Carl Gardner has lifted the lid on the new designer buildings that have sprung up across the country. He describes their interiors as sophisticated and spectacular, with glass atria, glazed barrel-vaults, polished steel, mirrored walls and marble floors. They often have "drawbridges" spanning the central openings, and glass elevators to each floor providing an excellent opportunity to admire the surroundings. The environment is controlled by huge heating systems and air conditioning to provide the perfect …showed first 75 words of 726 total…

…showed last 75 words of 726 total…had little effect on the retail market as people feel the need to buy anything, it doesn't seem to matter what, just as long as you're not seen to be one of the "have nots" by the "haves". With retail growth for 1985 a mere 1-1.5% and the chance of higher interest rates on the horizon after the Christmas spending spree, it seems the country may be slipping from the "boom" to the "bust". Word count: 732