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He signed up for various courses and it became accelerated learning, be it engineering, computer programming, web design or architecture he absorbed it all – fast. Call it what you will, but my mind was racing at a million miles an hour and I was easily bored.” “Maybe I was on the spectrum, maybe it was ADHD. School hadn’t suited him, but that was more to do with attitude than aptitude and it transpired Daniels was an ‘accelerated person’. “It sounds a cliché, but the suicide attempt was the ultimate crossroads. “I looked up Liverpool Street and there were Lamborghinis next to people who could not afford to eat,” says Daniels. While living on the streets, he asked himself why London, capital of one of the world’s most prosperous and advanced countries, had such a profound level of homelessness. At 15, Daniels, north London born before moving out to Essex and back, was homeless. So why not shoot for the stars and that garden city of Eden?ĭaniels’ drive was born of adversity – such extreme adversity that, aged 21, it led to a suicide attempt. Certainly, in the context of an affordable, accessible, scaleable housing solution. But did I secretly want to find the beliefs of the 28-year-old founder of the Project Etopia Group full of hot air, even if mechanically ventilated?Įtopia deliberately sounds very close to Utopia, which only fuels cynicism even if you have to admire the confidence.īut after an hour of high octane, highly articulate talk, you know what – Etopia could be pretty close to Utopia, Nirvana, Shangri-La or whatever you want to call your paradise. Youthful ambition, especially when seared with a philanthropic crust, is a tough trait to criticise. When you first meet Joseph Daniels, a young entrepreneur hogging the housing headlines and blazing a preternatural trail across the industry, it is tempting to seek the flaws.Īpplaud the hero then expose his square feet of clay. Not sure what your cynical correspondent was expecting or hoping for. Project Etopia has set itself high standards for shaping future housing and, with a driven and determined Joseph Daniels at the helm, there is every likelihood it will succeed.