© Philip Vile

Holland Green

There is probably no other period to which contemporary architecture is more indebted than the 1960s – a period of structural invention that finally allowed modern architecture to break free from the formalist geometries through which it had manifested itself. In the context of architecture's present quest for the iconic, the 1960s experiments form a rich reservoir of precedents. It is unfortunate then that much of 1960s architecture is now threatened with extensive demolition. With this project, we now have the opportunity to conceive a new future for London's Commonwealth Institute and to ultimately rehabilitate a period that continues to inform contemporary architecture.