Interrailing in middle age, learning from life on the continent, the joys of  1930s mansion blocks and a proposal to give architects the skills required to write a decent brief and be an effective client.

Finding magic in the mundane, understanding the power of a watertight contract and impeccable paperwork, speaking up for what you believe in and providing a platform for a wide range of professionals to make their voices heard.

Learning from European cities – and from Sheffield, the real Bilbao effect, the power of grassroots projects and thinking outside the red line to embed new parts of the city in the wider neighbourhood.

Taking cultural content beyond the museum and into the public realm, creating a framework that allows other people’s ideas to flourish and encouraging a wide range of city users to engage with the built environment in new and unexpected ways.

Celebrating cities, educating a new generation of architects from a wide range of backgrounds and with a whole new set of skills, the role of awards and academia in shaping the modern city and giving urban infrastructure the respect that it deserves.

Connecting with communities, creating projects that bring as much happiness as a cup of tea in the morning or a big bunch of flowers, making architecture without architects and refusing to be defined by the education that you have.

The myths and misconceptions that deter employers from recruiting refugees and the importance of building a diverse workforce and unlocking untapped talent.

Passivhaus design, retrofitting buildings to EnerPhit standards, tensions and contradictions within building regulations and planning policy and the urgent need for central government to up its game.

Zaha Hadid Architects’ culture of technological experimentation and the power of immersive environments as a tool for consultation, collaboration and anticipating the likely impact of human behaviour and climate change.

The new Cambridge Children’s Hospital, inclusive design, destigmatising mental health and the importance of creating sustainable healthcare buildings that nourish the mind, body and soul.

Gender inequality within architecture and construction, tokenism, diversity, role models and mentors, new models of practice and the groundswell of groups campaigning for positive change.

The Rock – a manifesto house in Canada's Whistler mountain resort, designing for extreme weather conditions and striking a balance between aesthetic purity and the messy reality of family life.

Learning from forest schools, allotments and falling out of trees and making the case for rewilding the urban childhood and enshrining access to nature as a universal human right.

Volume housebuilders and biodiversity, lessons learnt from Cator Park and the lasting impact of a formative exchange between Tony Pidgley, Richard Attenborough and The London Wildlife Trust.  

Biophilic design and biodiversity, humanising the workplace and harnessing the power of technology – and poetry – to bring the magic of the forest into the places where we live and work.

Biodiversity net gain, using artificial intelligence to assess habitats remotely, natural capital accounting and the challenge of influencing business decisions in a free market world.

Exchange Square, the value of a natural haven in a highly corporate world and the futility of trying to predict the way wildlife behaves and landscapes evolve.

Transforming Thamesmead, blending brutalism and biodiversity, natural capital accounting, Living in the Landscape and delivering a vision for a post-pandemic world.

The Architects Climate Action Network, collective action, change-making, giving the RIBA a run for its money and channelling positive energy into the race against the clock.

Working on school buildings, making sense of masterplans and the challenges involved in wrapping an existing building in a new exoskeleton and an entirely new facade.

The Greenwich Design District, designing a new part of the city and the distinction between delivering a characterful masterplan of separate parts and building an architectural zoo.

The Museum of the Home, hitting the right balance between conservation and transformation, the delicate relationship between engagement and education and the role of the museum as an agent of change.

Displacement and migration, bridging the gap between academia and activism and the Global Free Unit's mission to channel architects' expertise to the people who need it most.

East Anglia's otherworldly character, taking inspiration from local materials, artful informality and the fine line between thoughtful reinterpretation and straightforward pastiche.

Architect speak, crit culture, feeling like an outsider and the importance of plain speaking and finding time to watch TV.

Late-night parties, too-loud television and other factors that come into play when people of different generations live side by side.

Postmodernism versus multiform, making clients smile and the role of pattern, playfulness and ornament in contemporary architecture.

The Illuminated River project, painting with light and the challenges involved in realising the longest public art project in the world.