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Stroll around the South Bank
Start at the skater-busy undercrofts of the Southbank Centre, then go upstairs to marvel at the Hayward Gallery. Scoot through the underpass then up the stairs to London’s most beautiful public garden on the hanging terraces of Denys Lasdun’s brilliant National Theatre.
Go on an animal-house safari
London Zoo has lots of interesting buildings. The most famous is Berthold Lubetkin’s Penguin Pool with its beautiful double helix. Turn around and you’ll spy the Elephant House with its hefty concrete curves. Keep walking north and you’ll pass the mountainous Mappin Terraces, built as a naturalistic enclosure for bears in 1914.
Reconsider a classic
The Barbican is a cliché of concrete architecture for good reason. Start at Golden Lane Estate, then approach the Barbican from Golden Lane. Drop down to the lakeside terrace to see the Willoughby House bridge and look up at the three triangular towers, with their elegantly upturned balconies.
Mooch around the Underground
In need of urban noise? Seek refuge on the Jubilee line. The architecture of all the stations is worth seeing, but if pressed, choose Bermondsey for its small-scale grandeur and North Greenwich for its massive leaning columns.
William Hall is the author of ‘Concrete’, ‘Brick’, ‘Wood’ and ‘Stone’, all published by Phaidon. £29.95 each.