Government

2015 is the year of the next UK General Election, and with the next US election in 2016, interest in governments and politics will be at fever-pitch at the time of publicationSpecially designed endpapers, arranged on lines of longitude, provide the contents and index pagesDetailed information on each building in English, Spanish, French & GermanReflections: Government encircles the globe on a journey that places new states alongside antique empires and contrasts palatial parliaments with modern, sustainable municipal structures. The result is a beautiful, compelling and revealing celebration of the most confident statements of national identity. What buildings better reflect our societies than those that house our governments?Government buildings are dramatic gestures of how cultures perceive themselves. More than this, they are projections of how they wish to be perceived. Thus, throughout history, government buildings have been expressions of strength, of wealth, and of power. Witness the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest, or the Palace of Westminster. Then, over time, these values came to be quantified and expressed in new ways, and contemporary architects responded to the challenge in Tokyo, in Brasilia, in Edinburgh, and around the world.The Reflections series by Roads is a visual exploration of the spaces and buildings that mirror the cultures in which they play such a crucial part.