In Dubai, a luxury apartment block is built in the shape of a giant iPod. In China, President Xi Jinping denounces the trend of constructing 'bizarre' new buildings in wacky shapes and colours. The author tells the story of how architecture became obsessed with the flashy, the monumental and the ostentatious.

Tom Dyckhoff is one of Britain¿s best-known commentators on architecture and urbanism. He is the presenter of The Great Interior Design Challenge and the Radio 4 series The Design Dimension. He was previously architecture and design critic for BBC2¿s flagship arts programme The Culture Show and architecture critic of The Times. He presented The Secret Life of Buildings for Channel 4, and his seven-part BBC2 series, Saving Britain¿s Past, examined Britain's obsession with heritage. An Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute for British Architects, Dyckhoff has written widely for publications including the Guardian, GQ, Wallpaper, and the New Statesman. He lives in London.