By Mihaela Petkova Oxford Brookes University was delighted to host the first public preview of the newly published book by CJ Lim and Steve McCloy, Once Upon a China. They disclosed that trying to present the richness of the book in a single lecture was as challenging as writing the book itself. But nevertheless, the audience's curiosity was clearly sparked judging by the long queues for obtaining a signed copy. The talk discussed the depth of architecture beyond its visual

Peter Barber entertained a very full house at the Barbican Centre on Tuesday night, and showed how thoughtful, people-centred architecture can be produced within the confines of a public-sector project. Unusually for a major practice, almost all Barber’s proposals are for affordable mass housing in London. This local approach has allowed the practice to fully understand the cultural, political, and socio-economic complexities of such a diverse city and, as Barber admits, has

By Alana Maslen As the term begins and many new students are heading to the city a question is asked, what should I visit in Oxford? Do you head for the iconic architecture such as the Radcliffe Camera, or delight in the historic stores of the covered market, followed by the modern Westgate centre. Perhaps you prefer to see the city by water and try your hand at punting (where when the weather is good you can accidentally engage in floating bumper carts). Do you focus on the