July.

Next month's issue looks at buildings for high culture--art galleries, museums and performance spaces. It is a familiar theme, but one worth returning to, as historically, culture has always embodied the most expressive and experimental aspects of human endeavour and continues to be a distinguishing characteristic of all civilized societies. Latterly, culture has acted as a powerful catalyst for urban regeneration--the redevelopment of neglected areas of cities has often depended on the presence of a new cultural building, or the creative adaptation of an existing historic or industrial structure. In the United States, we look at two major new cultural buildings which make bold statements about the relationship between architecture and culture. In Cincinnati, Zaha Hadid has just completed her eagerly awaited new Contemporary Arts Center and in upstate New York at Bard College, Frank Gehry has designed a new Performing Arts Center, his first building on the eastern seaboard. In Oslo, Sverre Fehn has completed a new Photography Museum, imaginatively inserted into an old depot in a former naval base, and in Melbourne, Wood Marsh Architects have designed a new centre for contemporary art, which forms part of the major ongoing redevelopment of Federation Square.

Plus the usual stimulating mixture of Interior Design, Delight and our lively View pages. Take the AR to the beach this summer--buy this and II other issues by completing the enclosed subscription form or click on our ever expanding website:

www.arplus.com