One of Britain s most famous architects has said offices left empty by the coronavirus crisis could become the residential tower blocks of the future and vacant shops could be turned into urban farms.
Lord Foster of Thames Bank, whose designs include the Gherkin in London and Apple s headquarters in Cupertino, California, said the pandemic has been an accelerant of trends that will reshape global cities.
The 85-year-old argued that these trends include the repurposing of buildings for alternative use and the pedestrianisation of larger swathes of urban centres.
Lord Foster told the Financial Times that the crisis sparked by the global outbreak of Covid-19 has brought Britain to a crossroads in the evolution of the office, millions of which have stood empty for the past year.