Dropped randomly in a newly developed district of any city, you would find it increasingly difficult to establish your location solely from the buildings surrounding you. From Doha to Dublin, a global corporate architecture has come to represent ‘new development’. 

This trend has even made it to Cambridge, where Michael Gove has given the go ahead for 425 flats along with five commercial buildings in Cambridge North.

It’s clear we live in a time where urban landscapes increasingly mirror each other with standardised commercial and corporate architecture. It’s easier, less risky and more cost efficient. But what of heritage, identity and preservation of culture? How do we – and should we — work to maintain a sense of place amidst the tide of globalisation?

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