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26 December 2009
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Griff Rhys Jones

Building Britain

A revealing insight into the British character through the extraordinary landscape of Britain's buildings.

Are you interested in how we've built Britain? What are the buildings in Wales that you love and loathe? What will we want to preserve in 100 years time?

Does renovation work? Is the use of natural materials a fashion fad or the way of the future?

Griff Rhys Jones: Building Britain

Watch a clip of the show

As part of the BBC's landmark series How We Built Britain, on Sunday 17 June Griff Rhys Jones presented Building Britain, a special programme about the buildings of Wales.

He explored the present and future state of architecture and planning in Wales, looking at urban, rural and market-town issues across the country.

The programme took a special interest in so-called 'brown field' sites - old industrial sites that are ripe for regeneration, from the 'shop window' of Cardiff Bay and the Senedd building to the surprising social mix of Swansea's new SA1 residential project.

Coed Darcy, near Neath, was another development explored by the programme. Built on the site of an old oil refinery, the new town is shunning cul-de-sacs and detached housing in favour of ancient systems such as terraces. The successful restoration of Victorian shop fronts in Cardigan town centre was also covered.

Aimed at making people rethink the state of Welsh architecture - and with contributions from some opinionated locals and experts across Wales - the programme asked what will be built in the future, and what this will 'say' about Wales as a nation.

Richard Evans: Friday 22 June 2007

Building Britain was followed by a special programme on BBC Radio Wales, presented by Richard Evans, about how we build the Wales of the future. A panel of experts, including Professor Malcolm Parry, debated the future of building and design in front of a studio audience.

Listen again to the debate

About the series

How We Built Britain may also inspire viewers to rediscover and re-engage with the architecture that surrounds them.

Whether it's taking a trip to a well-known historic building they last visited on a school trip, photographing the everyday architecture they can see out of their window, or considering the arguments for and against new development in their region, How We Built Britain actively encourages viewers to express their opinions and share their pictures.

Viewers are invited to visit the main BBC website, bbc.co.uk/britain, to upload their photographs of British buildings to a BBC Britain In Pictures group on the photo sharing site, Flickr.

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