There is nothing like architecture to divide otherwise even-handed people into opposing camps. Buildings strike at the heart of the way we live. They define who we are, where we have come from and where we are going.

That is why Bricks and Mortar has teamed up with Grand Designs Live at Excel to host this summer’s heavyweight bout between two of the biggest hitters in British architecture. They will exchange blows over one of the property world’s thorniest questions: contemporary or traditional, which is better for the countryside?

In the blue corner, we have a man who believes in building in the classical tradition. Robert Adam, whose namesake was one of the great designers of the 18th century, is famous for his traditional country houses and hates designs that pursue novelty for its own sake. “I don’t believe that buildings need to be different to be good,” he says. Adam’s Winchester practice is responsible for scores of grand new homes built in Arts and Crafts, Victorian, Regency and Queen Anne styles.

His opposition in the red corner would argue that buildings such as these reflect “a sickness in society”. But Piers Gough, whose enthusiasm for uncompromising modern architecture and outspoken views are renowned, is just warming up. He believes that “to build new ‘old’ is the most spiritually destructive thing we can do”. Gough’s idea of good architecture is typified by the controversial and futuristic plans for Hove’s seafront by Frank Gehry, which he is helping to bring to fruition.

Most of his work so far has sprung up in cities, but that could soon change. As the recently appointed Design Champion for Kent County Council, his ideas could soon shape the future of the Garden of England. Meanwhile his latest scheme is taking root on the other side of the country. There is nothing at all traditional about Gough’s plans for the Yorkshire Entertainment Sensation (optimistically called the YES project), which looks like a mass of giant coloured tubes coiled in a field.

The massive fun palace, which includes 12 cinemas, two hotels, two theatres and a sports centre, is planned for the site of an old coal mine off the M1 outside Rotherham. The field may be brown rather than green, but this is still the countryside. A decision by the planners is expected in early autumn. Might Gough encounter opposition? “There is a natural conservatism about Britain which is more manifest in the countryside than in towns,” says Gough. “There seems to be an inability to shake off a hierarchical idea of society. When it comes to the countryside, people still think in terms of the lord of the manor and the serf in a shack.”

Adam strikes back with the claim that it is often the modernist architects who are the most guilty of elitism, believing themselves to be superior to the bulk of the public. “Why else would they build something that nobody else likes?” he asks. “Don’t forget that many architects live in a world of their own.” To prove his point he reels off a list of surveys that show that the public prefers traditional architecture to cutting-edge design. The most recent study, by C&G, asked 2,000 respondents to list Britain’s ten worst and best buildings. There were no recent buildings on the “best” list, but the Gherkin, Canary Wharf tower, the Scottish Parliament and the Dome were all in the “worst” list — a depressing thought for any contemporary architect but one that Adam can understand.

“People can identify with traditional designs. In an increasingly global society, buildings which give us a feeling of belonging are absolutely vital,” he says. He argues that, for many, Britain is defined by its countryside and that most people feel even more strongly about keeping with tradition in the country, where individual designs have far greater impact.

Not that the pursuit of the familiar is a guarantee of good taste. George Ferguson, the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, is the first to condemn “plodding tradition and footballers’ kitsch”. He says: “There is good cutting-edge and good traditional, and a lot of mediocre stuff in both camps.” Ferguson defines a good architect as someone whose designs work with the surroundings. But that is as far as he goes for now, reluctant to take sides before Gough and Adam enter the arena.

“What’s important in architecture is that it consults the genius of a place,” he says. “The debate will be fun, passionate and provocative.”

Come and grab a ringside seat.

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