yeah we need a follow up or a part two on this topic. Interesting topic that deserves more on the affect it has

  • @x-shadow-x
    @x-shadow-x Pƙed 2 lety +331

    And what was now the relationship between basements and the flooding?

    • @mugtiles
      @mugtiles Pƙed 2 lety +43

      I am asking the same....

    • @Zestric
      @Zestric Pƙed 2 lety +81

      Very large and deep basements displacing the watertable and/or all the construction causing damage to old piping making flooding more likely or occur more often maybe?
      But really I know nothing I'm just guessing here.

    • @Omalleypike
      @Omalleypike Pƙed 2 lety +38

      There isn't one; or at least, the flash flooding wasn't caused by basements - It was caused by old and already overstressed infrastructure (namely, London's wastewater system) reaching it's limit during a major downpour. May's house was likely flooded when either the drainage around the property was overwhelmed (bear in mind, that groundwater wouldn't really matter as London is a concrete jungle, thus water cannot soak into the ground quick enough) and the place flooded with rainwater, OR the wastewater backed up into May's basement. I believe newer plumbing systems are fitted with a backflow valve to prevent this exact thing happening, but, with plumbing that could be over 100 years old, it's unlikely to have that.

    • @215johnio
      @215johnio Pƙed 2 lety +32

      Yea this video was pretty light on the downsides of the basements. I assume the flooding was caused by construction equipment damaging the sewers. Seems like the only downside of the basements is the downsides of any kind of excavation: noise and possible infrastructure damage.

    • @methos-ey9nf
      @methos-ey9nf Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@Zestric Bingo. This happens to my house when there's excessive rain. Water just seeps up through the basement floor.

  • @faux_hobo
    @faux_hobo Pƙed 2 lety +858

    It's weird you didn't actually talk about the real damage it's doing. That's left entirely up to the greyed out area of a screenshot. Very disappointed, as that's the more interesting and alarming part.

    • @ofmsetest
      @ofmsetest Pƙed 2 lety +10

      what does the greyed out area say?

    • @Domowoi2
      @Domowoi2 Pƙed 2 lety +119

      Yeah. I wanted to hear why basements cause flooding in other houses.
      So the biggest problem is construction noise? And problems with stability if done incorrectly?

    • @realscottsummers
      @realscottsummers Pƙed 2 lety +209

      Yeah, the video started off showing the flooding but didn't come back to that or expand on how it's happening

    • @vishwanathasharma1409
      @vishwanathasharma1409 Pƙed 2 lety +127

      Ok did some further reading the flooding is because the super deep basements affected aquifers underground and rendered drainage system ineffective

    • @jechiliahsolomon3790
      @jechiliahsolomon3790 Pƙed 2 lety +28

      Yeah it definitely ended abruptly đŸ„Ž

  • @Dubey_nr
    @Dubey_nr Pƙed 2 lety +32

    How can you speak something for 6 minutes without telling anything.?
    -- Vox: "hold my beer.!"

  • @thegoodgodabove8264
    @thegoodgodabove8264 Pƙed 2 lety +151

    Feel like they spent more time fixating on the fact that the rich were building them and not enough talking about the consequences of them. Like we get it, rich people are doing this but I think the video only covered what can happen if these are regularly implemented in a few brief mentions

    • @yoted
      @yoted Pƙed 2 lety +3

      I had the same thought. Perhaps it wouldn’t be something to complain about if the consequences are mitigated and paid for by those constructing the new basements?

  • @chansherly212
    @chansherly212 Pƙed 2 lety +326

    But how exactly does it cause floods.. Does the digging use up space in the ground that would have otherwise absorbed the water? Or is it because of pipe leakage from the excavation?

    • @smike9884
      @smike9884 Pƙed 2 lety +91

      A pretty poor video really. Opened with flooding, but then no mention of it. Only a couple of seconds given to the downsides, which were only noise and air pollution, a brief mention of collapse.

    • @DoggyHateFire
      @DoggyHateFire Pƙed 2 lety +28

      @@smike9884 Yeah, I spent the whole time wondering when they were going to talk about why it causes flooding. Could have made the video a minute or so longer to explain that.

    • @dkpqzm
      @dkpqzm Pƙed 2 lety +5

      Have you ever been to London? It rains constantly and these basements are not completely waterproof, plus they are built in clay deposits.

    • @death00124
      @death00124 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      I think some of the basements dug into the water table

    • @trpdrspider8372
      @trpdrspider8372 Pƙed 2 lety +12

      @@dkpqzm Yes, but it would have been nice for the video to bring up that subject and provide some info. As it stands we don't even get an explanation of the black sludge. It more seems to be jist saying 'Rich people bad'

  • @bouutiquems3578
    @bouutiquems3578 Pƙed 2 lety +7

    I love that you showed Freddie Mercury so that Brian May would seem more relevant.

  • @Javin12345
    @Javin12345 Pƙed 2 lety

    A very interesting topic. I wish this video was longer though and gave more information about it and the impacts of these basements

  • @johnyb147
    @johnyb147 Pƙed 2 lety +275

    I don't really get the point of this video. Rich people being mad at richer people?

    • @BrutusAlbion
      @BrutusAlbion Pƙed 2 lety +79

      Ugh! I bought this million dollar home thinking I'd be safe from construction worker noises from the peasants but now the home next door was bought by a billionaire and they are constructing a basement for the next 3 months! I do say this is a tragedy for the entire nation now that i am inconvenienced with the sound of diggers and filthy peasants roaming my streets. This is an outrage! This cannot last! I demand compensation!

    • @JoHn-gi1lb
      @JoHn-gi1lb Pƙed 2 lety +26

      rich bad. they're bad because I'm not rich. boooo

    • @flupsdarups3897
      @flupsdarups3897 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      JoHn no but like actually

    • @idontmakecontent4870
      @idontmakecontent4870 Pƙed 2 lety +5

      @@JoHn-gi1lb They’re just a bunch of underachievers who take out their anger of failing out on rich people

    • @br6210
      @br6210 Pƙed 2 lety +4

      @@idontmakecontent4870 A lot of people dont achieve what they may be able to, Richer people SOMETIMES have better opportunities, however to the few that were raised working class and earnt up the way they dont deserve the hatred the entitled rich do.

  • @nanana354
    @nanana354 Pƙed 2 lety +79

    Wow it's becoming a real struggle being a rich Londoner these days. I feel so relieved I am neither rich nor Londoner.

    • @artchick07
      @artchick07 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      I do worry there will be sink holes after all of this mess. Most home in my state require a geodetic survey before purchasing.

  • @CurrencyChronicles1
    @CurrencyChronicles1 Pƙed 2 lety +3

    I’m very happy you guys mentioned Queen although I am sad that his basement has gotten flooded and I was wondering if we could get an answer on why Brian May’s basement was flooded.

  • @luuk_twister2068
    @luuk_twister2068 Pƙed 2 lety +2

    So the expert on burrowing in London is called Professor Roger Burrows? Now that is an amazing coincidence 😂

  • @SoSo-li6dn
    @SoSo-li6dn Pƙed 2 lety +83

    1. Every rich person votes to ban high rise building in rich area.
    2. Riff raff are kept out.
    3. MEGA BASEMENTS.

    • @YujiUedaFan
      @YujiUedaFan Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Yeah, the richers can't see that building down instead of up causes more problems.

    • @Dukenukem
      @Dukenukem Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@YujiUedaFan well, if something collapses the ensurance will take care of it. Ensurance can't pay you back lost views from the lounge/balcony.

    • @YujiUedaFan
      @YujiUedaFan Pƙed 2 lety

      ​@@Dukenukem I just mean that building down displaces water more.

  • @darkflighter100
    @darkflighter100 Pƙed 2 lety +242

    I live in London. This has been a thing for over a decade, maybe longer. The west end of central London is in constant construction, it's relentless.

    • @TEXININDUSTRIES
      @TEXININDUSTRIES Pƙed 2 lety +7

      Think about what would happen if the elites choose to interconnect their basements.

    • @br6210
      @br6210 Pƙed 2 lety +10

      It really is shame that London has become a home to a place where ownly the super rich can own properties, it wasn’t that way before normal people could live in a House that would be worth millions today.

    • @thorr18BEM
      @thorr18BEM Pƙed 2 lety +4

      At 4:45 it shows over 500 basements being built in 2008 so we already were shown it's been over a decade. However, the video is bereft of any other real data or an explanation of why new basements in the area would cause Brian May's basement to flood. Also, the chart doesn't even go back far enough to demonstrate that this is not something which was ongoing through every preceding decade. A very unsatisfying video.

  • @MegaLiterally
    @MegaLiterally Pƙed 2 lety +3

    One glaring thing left unexplained is how you can build your basements “out” and under your neighbours? How is this allowed if you neighbours own the land under them.

  • @Housewarmin
    @Housewarmin Pƙed 2 lety +8

    I feel like this video could have done a better explanation into why basements are bad. In the US, there is still noise and unhappy neighbors when someone does construction on a home. Why is a basement worse than any other mansion? Is there a long term negative effect to having a basement? How did the basement cause the flooding? Is it just people complaining about the noise?

  • @thePronto
    @thePronto Pƙed 2 lety +266

    Let's dig out the foundations of an old, but very valuable, house that shares common walls with other extremely expensive houses. What could possibly go wrong?

    • @theinvisibleneonrainbowzeb2567
      @theinvisibleneonrainbowzeb2567 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      yes

    • @maggiejetson7904
      @maggiejetson7904 Pƙed 2 lety +9

      We do that in San Francisco all the time, it is expensive but it is not the problem.

    • @Slayer8957
      @Slayer8957 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      @@maggiejetson7904 San Francisco isnt a city where every single house shares a wall with their neighbors, nor are diggers being buried underground like it is by cheap and careless London contractors.

  • @napoleonibonaparte7198
    @napoleonibonaparte7198 Pƙed 2 lety +524

    So, there’s a chance the Queen has a secret longevity lab for her everlasting life?

    • @ABDELHADINDIF
      @ABDELHADINDIF Pƙed 2 lety +12

      Zanzibar lab under water

    • @onemorechris
      @onemorechris Pƙed 2 lety +30

      A place to hide Andrew

    • @d1j16
      @d1j16 Pƙed 2 lety +14

      She'll live forever just to spite her descendants, especially Charles.

    • @AirQuotes
      @AirQuotes Pƙed 2 lety +7

      @@d1j16 if she out lives Charles most people will be happy but it's not likely

    • @michaelheliotis5279
      @michaelheliotis5279 Pƙed 2 lety +8

      Her secret to longevity is being scared sh!tless into a health-conscious lifestyle because all the rest of her family were chain smokers and most of them died early due to complications such as lung cancer. (Though in spite of all the ciggies her grandmother, Queen Mary of Teck, managed to hold out for quite a long time.)

  • @danielwang2956
    @danielwang2956 Pƙed 2 lety +3

    What happened to the principles of "live and let live" and "building on one's own land is always ordinary use"? Why can't your neighbor have the right to legally expand their own house?

  • @mk1st
    @mk1st Pƙed 2 lety

    Delightful that you had a Mr Burrows on to discuss this topic.

  • @AnymMusic
    @AnymMusic Pƙed 2 lety +165

    who knew, no matter what class you are, there'll always be a divide

    • @Charlzton
      @Charlzton Pƙed 2 lety +11

      Brits are naturally competitive- no matter how much you have, you want more than the next

    • @beluwuga
      @beluwuga Pƙed 2 lety +5

      @@Charlzton no bruh... not like that.. he meant. Ah forget about it.

    • @beluwuga
      @beluwuga Pƙed 2 lety +3

      Bro “Millionaires” are not all just a bunch of “millionaires” there are millions if not almost quarter of billions millionaires around the world. If you’re 2 million dollar rich, not all is in cash.. you can’t bud a 42 princess yatch, you can rent a luxury apartment and live like executives. 2 million and 4 million dollar even that is different. That’s double the difference. If you have four, now you can buy a 12 foot yatch.. There are billions of rich people, the neighbor next to your door might seem “rich” he might not be a millionaire, but has more income than the people in that neighborhood. He’s still nothing compared to the new guy from big city, who is semi-millionaire, he’s also rich, but then there are people who are 10 million dollar who owns a Restaurant chain in your area.. doesn’t seem that rich compared to his friend Dave who owns a couple hotels and worth 50 million. And what I always find funny is people think that oh if 1 person networth is 5 million its gonna be that for the rest of that person’s life.. zZ it’s not like wealth don’t come from Income.. if he’s 5 mil he’s just gonna use up that asset. Bruh people have income too.. that’s how those 5 mil don’t get used up.

    • @linhhoang1363
      @linhhoang1363 Pƙed 2 lety +7

      @@beluwuga wow. The essay is so long and boredom to read

    • @MartiensBezuidenhout
      @MartiensBezuidenhout Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@linhhoang1363 I think "boring" would be a better fit in that sentence. Just my 10 cents.

  • @Zestric
    @Zestric Pƙed 2 lety +117

    How does one even physically dig a basement under and existing house without that house coming down in the process?

    • @beluwuga
      @beluwuga Pƙed 2 lety +10

      Call it construction... 🚧 đŸŠș

    • @domramsey
      @domramsey Pƙed 2 lety +16

      Far too often that's exactly what happens.

    • @joeynessily
      @joeynessily Pƙed 2 lety +35

      ....Carefully

    • @Zveebo
      @Zveebo Pƙed 2 lety +72

      You basically prop the whole thing up while you dig down and creat new foundations and a steel and concrete supporting structure. It needs to be very carefully done, but when basements can run into £10 million+, there’s money for it.

    • @joermnyc
      @joermnyc Pƙed 2 lety +19

      Temporary supports, adding in layers of new foundation as you dig down, it’s almost like digging a tunnel where right behind the open face you have crews installing mesh grids and concrete tunnel wall sections to keep the roof from caving in and killing everyone.

  • @thegrynne
    @thegrynne Pƙed 2 lety +1

    That was more like the pitch of an article, than an article in itself.

  • @Autumnrainfall99
    @Autumnrainfall99 Pƙed 2 lety

    Also lol at the professor being called Professor Burrows

  • @_chuck1z
    @_chuck1z Pƙed 2 lety +74

    Looking at the preview I was like, "The flooring pattern looks so cool, it changes along the path," and then looking at the title, "Oh..."

    • @arnbrandy
      @arnbrandy Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Even the sewage leakage is better for the ultra rich, I presume.

  • @ThiNo737
    @ThiNo737 Pƙed 2 lety +44

    I watched the video but I still don't fully understand what the underlying problem to this trend is.

    • @JordanReedYT
      @JordanReedYT Pƙed 2 lety +14

      Average people complaining about wealthy people.

    • @ayoubrachidi2668
      @ayoubrachidi2668 Pƙed 2 lety +24

      @@JordanReedYT not average people. wealthy people complaining about disgustingly wealthy people

    • @lavupcreeper8131
      @lavupcreeper8131 Pƙed 2 lety +5

      same, and i've been having the same problem over several vox videos

    • @ashleyhill6697
      @ashleyhill6697 Pƙed 2 lety

      That's what I was wondering. I guess they want to change the building codes prohibiting additions instead of building basements. I think it looks cool when a super modern style level is added to the top of historic houses.

    • @nickzardiashvili624
      @nickzardiashvili624 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      I mean, the guy just said that the noise and air pollution are overwhelming and the video starts with a house flooding because of one of those basements, but yeah, a complete mystery as to what the problem is.

  • @marknc9616
    @marknc9616 Pƙed 2 lety +3

    In the area where I live now there are very few basements due to the soil from what I have been told. Where I lived as a child my family had two different homes that had basements. Though the basements were fun, both of them flooded multiple times. One was corrected by channeling rainwater away from the basement door. The other one was corrected by installing gutters on the back of the house. We had long suspected that the flooding was due to the hill behind our house. However, some research surprised us telling us otherwise. Also, I lost my electric train due to basement flooding đŸ˜„.

    • @aj884
      @aj884 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      F in the chat for this man's train đŸ˜„

    • @sleepcrime
      @sleepcrime Pƙed 2 lety +1

      F

  • @daviddryden7668
    @daviddryden7668 Pƙed 3 měsĂ­ci

    The expert being named Professor Burrows is perfect casting for a basement doc 😂

  • @gamingclips3.06
    @gamingclips3.06 Pƙed 2 lety +5

    So you're telling me that Burrows is studying burrows in different boroughs?

  • @TheBigDubovsky
    @TheBigDubovsky Pƙed 2 lety +1

    Can’t wait to get super rich to buy one of these.

  • @healthexplained5318
    @healthexplained5318 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    I always like the narration/storytelling style that Vox does.

  • @danadominguez5760
    @danadominguez5760 Pƙed 2 lety +9

    “The haves and the have yachts.” Freakin’ love it.

  • @SeanReillyEsq
    @SeanReillyEsq Pƙed 2 lety +43

    Boroughs talking about burrows in boroughs.

    • @PLuMUK54
      @PLuMUK54 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Actually it's borough officials in the boroughs that are talking about burrows being burrowed in their boroughs!
      😉

  • @177Industries
    @177Industries Pƙed 2 lety

    Have and have-yachts is the most amazing phrase. Thank you.

  • @TheSlowworms
    @TheSlowworms Pƙed 2 lety

    This video is sooo good! Roger was so good too. You couldn’t have found a better person to talk 👍

  • @ShOwOba
    @ShOwOba Pƙed 2 lety +136

    That intro just made me realize that Freddie Mercury could've still been alive today in some other timeline... That's bonkers.

    • @RFLCPTR
      @RFLCPTR Pƙed 2 lety +12

      It's not bonkers, it's just sad.

    • @quiubeto
      @quiubeto Pƙed 2 lety +14

      It's also really weird that they needed to mention him as a segway to Brian May.

    • @pastalover2757
      @pastalover2757 Pƙed 2 lety +4

      @@quiubeto ye lol like I think most people know who Brian May is, still one of the world's most famous musicians

  • @nubcake67
    @nubcake67 Pƙed 2 lety +30

    But what about the relationship to flooding? How do more basements cause flooding? At what point do they hit the water table?
    Also, does all this underground construction not undermine the stability of the soil strata for a surrounding area?

    • @emthegem8141
      @emthegem8141 Pƙed 2 lety +5

      Yes, I was wondering this as well. They kindof just vaguely blamed rich people making basements without linking the flooding the them...Vox videos really are hit or miss I suppose.

    • @DoggyHateFire
      @DoggyHateFire Pƙed 2 lety +3

      It's like when you're in school and first learning how to write essays where you state an idea and then write a paragraph supporting that idea except they totally forgot to support the idea.

    • @PandaD2
      @PandaD2 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Take a cup and fill it half way with water. Take a balloon, blow a some air into it, and tie it off. Put the balloon in the cup. Watch the water level rise. Balloon = basement, cup of water = water table. Adding basements raises the water table. Water has to go somewhere. The new basements are probably equipped with state-of-the-art pumping systems that continually pump out the water. Old basements, that were built above the water table and probably do not have sump pumps, are now underwater.

    • @annettekearney9798
      @annettekearney9798 Pƙed 2 lety

      It was a short video. Why don’t you look at the published paper to get a more in-depth view?

    • @Mokomis_
      @Mokomis_ Pƙed 2 lety

      Okay so what Vox didn't mention is that the issue is most likely shockwaves. When you are digging you use all sorts of tools like jackhammers and such which cause vibrations in the earth around it. Old neighbourhoods in London like Kensington have old pipes and old systems that the city may not have updated in decades. Shockwaves and disturbing the ground can cause these pipes to burst. This is a issue that is talked about a lot in my country when large scale construction is happening close to older neighbourhoods. There are even examples of houses whose foundation has shifted and they start to lean.
      However, vox was attempting to focus on the gentrification of the neighbourhood cause when the ultra rich do this, they make the house so much more expensive so that when they sell out, you're bound to get other ultra rich. Most of whom wont live there full time, only part of the year, which is not helpful to the housing market in London either.
      Not to mention the noise pollution and disturbance the neighbours experience while this is happening.

  • @GoldsConcrete
    @GoldsConcrete Pƙed 2 lety +1

    We've seen a lot of this in Denver as well. Nowhere to go besides down. We've been doing numerous basement digouts every month and its not showing any signs of slowing down.

  • @mattstirling7494
    @mattstirling7494 Pƙed 2 lety

    The irony of a chap named 'Burrows' studying basements is delicious .

  • @jackdaniels2905
    @jackdaniels2905 Pƙed 2 lety +53

    So Bryan May's basement was flooded because of his neighbors digging?

  • @realishrhino3111
    @realishrhino3111 Pƙed 2 lety +38

    Still waiting to hear the serious problem with basements.......

    • @Medeasbiggestfan
      @Medeasbiggestfan Pƙed 2 lety +8

      I think the problem is rich people like it and Vox doesn’t like rich people.

    • @x2gaming148
      @x2gaming148 Pƙed 2 lety +12

      The problem is they can cause structural collapse, floods, and overall dangerous to have most of the land dug out from under most of the buildings.

    • @realishrhino3111
      @realishrhino3111 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@x2gaming148 i still dont get what that specifically has to do with London tho. Its not the only place in the world with basements lol.

    • @Medeasbiggestfan
      @Medeasbiggestfan Pƙed 2 lety

      @@x2gaming148 What buildings have suffered structural collapse in London as a result of new basements? The basement in my workplace in South Kensington was flooded recently, its basement dates back to the 1850s. Flooding has been a problem for London for a long time, it’s why we have the Thames barrier. New basements might be unwise given the history of flooding, but they didn’t cause the problem.

  • @oozcroom
    @oozcroom Pƙed 2 lety +1

    That was a great first half to a video!

  • @leewalker101172
    @leewalker101172 Pƙed rokem

    It has been going on for years. Back in the nineties, I worked for two construction firms. Both of them did general construction work and some large-scale development contracts. One of them (the last one) sometime in the early 2000s got a contract to excavate a single floor basement somewhere in Kensington. Within a year that was all they were doing and the company had expanded to be able to do three or four at a time. Some of them are mindblowing. one that springs to mind was three floors down and had a two-floor atrium with an elevator and an underground waterfall.

  • @qillqiggins294
    @qillqiggins294 Pƙed 2 lety +30

    Was expecting more ahah, video just ened ahaha

  • @Doping1234
    @Doping1234 Pƙed 2 lety +10

    I get how undermining a foundation may lead to collapse, but how does it cause flooding in another building?

  • @rogermccaslin5963
    @rogermccaslin5963 Pƙed 2 lety

    The haves and the have yachts! I need to remember that one. 😂

  • @anthonylebreton
    @anthonylebreton Pƙed 2 lety +1

    Great article. London needs to get a handle of it’s grotesque property market and level of inequality.

  • @kikijewell2967
    @kikijewell2967 Pƙed 2 lety +20

    In a hierarchy system, there's never happy with what you have. Playing my tiny violin.

    • @horushyperion76
      @horushyperion76 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Oh no, noise pollution and air pollution, ah it is a shame you can't afford soundproofing, or ventilation systems that handle those issues while living in 25M dollar house. Let me join your song with my nano bass.

    • @christiankalinkina239
      @christiankalinkina239 Pƙed 2 lety

      Odd name you have mrs jewell

  • @brokenwizards9122
    @brokenwizards9122 Pƙed 2 lety +33

    I don’t understand how his house flooded because of basements.

    • @starsinthesky593
      @starsinthesky593 Pƙed 2 lety +7

      They forgot or don't have answer lol 😂

    • @lucho2868
      @lucho2868 Pƙed 2 lety +8

      They didn't explain it.

    • @96mryomama
      @96mryomama Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Neighbors probably hit a groundwater reservoir when they were digging

    • @PLuMUK54
      @PLuMUK54 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      The constant building work damages the structure, causing cracks to appear in party (shared) walls. Presumably the builders next-door broke a sewer pipe, and the sewage oozed through the cracks.
      My next-door neighbours did building work that damaged our party wall. Somewhere, there are cracks in it, through these cracks I always know what they are cooking as the smell comes into my house. I've also had mice get into my house when the neighbours had a problem, so the cracks are not tiny, but neither are they visible my side. The neighbours are disinterested. Thank goodness its not sewage.

    • @taniabn
      @taniabn Pƙed 2 lety +1

      From Bryan May's Instagram post: "Why did this happen? It's almost certainly the result of all the basement building that has been plaguing this area for the past 10 years. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council was warned years ago that sinking so many deep basement extensions would obstruct the aquifers underneath our living space and render the drainage system ineffective."

  • @robinedge3995
    @robinedge3995 Pƙed 2 lety

    I happened to be at a Planning Committee at RBKC in 2016 where Brian May was arguing against a neighbouring basement development

  • @ruben34
    @ruben34 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    This video did not answer the question: what is the problem with building basements?
    It's the construction noise only?
    Why does it cause floods in the neighbours houses?

  • @faridjafari6356
    @faridjafari6356 Pƙed 2 lety +6

    I really do not understand why in a city like London or any other major cities in the world where housing is extremely expensive, they have limited the number of levels that can be built vertically above ground by limiting the height of buildings which limits the supply of very much needed homes in that city and results in increasing the prices of houses there even more.

    • @derosa1989
      @derosa1989 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      access to sunlight. Most city height restrictions have to do with limiting the amount of shadows on neighbouring properties.

  • @peytongonavy
    @peytongonavy Pƙed 2 lety +16

    "Hey neighbor! Just wanted to let you know the air is about to become much dirtier around our house for a couple months. I'll be in the country. Be well!"

    • @greenpinapple820
      @greenpinapple820 Pƙed 2 lety

      "You paid 25 mil euro for this home, so you dont have to deal with this type of stuff? Well I paid 50 mil euro for this new basement so, tough luck."

  • @nikkihanover7922
    @nikkihanover7922 Pƙed 2 lety

    does no one else love that the professor they chose to interview for this video is named "Burrows"??

  • @writerinprogress
    @writerinprogress Pƙed rokem

    I can't help wondering if this is going to cause a sinkhole problem much later down the line as well. Here in Maidstone we've had a rash of sinkhole incidents over the last few years, opening up in the middle of new housing estates, parks and even smack in the middle of main roads - and we're talking, like, 20ft deep, 10-15ft wide sinkholes, opening up in a matter of seconds and taking weeks, if not months to fill in and repair. It happens because in many parts of Maidstone there's a network of locally-known but unmapped underground mines, built way back in medieval times and then permanently abandoned. Speculation is that decades of rainfall seeping down through the soil and rock into these long-forgotten tunnels is making the ground above them more porous and therefore unstable.

  • @Sophiesmakeupbag
    @Sophiesmakeupbag Pƙed 2 lety +18

    How interesting! I used to work for the trade association that represents the interests of a lot of basement construction companies in and around London and the south east and saw some of their projects in photos in this video. I’d never known about the impact this work has on the city overall. Thanks for making such an informative video!

  • @WILD4X4D
    @WILD4X4D Pƙed 2 lety +5

    I guess I'm not the big Queen fan I thought I was. Never knew Brian May's basement flooded.

  • @lj7169
    @lj7169 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    If you start watching the video from 5:00 you could be fooled into thinking this was a 'Top 10 spooky stories of footballers who mysteriously vanished' video.

  • @rentisme
    @rentisme Pƙed 2 měsĂ­ci +1

    And yet Birmingham council won't let me get a loft extension

  • @minimalist4667
    @minimalist4667 Pƙed 2 lety +11

    “When I grow up I want to be an astronaut!”
    “When I grow up I want to be a doctor!”
    “When I grow up I want to study underground lairs!”

  • @afctaylor12
    @afctaylor12 Pƙed 2 lety +3

    Quoting daily mail. Great work

  • @NaohMkS
    @NaohMkS Pƙed 2 lety

    This one of these videos that end way too early. I was so ready to learn more about the topic

  • @myleswillis
    @myleswillis Pƙed 2 lety

    0:53 "Underwater playgrounds" 😂 That's only in Brian's house dude. đŸ€Ł

  • @skeletopedia3122
    @skeletopedia3122 Pƙed 2 lety +5

    Can you elaborate more on granite, clay, and other different soils for buildings?

  • @peterthepanda
    @peterthepanda Pƙed 2 lety +21

    They're building Londown. 😅

  • @bjoernaltmann
    @bjoernaltmann Pƙed 2 lety +1

    Some houses have even collapsed when they were trying to extend them. These houses are also called iceberg houses, because the basement is bigger than the house above ground. They also have car collections underground, not just swimming pools.

  • @MonCarlo
    @MonCarlo Pƙed 2 lety

    very interesting. i am just amazed by how people can come up with these ideas

  • @Diabetesboy408
    @Diabetesboy408 Pƙed 2 lety +40

    This just sounds like any other 1st world country

  • @ryan2flyin
    @ryan2flyin Pƙed 2 lety +3

    I've always wanted a mega basement underground lair. Normal house on the outside, huge gym and pool on the inside

  • @robertyoung4559
    @robertyoung4559 Pƙed 2 lety

    POV: you saw a house in your neighbourhood and are wondering where the swimming pool is in relation to you.

  • @ThePlenderleith
    @ThePlenderleith Pƙed 2 lety +33

    I just want to point out that rich people paying for home renovations is actually a good thing for wealth redistribution because they are paying the wage of several blue collar workers in the process. Also it's probably best we expand vertically because horizontal expansion leads to urban sprawl, which leads to longer commute times that disproportionately affect the poor.

    • @SuperKing604
      @SuperKing604 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      good point

    • @vlt96
      @vlt96 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      They are probably just paying for the profits of their selected building company more than any wages.
      And London is also expanding horizontally... it's the worst sprawl in Europe. It's just that there's no room for that in the centre of the city.

    • @clementine5053
      @clementine5053 Pƙed 2 lety

      I agree!

    • @quartzofcourse
      @quartzofcourse Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Keep licking those wealthy boots, maybe they’ll give you a penny one day!

  • @seanwebb605
    @seanwebb605 Pƙed 2 lety +32

    This really seems like a non issue.

    • @kenster8270
      @kenster8270 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      What the flooded basements?

    • @RomilCPatel
      @RomilCPatel Pƙed 2 lety

      @@kenster8270
      It’s an easy issue to fix. Just get rid of the rules in London that say that you can’t add height to an existing building or that you can’t build out.

  • @AeromaticXD
    @AeromaticXD Pƙed 2 lety +9

    Fantastic reference to Booth’s work; which shows how classism is literally built into Britain!

  • @RandomnessTube.
    @RandomnessTube. Pƙed 2 lety

    Brings a whole new meaning to the term "you live in your mom's basement".

  • @holdenhenry
    @holdenhenry Pƙed 2 lety

    Love these architecture videos, but they are all too short!

  • @tranminhtri9963
    @tranminhtri9963 Pƙed 2 lety +3

    Love the animation so much, and also the sound. The designers did really a great job.