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Now his oeuvre is co-billed in a small but enormously useful volume titled Some Ideas on Living in London and Tokyo. As the book makes clear, Taylor is so relevant because of his deep understanding of the relationship between housing and the urban fabric.

"Looking at the Georgian terraced houses of London," he says, "I am constantly reminded of the subtle interplay between the individual house and its collective belonging within the wider urban context: of how design details such as the door and porch, the steps and railings at once define the individual occupant and become the property of the city ... the interface these have with the pavement are all aspects of an `in-between architecture' that mediates the public and private realms."

Unlike so many of his contemporaries, he has no problem taking his cues from the neighbours, especially older structures that aren't landmarks but have acquired the dignity of age. Because of his preoccupation with issues such as the placement of windows and doors, materials and height, his buildings have an uncanny sense of belonging. They are much the same as what's next door, but different, unabashedly new yet respectful of history.