“If it was successful it would provide a precedent for legislation. It could be that we’re on the brink of another transformation in terms of what is visually acceptable,” says Mr Goldschmied. “If windmills on the roof put power-station workers out of work – tough… we’re seeking to prototype the sustainability of existing buildings.”This is a key point.

If architects are to make any significant difference to the environmental efficiency of buildings, they will have to think mainly in terms of the built environment rather than new buildings. The Government’s Urban Task Force estimates that 90 per cent of buildings standing today will still be standing in 2030. Change, Mr Goldschmied admits, will be slow.But he insists that what happens to buildings in London is important because changes will be seen as models of architectural development in the rest of the world. And there have been downsides in the past: “The mayor of Taipei said that traffic jams were a symbol of success There’s a mindset for you. They look to the US and Europe for solutions and cultural models.”Some of the key historic hand-me-downs, he says, have been utterly pernicious.

The creation of London’s suburban metroland, which originally radiated outwards from tube stops, was copied in America. “The long-term legacy of that is that, in some states, they spend more on school buses than on education.”Mr Goldschmied’s whistle-stop tour through the forces that would increasingly inform architecture – dot mery, rationalised distribution leading to less traffic, tax issues, energy offsets – is an ideas parts-list which can be seen as confetti thrown into the void or a useful grist. When pressed to predict how the capital might look and feel in 2030, he took the visionary option “Could London be the city of windmills?” he wonders “Could it be a city of silence?”. British parents are paying the highest price in Europe in terms of salary loss and limited time off work when they choose to have children. British parents are paying the highest price in Europe in terms of salary loss and limited time off work when they choose to have children.
A study published today by the Institute of Education (IoE) shows how badly Britain compares with the rest of Europe. While mothers and fathers in some countries enjoy months off work at full pay during the early years of their child’s life, British mothers get minimal benefit payments and fathers are expected to take unpaid leave if they want to spend any time with their infants.The poor conditions run contrary to the Government’s policy of promoting family life and reflect the fact that Labour has introduced only the minimum requirements allowed under a European Union directive.Campaigners said ministers should now look at providing a combined package of parental leave and childcare for working parents.Colette Kelleher, director of the Daycare Trust, said: “British parents are very much on their own when they have children, particularly when they try to combine work and parental responsibilities.