Further up, purpose-built residential mansion blocks have been converted into government offices for the Department of Education and Employment, probably the most ludicrous urban renewal conversion of the eighties. Next to it, the DTI refurbishment missed the opportunity of leaving the vista onto Westminster Abbey from Victoria Street by blocking it with a new conference centre. What the redevelopment of this unique area teaches us is that there seems to be no way of creating new open spaces or lowering densities during the process of urban change. The main square is organised around the three buildings required to house a government department and a pedestrian street connects this to the Great Peter St and Marsham St corner. The joint second prize by Pier Carlo Bontempi and Andrea Pacciani.
Central square contains a market emphasising the introverted character of the project.
The joint second prize by John Robins and Janusz Maciag. The plan responds to the immediate vicinity by connecting streets across the block with buildings framing views. Alternatives Let us think for a moment what could have happened instead. John Gummer could have designated this unique area as a place for experimentation in 21st century urban design and public participation. He could have commissioned a context study which did not exclude the Houses of Parliament, one of the main attractors of tourists in the area.