Out of the box

Chapter 1

Yugoslavia’s architecture

Yugoslavia had mixed fortunes when it came to architecture. Skopje was flattened by an earthquake in the 1960s, forcing a radical rebuild, and Belgrade has been bombarded so many times that maintaining architectural integrity has become a nigh-on impossible task.

Chapter 2

Alicante’s mushrooms

The Spanish city of Alicante, known for its beachfront high-rises and perennial sunshine, also has a lesser-known but infinitely more colourful attraction: some rather large, shiny and undeniably controversial mushrooms sprouting along the entire Calle San Francisco.

Chapter 3

Embrace the ugly?

With the world seemingly being sanitised to create acceptable aesthetics and urban experiences, it takes courage to build a truly ugly thing – because in the end the ugly often rises from convictions about form and use.

Chapter 4

Divisive buildings: Centre Pompidou

Since its opening in 1977, the Pompidou Centre in Paris has divided opinion. The museum is due a major renovation for its 40th anniversary but no compromise will be made on the original vision of architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers.