NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES

Despite the breathtaking views overlooking Cardiff Bay from slate-clad terraces, visitors to the new Welsh National Assembly building are finding it is difficult to stop looking inland. The building designed by Richard Rogers Partnership has been heralded as a pioneering example of sustainability and one of the most important and controversial projects of Rogers’s career. Next week writer Terri Whitehead will show us around and describe the beautiful, undulating red cedar soffit and other applications of natural materials.

A CAPITAL AFFAIR

Though known globally for the breadth of its historic architectural landscape, London may really be striving for contemporary credentials. In the city's recent architecture biennale, part of the United Kingdom-wide "Architecture Week," organizers called attention to this eclectic city fabric with a sheep drive over the Millennium Bridge. Next week writer Jo Baker will explain that, beyond the fun, the celebration was an opportunity to seriously debate the nature of London's skyline and how it should evolve.