A shortlist of designs for a 'New Aldgate', a temporary landmark that will be built for 2012 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the destruction of the City gates, has been drawn up by the Architecture Foundation.
The five presented above were whittled down from around 100 entries from all parts of the globe; handily, this meshes well with the project's aim to "celebrate London's openness and diversity, and the City's role as an international trading centre". The final list includes homegrown entries alongside ones from the Netherlands (DONIS' perhaps-too-literal London Gate), Canada (NORMAL's Rene Magritte-channelling Ceci n'est pas une maison), and Japan (Vertical Forest by Sou Fujimoto, whose obsession with all things arboreal can currently be seen at the V&A's Architects Build Small Spaces show).
The winning design will be announced on July 22nd, and you can see an exhibition of the shortlisted efforts at St Botolph's Church, Aldgate High Street, until July 4th, as part of London Festival of Architecture
