I think that I had better tell you something about myself before I start talking about anything else. I was born in 1939 in Czechoslovakia. I have been living in London since '68. First when I came to London I started working for Greater London Council and I spent a year designing what was called at that time rational- ised building systems which was a system of individual components, to build very simple primary schools and workshops and such like.

The next job involved a project for Brighton Marina. The firm was called Louis de Soissons Partnership and I spent approximately 11 years designing viaducts, land reclamation, breakwaters, housing schemes, locks, and whatever is related to large marinas. The project went through a series of public enquiries and various political parties and local opposition parties who objected to whatever architects and client proposed until the situation reached a point when the client could not possibly carry on any further development, and Louis de Soissons had to stop work— ing on the project and decided to move the firm to Welwyn Garden City and reduce the number of staff to a minimum.