Architecture is undergoing a huge renaissance as more attention is paid to the environment, substantiality and the 'democratisation of spaces,' internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind told an audience at the Mipim property fair in Cannes on Tuesday.

Architecture is undergoing a huge renaissance as more attention is paid to the environment, substantiality and the 'democratisation of spaces,' internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind told an audience at the Mipim property fair in Cannes on Tuesday.

'There is a feeling that everything that is part of public life should have equal standing,' he said. Rejecting the maxim that 'architecture is the machine in which we live,' Libeskind said new buildings and public spaces had to be reconciled with city living, the environment and emotion. 'Architecture has to have heart and soul,' he said.

The Polish-born architect who drew up the original controversial master plan for the renovation of Ground Zero in New York was the keynote speaker at the beginning of the three-day Mipim event. He was treated with the type of reverence usually reserved for religious gurus and pop stars by the packed audience as he talked about some of his recent projects to back his contention of a renaissance in architecture. No critical or awkward questions were asked, even though Libeskind did not refer to work by other architects to bolster his views.

One of the architect's trademarks are high-density towers with unique shapes rather than the more traditional 'box-type' structures. Libeskind's 44 Zlota residential tower in Warsaw, scheduled for completion in 2008, is a perfect example of his style. The 251-unit development will create 'a unique skyline' in Warsaw, he said.

Libeskind's original plans for the WTC site in New York were drastically reworked and other architects, as was envisaged, are completing the 540-metre Freedom Tower and the other skyscrapers that will replace the destroyed buildings. Although Libeskind is no longer actively involved in the work, he said the new governor of the state has reaffirmed his support for the development. The spire-like Freedom Tower will be ready by 2010 and the others a year later, Libeskind said.