Tall buildings in London: a giant-sized mistake?
Former City of London Chief Planning Officer Peter Rees will be among experts that will debate if plans for tall buildings in the capital have gone too farLondon's skyline is about to be radically transformed. The proposed plans for over 230 tall buildings over the next decade mean local councils will have to deliver new homes at a scale not seen since the 1930s.
London South Bank University (LSBU) will host a free public debate on Thursday 19 February where industry-leading speakers and an audience of built environment professionals will ask if the high-rise future is the right one for our city and its people, and shouldn't the capital's citizens have a say in the City of London's vision?
The debate – hosted by the LSBU Alumni Association and its Built Environment Professionals Chapter – features the following panellists:
Peter Rees CBE: Professor of Places & City Planning (UCL) and former Chief Planner for the City of London
Hailed as the man who built the city, Peter Rees spent nearly three decades as Chief Planner for the City of London. Since graduating from LSBU in 1982, Peter's career has seen him oversee the dramatic transformation of the Square Mile including the addition of the Cheesegrater, Walkie-Talkie and Heron Tower to the London skyline. In 2014, he was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of Science by LSBU.
Paul Finch OBE: Programme Director (World Architecture Festival) and Editorial Director (Architects' Journal/Architectural Review)
Paul has more than 40 years' experience as a Journalist and is a former Chair of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), having also chaired the 2012 London Olympics design review panel.
Mary Jane Rooney: Director of Architecture, School of the Built Environment and Architecture (LSBU)
An architect and urban designer who has studied and worked across Europe, Mary Jane Rooney is an experienced academic and programme leader. She is particularly interested in the impact architecture and design can have across the different scales of the city. She has led design projects in Peckham, Burgess Park, the Heygate and Liverpool Street and contributed as a member of the Southwark design Review Panel.
- Date: Thursday 19 February 2015
- Time: 18:00 – 20:30 (including refreshments and canapés)
- Location: LSBU Southwark Campus
- #tallbuildings
Members of the public who would like to attend can register via the LSBU Alumni Association.
LSBU's School of The Built Environment and Architecture offers some of London's best courses in engineering for cities, surveying, construction, architecture and design.