Peter Barber’s work offers a chance for a meeting of minds. On mcgrath road, a side street in Stratford, east London, a 26-dwelling modernist terrace in mustard-coloured brick surrounds a square. The development (pictured) is hard to pigeonhole. Peter Barber, its architect, drew inspiration from the back-to-back houses built in abundance in working-class urban areas during the industrial era. “I’m a total magpie,” he says. “I’ll steal anybody’s idea.”

Mr Barber is one of Britain’s most acclaimed modernist architects. On September 6th he received a lifetime-achievement award from Architects’ Journal, and ten days earlier his firm won four awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects. His work is animated by his socialism. He mainly builds social housing, where the absence of shareholders can make it easier to innovate. Cutting-edge young architects dream of working for him...

The Economist: How a modernist architect won over traditionalists