Broadwick House comes as something of a surprise. The building was commissioned by a developer and occupies an entire city block in the heart of Soho’s dense conservation area, which this quadruple-aspect office development provides six floors of office space raised above street-level retail and restaurant accommodation. It is a place where straightforwardly ‘contextual’ design has been the norm, a contemporary landmark that lifted the profile and enriched the life of this historic neighbourhood.

The planning negotiations for the project were protracted but the result is a strikingly contemporary structure that enhances the neighborhood. The site is an island, with thoroughfares on all four sides. To the east, it abuts Berwick Street, famous as the oldest surviving fruit and vegetable market in central London, dating from the 1840. Neighbouring buildings range from Georgian town houses to 60’s high rise apartments and 80’s Post-Modern styled office blocks. Into this diverse context, Broadwick House introduces an element of rationality and urbanity.

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The Spanish National Airports Authority (AENA) held an international competition which was won by a consortium of Richard Rogers Partnership, the Spanish practice Estudio Lamela and two engineering companies TPS and Initec in 1997. The design was chosen for it simplicity, adaptability and flexibility, allowing for future changes and extensions. The new terminal, its satellite and two new runways will double the airport’s capacity, making Barajas the second largest airport in Europe and 10^th in the world.

Responding to the requirements of 21st-century travel, the New Terminal at Barajas will be efficient, economic and functional, accommodating anticipated growth in passenger traffic, which could be up to 35 million per annum in 2010 and 50 million in 2020. It is predicted that the new terminal will accommodate between 65 and 70 million passengers per annum. Passenger numbers are expected to surpass Schiphol in the Netherlands, Europe’s second largest airport, in five years time. With total area of 1,200,000 square m, the NAT is one of the largest buildings in Europe and will have a significant urban, economic and social impact on both Madrid and Spain itself.

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Richard Rogers writes about suburbs and its role to enhancing the urban. He starts with the contrast condition in Manchester’s urban as the cause of the new government’s turning point. While in the revitalized city centres you will see sustainable urban, in the sub urban there’s only shoddy housing and wasted land. Rogers argues it was government’s mistake to focus on quantity rather than quality.

What was he worried about is if government less targeting on derelict brownfield and greenfield land, a vital element to improving the quality of the city and keep the sub urban in good shape. Why he is very concern not only to the center of the city, but also the marginal? Because Rogers believes that good urban design is about paying attention to the spaces between buildings as well as the buildings themselves.

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