Nearly two-thirds of Australians live in the country’s five largest cities, which are home to some of the world’s densest developments. Australia has more skyscrapers per person than any other country in the world with a population greater than five million. What’s currently happening in Australian cities could represent the future of the urban environments applicable to other cities in the world and that’s why this year’s conference is taking place in three Australian cities.

WSP Brings Insights from Leading Experts

WSP has its own conference room in parallel to the core conference in Sydney with a rich two-day program entitled Creating Competitive Cities. Join us in room F for wide-ranging presentations and panels delivered by international industry experts featuring leading architects, urban planners, property developers, engineers and management consultants.

• Download the full WSP conference program

• Download the venue plan

During the first day of the conference we will discuss three themes in the WSP room. Viviana R. Muscettola, Associate Director at Zaha Hadid Architects, will chair a session entitled Branding the City, while Richard Palmer, Director of Sustainability from our Sydney office, will chair a panel discussion on the impact of Density and Urbanity in the Sydney Context.

Vincent Tse, Managing Director, Building MEP from our Hong Kong office, will chair a session entitled Skyline Iconography addressing the integration of new towers with the surrounding area, with London’s 22 Bishopsgate as an example. Kamran Moazami, UK Head of Building Structures, and Nick Offer, Director, both from our London office, will present structural and MEP strategies also for 22 Bishopsgate, the City of London’s future tallest building that aims to enable urban connectivity and enhance occupants’ well-being.

A session on International Development Capital Flows will open the second day of the WSP conference and will be chaired by Charu Thapar, Managing Director Property & Asset Management Services at JLL, Mumbai. Our panellists will share their experience in the execution of projects with a high degree of international investment, looking at the impact of the stakeholder structure on design, development, construction and operations. They will also discuss the latest global trends in real estate investment with particular focus on the recent origins and destinations of capital in tall building development.

The final session of the day will focus on case studies about international iconic projects such as the spectacular 53W53 (MoMA Tower) in New York that showcases a relatively new engineering approach - the reinforced concrete diagrids used on a large-scale structure. This is session is chaired by Bob Halvorson, Global Head of Structures from our Chicago office.

The third day of the Sydney conference includes an off-site program across the city and includes talks and visits to buildings, urban spaces, infrastructure hubs and key developments.

Melbourne and Brisbane

The program in Melbourne will feature, among other presenters, Matt Stapleton, Associate Director from our Melbourne office, whose presentation is entitled A Sustainable & Adaptable Tall Building in the World’s Most Liveable City and will look at how to utilize space over existing rail lines in Melbourne’s Central Business District to create a mixed-use high-rise building that is adaptable and sustainable.

Elenberg Fraser and WSP are also organizing an off-site visit to the Aurora Melbourne Central, a 286-meter tower set to become the city’s second tallest building where speakers will present efficient structural solutions developed for the building.

The Brisbane program will include an array of discussions and site visits including WSP projects such as Destination Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf and 111 Eagle Street.