Tom Wilkinson
Tom Wilkinson is History Editor of The Architectural Review and the author of Bricks and Mortals: Ten Great Buildings and the People They Made
Stories
United States Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon by MorphosisSubscription
Like US diplomatic buildings worldwide, this facility currently under construction in Beirut is subject to increased fortification, following two bombings of the previous embassy
Swiss Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya by Roeoesli & Maeder ArchitektenSubscription
The new embassy complex turns is back to the street, begging the question of what buildings of this type owe to the context in which they sit
Egyptian Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal by Promontorio, 2018Subscription
The patterns of Lisbon’s Egyptian embassy deal with an expression of its home country’s architectural heritage, without becoming a replica of a traditional building, alien to its new, foreign context
Franco-German Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh by SPA DesignSubscription
Completed in 2017, the double-occupancy of the embassy shared between France and Germany in Dhaka is expressed in the very fabric of the building
Typology: EmbassySubscription
Redolent of the geopolitical climate, embassy design has shifted to create symbols of protection as well as power
Ahead of the curve: Office Off Course, ChinaSubscription
An archaeological park in Zhejiang province by Office Off Course juxtaposes strident angles with soft curves
Adaptive learning: O'Donnell Brown, UKSubscription
Schools in London’s Tower Hamlets have been imaginatively extended and improved by O’Donnell Brown despite limited budgets
Typology: BankSubscription
Beginning with the simple table from which they take their name, banks developed into one of the most splendid urban building types as they sought to reassure depositors. Today they are on the verge of disappearing altogether
Gilt complex: buildings that glitterSubscription
From pagodas to the lavatory, architecture’s most precious material is rich in meaning
Typology: PalaceSubscription
Big houses for feudal rulers advertised the right to power of those within, while protecting them from the people they exploited to build them – today, the tradition continues in the hands of oligarchs
