It's all a facade

Saw this interesting scene in the City today. An entire row of terraced offices, knocked down from behind, everything except the front face of the building, presumably to satisfy heritage planning laws. A completely new office building will be built behind this facade, reducing the honesty of the building and turning it into a pastiche joke.

I like established buildings with dignity and gravitas, too. But IF you've made the decision to replace a building - knock it ALL down. Don't just keep one pathetic layer of skin to retain some veneer of history. Create a new piece of architecture, something soaring and worthwhile, proud to be part of the greatest concentration of wealth in the world: London's Square Mile. Is this substance vs form again? Perhaps the offices that were demolished are already enjoying a new life in London Below.