You can tell when an economy is about to hit trouble, when chefs start creating dishes decorated with liberal sprinkles of gold leaf. The same appears to be true of architecture, although with buildings, the gestation period being so much longer, the wraps only come off once recession is in full swing. Over the last few months, I have noticed several glitzily clad edifices, including a small development in Starnberg, a small town in deepest Bavaria, and closer to home, the new and self important extension to the Colston Hall in Bristol, by Levitt Bernstein Architects.
