The Inquiry: Mansion House Square & No. 1 Poultry

One of the questions posed within the exhibition is how we, with the distance of time, view Mies’s modern glass tower and Stirling’s ‘post-International Style’ within the trajectory of architectural styles and architectural history. Some believe Mies’s scheme would have created a modern masterpiece even if it had been built decades after the heyday of the modern era. Others believe that the postmodern Stirling Wilford & Associates’ scheme, although contextual to the site, ended up suffering the same suggested fate as Mies’s proposal – that of being outdated before its own completion.

In this courtroom style event, we provide a younger generation of architecture historians, critics, planners and architects the opportunity to reflect on the two schemes and express their rightful place in history – as built or unbuilt.

Both the Mies scheme and Stirling scheme have been subjected to lengthy inquiries, fighting for their individual existence, but this is the first time that the two are viewed and discussed critically through a comparative analysis. Join us for this participatory event where you, the audience, will act as jury and vote for the project that should/is (be) there.