Hackney Fashion Town

Being sustainable is traditionally associated with the "ecological correctness," thus helping the environment to mitigate the impact of the buildings in the cityscape. However, this green vision is sometimes barely balanced with, should we say, the "urban sustainability," namely that set of relationships, proportions, materials, historic and socioeconomic values that constitute the architectural grammar by which buildings find their place in the urban context. When the vast majority of a city is in private hands and buildings are therefore initiated by developers, almost every single site is exploited for its maximum profit, rather than social or public benefit. In this context, ecological sustainability may become just a decoy to mask the real interests behind a profit-driven development. Therefore, how can we truly control the urban density and, at the same time, accommodate client's wishes, helping buildings to relate with a specific surrounding?