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Last edited 16 Jul 2025

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City Cluster, Kit of Parts

• Robinson projection indicating the major urban areas on the planet in 2006 - CC BY-SA 3.0

... [the office building's] increasing dominance in major urban areas throughout the world is accompanied by a disastrous lack of questioning of its medium and long-term usefulness.
(Price, C. (1969) 'ECHOES', Architectural Design, September.)

1 CITY CLUSTER: A kit of parts generating a worldwide system
2 KIT OF PARTS: A generator of a worldwide system
3 CONCLUSION
4 Notes
5 References
6 Further Reading
7 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] CITY CLUSTER: A kit of parts generating a worldwide system

1.1

This article is predicated on an ambiguous concept, namely:—

'city cluster'.

A study of the literature has suggested two possible definitions, namely:—

... that major urban areas throughout the world can be defined as megalopolises, or city clusters. [1]
... that a group of office buildings associated with Swiss Re House in an area of a micropolis - i.e."the City" - can be defined as a city cluster - see Drawing 1.

• Drawing 1: "Consolidation of the City Cluster of High Buildings." Courtesy of Foster + Partners, 1998.

"Drawings like this one from an intermediate planning and design report suggested that the tower would enhance the skyline by completing the “cluster” of towers in the City’s northeastern quadrant."
(Foster + Partners, Swiss Re House, Record Set of Presentation, 19th and 21st October 1998, 1998).

Christopher Alexander, however, has introduced the idea of a generating system. For example:—

"A generating system is not a view of a single thing. It is a kit of parts, with rules about the way these parts may be combined."
(Alexander, C. (1968) 'Systems Generating Systems', Architectural Design, December).

Thus the first thing is the full title: "City Cluster, Kit of Parts". It means viewing a city cluster not as a single thing but as a kit of parts, or elements, generating a worldwide system of megalopolises, or city clusters - i.e. a megalopolitan system.

1.2

In addition to the subjective need suggested by Foster + Partners in their presentation in 1998, Massey has identified a commercial need, namely:—

"to generate profits"
(Massey, J, (2013) 'The Gherkin: How London's Famous Tower Leveraged Risk and Became an Icon').

In the same year, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) initiated the Design of Cities competition for a site in western Manhattan, New York City, New York. The five finalists included Cedric Price. [2]

"With the exception of Mr. Price, the finalists share some common traits. All use curves or waves to set the site area off from the surrounding regularity of the Manhattan grid. With varying degrees of looseness, they adopt the megastructural approach: bringing together urban activities within a large, comprehensive architectural framework."
(Muschamp, H. (1999) 'Design Fantasies for a Strip of the West Side', New York Times, October 18).

• Drawing 2: "Axonometric for IFPRI site", by Cedric Price, 1999.

In the FAX confirming his "nomination and extreme interest in participation in the IFCCA project" Cedric Price identified a need, namely:—

"to equate the involvement of Human aspirations with the form, movement and 'life' span of the Inanimate".

Thus this article focuses on the relation between contemporary aspirations and architecture.

1.3

In response to the commercial need to generate profits Foster + Partners proposed a solution, namely:—

Swiss Re House.

• Model 1: "Site Analysis: Urban Context" - Source: Foster + Partners

"Models like this one from Foster + Partners suggested that Swiss Re House, in red at the centre of the circle, was the original schema of action."
(Fellows, N. (2023) 'Swiss Re Think').

In contrast, Cedric Price proposed a radically different solution, namely:—

IFPRI.

Thus this article also focuses on the link between architecture and design criteria.

[edit] KIT OF PARTS: A generator of a worldwide system

2.1

Points 1.1 to 1.3 above indicate:—

... that Foster + Partners' "City Cluster" was conceived as a kit of commercial parts - i.e. office buildings A to L - generating a worldwide system of megalopolises, or city clusters - i.e. a megalopolitan system.
... that Price's "IFPRI" was conceived as an alternative - i.e. A Lung for Midtown Manhattan.

These differences are discussed below in points 2.2 and 2.3.

2.2

"The Swiss Re tower is arguably the most important 21st century landmark in London."
(Building Design, quoted on Foster + Partners' website). [3]

However, Norman Fellows has claimed:—

"London won't be around forever [...] forever is a long time." [4]

• Model 2: "Plan view with overlay of site Scene 14" - Source: Norman Fellows, 2021.

"Models like this one from Norman Fellows anticipate the depletion of the city cluster."
(Fellows, N. (2023) 'Swiss Re Think').

Table 1 below shows models of office buildings A to L from Foster + Partners' original city cluster- see key to Drawing 1.

A International Financial Centre

Learn More

B 99-101 Bishopsgate

Learn More

C Swiss Re House

Learn More

The invitation to "Learn More" about Swiss Re House links to its description on Wikipedia under 7 headings:—

D Commercial Union

Learn More

E Deutsche Bank

No model available in 3D Warehouse.

Learn More

F Stock Exchange

Learn More

G Angel Court

Learn More

H Drapers' Gardens

No model available in 3D Warehouse.

Learn More

I Dashwood House

Learn More

J Lloyd's

Learn More

K Dresdner Kleinwort Benson

No model available in 3D Warehouse.

Learn More

L Barclays, Lombard St.

No model available in 3D Warehouse.

Learn More

Table 1: Models of office buildings A to L from Foster + Partners' original "City Cluster" dated 1998.

Other office buildings permitted under the changed planning regime included:—

M Heron Tower - Learn More
N Leadenhall Building (the Cheesegrater) - Learn More
O Broadgate Tower - Learn More
P 22 Bishopsgate - Learn More
Q 20 Fenchurch Street (the Walkie-Talkie) - Learn More.

• Table 2 below indicates the continuing generation of a worldwide commercial system

2005 - Sydney, Australia Deutsche Bank Place		2014 - Dubai, UAE World Trade Center
2014 - Paris France La Garenne-Colombes		2014 - Washington DC USA City Center
2017 - Shanghai, China Bund Finance Center		2020 - Kuwait National Bank of Kuwait
2020 - Dubai, UAE Investment Corporation of Dubai		2022 - Hangzhou, China Euro-American Financial City
2022 - New York, USA 50 Hudson Yards Building Hudson Yards - Tomorrow's City Today		2022 - Sydney, Australia Salesforce Tower
2023 - Shanghai, China Suhe Centre		2023 - San Francisco, USA Oceanwide Center

• Table 2: A selection of office buildings designed by Foster + Partners since the completion of Swiss Re House.

Note:— 50 Hudson Yards is located on the site of the Design of Cities competition in Manhattan.

Thus this article argues, firstly:—

... that, in 1998, "City Cluster" was the first in a series of commercial projects by Foster + Partners.

2.3

"Defence, energy and commerce have in the past been sufficient generators of cities. This project assumes that education and the need to exchange information may have a similar generative force: cities can be made by learning."
(Price, C. (1966) 'Potteries Thinkbelt', Architectural Design, October).

• Drawing 244/001: "LEARNING LEARNING LEARNING", by Cedric Price, 1999.

"Drawings like this one are evidence of the underlying assumption behind IFPRI."
(Fellows, N. (2023) 'Swiss Re Think')

Thus this article argues, secondly:—

... that, in 1999, "IFPRI" was the last in a series of educational projects by Cedric Price.

[edit] CONCLUSION

This article affirms its major premise as evidenced by the facts:—

... that Foster + Partner's commercial aspirations in 1998 related to the architecture of city clusters; and
... that Cedric Price's educational aspirations in 1999 related to the architecture of IFPRI.

This article also affirms its minor premise as evidenced by the facts:—

... that the architecture of city clusters is linked to desgn criteria such as risk and the transformation of economies and governance but not to the long-term life of office buildings: and
... that the architecture of IFPRI is linked to design criteria such as doubt, delight and change.

It therefore concludes:—

... that Swiss Re House was the original (commercial) schema of action;
... that the "City Cluster" in the City of London was a model for generating a system of city clusters;
... that, subsequently, Foster + Partners' other office buildings dotted throughout the world generate an emergent megalopolitan system.

and

... that the Potteries Thinkbelt was the original (educational) schema of action;
... that ATOM is a model for a kit of educational parts; [5]
... that IFPRI anticipates the generation of a worldwide educational system. [6]

"I think it's only the beginning. I think that a clear and beautiful idea becomes politically stronger and stronger with time."
(Mike Nichols, Letter to Cedric Price dated October 19, 1999). [7]

[edit] Notes

[1] Wikipedia (2023) 'Megalopolis'.

[2] In addition to Cedric Price, the architects chosen to compete included Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos of Amsterdam; Peter Eisenman of New York who won the competition and its $100,000 prize with a design developed with David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Thom Mayne of Santa Monica, California.; and Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto of New York.

[3] Foster + Partners, '30 St Mary Axe'.

[4] Comment made in December 1999.

[5] Price, C. (1968) 'Atom', Architectural Design, May.

[6] Fellows, N. (2015 et seq.) 'Edukit'.

[7] Nichols, M. (1999) 'Letter to Cedric Price', October 19 in Hardingham, S. ed. (2003) 'Cedric Price Opera)