Apart from the Velodrome and a cultural centre in Derry, none of the shortlisted buildings set the heart, and mind, racing

A leading British architect has lashed out against designers who are winning major building commissions by offering "suicide fees".

Ten pages of quotes, but none about oranges

Its design was tough to sell to the planning committee, but the results are striking

The self-assured structures of an empire at its height were the stock-in-trade of Bedford Lemere & Co, the architectural photographers, whose archive of 20,000 glass negatives is the source for this bitter-sweet glimpse of a vanished world.

Unless you're a 'starchitect', chances are you'll end up creating mediocre glass-clad hangars, says Jay Merrick. Does the problem lie with the profession, or the politicians in charge of our towns and cities?

Spring is here and our fancy turns to conservatories; they can add value and give much pleasure – but beware the pitfalls.

How would you like to live on a Seventies housing estate built on the outskirts of a sleepy dormitory town? The answer is likely to be a resounding "no" – but prepare to have your prejudices about the decade that brought us the avocado bathroom suite confounded.

Unbelievably, the public WC is once again being relished as a work of architectural design rather than a mere convenience

I have recently returned to the UK after a year teaching English in Thailand on a voluntary basis. I would now like to take some form of TEFL course, with the intention of returning to Thailand and getting some paid work. But there are so many different courses advertised. Are they all of equal worth, or should I be limiting my search to those accredited by certain bodies? I have a degree and a PGCE.

They are stark and gaunt, often radiating an aura of carbonised dampness that suggests ruin and redemption. In our age of urban regeneration, the photographs of Eric de Maré, on show at the Royal Institute of British Architects, are ironic palimpsests of the government's grands projets on the Olympic site and Thames Gateway. But is Britain really on the march again, in the way that De Maré thought it was in the 50s and 60s? Half a century later, do we give a damn, as he did, about ordinary older buildings and settings?

A former munitions depot is to be transformed into London's newest contemporary art space by the Serpentine Gallery, it was announced today.

The 437m tower is the tallest structure ever built to a design by a British architect.

He has damned modern designs for London's National Gallery and Chelsea Barracks, trumpeted a traditionalist model town in Dorset and delivered verdicts on buildings to ministers and world leaders. Now Prince Charles's architectural influence could be felt across Britain.