Starting with a clean slate – an open piece of desert – the practice founded by Dame Zaha Hadid has designed an office building unlike any other. It has all the hallmarks of Hadid, the British-Iraqi architect who changed the language of world architecture. Her philosophy is carried on today by he...

A new mosque in Cambridge comes from the practice of British architect Julia Barfield who, with her late husband David Marks, designed the London Eye. Built to accommodate a growing Muslim community, the Cambridge Central Mosque presented challenges Barfield and her team had not met before.

After the Vatican, the Church of England has the largest religious archive in the world. But there has never been a building big enough to house it all. Until now. Husband and wife team Clare and Sandy Wright were given the job of designing a state-of-the art library and archive in the garden of ...

Sir Michael Hopkins is the doyen of British architecture. He and his wife, Patty, formed their practice 45 years ago and it’s still going strong. Among its latest projects is a choir school in Wimbledon, overseen by senior architect Mike Taylor, which perfectly illustrates the attention to detail...

For the Swiss-British architect Christina Seilern it felt like going home; a commission to create a world-class concert hall in the Swiss Alps. It’s all part of the regeneration of Andermatt, a garrison-town abandoned by the military but now being brought back to live by an Egyptian developer.

RIBA award-winning Swedish architect Magnus Strom has made the UK his home and brought with him a new take on Mid-century Modern. He has become the leading designer of private houses that take their lead from the radical designs of the 1940s and 50s. And more than that, Strom has taken the use of...

When the Russian Orthodox Church commissioned a new cathedral in Paris, on the banks of the Seine, they turned to architect Jean-Michael Wilmotte. He has given them a spectacular building, its golden onion domes contrasting with its neighbour the Eiffel Tower. The new cathedral is estimated to ha...

It won the Lubetkin Prize and introduced the award-winning designs of the veteran British architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw to Australia. And it is vast - filling an entire city block. But Grimshaw has form on railway stations; he was the man who designed Waterloo International.

Italian architect Renzo Piano lives in Paris and has just completed the remarkable Palais de Justice. It is almost as striking as the Pompidou Centre which Piano and Richard Rogers created in 1974. Piano, a Pritzker Prize winner, is a veteran of European architects, noted for buildings such as th...

How did Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center Transportation Hub come to be? This intriguing new series explores the inspirations behind the world's architectural marvels.

A look at London's mammoth Battersea Power Station, brought back to life after 30 years of dereliction with designs from architect Jim Eyre.

An in-depth look at Japanese architect Kengo Kuma's first UK project, the magnificent V&A Dundee, including the huge challenges behind its construction.

A look at how Thomas Heatherwick's unusual and stunning design of many staircases became a mind-blowing tourist attraction in Manhattan, known as the Vessel.

A look at Ptolemy Dean's Weston Tower, which lies within Westminster Abbey. What went into designing the most significant addition to this historic site in 240 years?

Explore the inspiration behind architect Graham Stirk's stunning Macallan Distillery in Scotland.

New. A look into the stunning Smithsonian National Museum of African American History - designed by British architect David Adjaye, and inspired by the art and history of Africa.

An inside look at the architecture behind London's new Design Museum in Kensington, a result of minimalist John Pawson's exquisite vision.

With his work loved by the Prince of Wales, John Simpson is the modern architect who creates breathtaking classical buildings - including his own Hampshire house.

The final episode explores the theatre at London's Alexandra Palace. Restored by Matt Somerville, he infused it with modern touches, while keeping its rich history alive.