• ABC Fora TV

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Are skyscrapers one of the few remaining opportunities for individuals to contribute something long lasting to society, a la New York's Chrysler Building, Chicago's Auditorium Building, Rome's various Palazzi or London's Royal Albert Hall? Or are they a destructive influence on cities - a means for self-aggrandisement, symbols of capitalism and fragmented societies? In this talk at UNSW some of architecture's leading thinkers and practitioners gathered to launch the book 'Skyplane' and deal with this essential question: 'what effect to towers have on urbanism, sustainability, the workplace and historic city centres?' From the residential towers of Hong Kong, to the Australian context these architects consider environmental sustainability, economics and architecture as art you live and work in.

Professor Alec Tzannes is the Dean of UNSW's Faculty of Built Environment. Tzannes Associates has received more than 40 major awards. Some of Professor Tzannes best known projects include the Federation Pavillion and Federation Place at Centennial Park, Overflow Park at Homebush, as well as Aria and Bistro Moncur restaurants in Sydney. He has been a member of a number of boards and committees, including design panels for Sydney Olympic Park. He is a member of the Historic Houses Trust and NSW Public Library Architecture Foundation. He is widely published and regularly lectures across the country.

Professor Philip Goad is the Director of Melbourne's School of Design. He is internationally renowned for his research and is an authority on Modern Australian architecture. He has worked as an architect, conservation consultant and curator. He has held visiting scholar positions at Columbia University, Bartlett School of Architecture (London) and UCLA (Los Angeles). He is a past editor of Fabrications, the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand, and is a contributing editor to Architecture Australia.

Richard Francis-Jones is an Adjunct Professor Of Architecture at UNSW. He is also a partner of Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp and as lead many highly acclaimed projects. He was the President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.

Lawrence Nield is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at UNSW, prior to this he was Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney. He has designed a number of buildings, including The Sydney and Beijing Olympic Tennis Centres, as well as the University of Sunshine Coast Library.

Professor Xing Ruan is Professor of Architecture at UNSW. He has written a number of books including "Allegorical Architecture", "New China", "Topophilia and Topophobia" and, with Robert Knapp, the book series "Spatial Habitus: Making and Meaning in Asia's Architecture."

Dr. Deborah van der Plaat is a post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Queensland's School of Architecture. In her published work she considers 19th century theories of the imagination, modernity, mythography and history and their relation to the architecture of that period.