Discussion on Incremental Launch Bridges: UK Practice and Some Foreign Comparisons by F.N. Rowley

Newspaper buildings are often thought of as utilitarian; in many cases, they are low-cost industrial sheds. The new headquarters for The Western Morning News Co. in Derriford, Plymouth, challenges that image. The building is almost entirely clad in ‘Planar’ glazing, allowing the complete newspaper production process, from journalist to delivery van, to be visible from the outside, producing a building of considerable drama. P.A. Bailey and F. Wainwright

Had I declared myself a ‘millenarian’ a thousand years ago, I would have been damned as a heretic. But in the strictly lay sense, I am an avowed millenarian and find myself fascinated by the potent imagery that the millennium evokes. In the sight of the Almighty it is an evening gone, but for those who inhabit our globe when one age passes into the next, it will be a unique experience. I view the millennium as a moment which provokes, with its extraordinary fascination and power, contemplation of the state and character of our civilisation as it nears its second millennial birthday. Lord Palumbo of Walbrook

This month's letters discuss foundations in shrinkable ground and highlight a survey on structural optimisation in practice.