6:30pm – 8:00pm, 16 April

RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD

Skyscrapers are being given planning permission in London at breakneck speed; many are now complete, many are under construction and many are in the pipeline. Allegedly driven by foreign money, ego and the pressure to build homes and offices, these towers are changing not only the skyline, but London itself at ground level and the way people live in particular. What is perhaps less known is that in contrast to existing skyscrapers, many of the ones in progress are either fully or partly residential. The Shard has been designed with high-spec residences, and St George Wharf Tower in Vauxhall will be 181 metres of exclusively residential property. This talk at the RIBA on 16 April takes up this issue, inviting key people in the profession including broadcaster Kevin McCloud, The Observer‘s architecture critic Rowan Moore, City of London chief planning officer Peter Rees, author/journalist Simon Jenkins and architect Julia Barfield to discuss: are we boosting or blighting our capital? Book now at: RIBA