Odile Decq has won various awards during the course of her career including the 9th International Prize for Architecture in 1990, and in 2001 she was made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, one of France’s highest honours for the Arts.  Her latest projects include: the Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain in Rennes, France, 2005; Zenith, an 8000 square metre exhibition hall and offices at St Etienne, 2005; A5 Infinite Interior: the design and development of a prototypical apartment for the first Architecture Biennale of China in 2004; a new museum building for the Liaunig Collection in Neuhaus, Austria, 2004; a new headquarters building for OPAC in Bar-le-Duc, 2004; administrative buildings and a customer care centre for Sollac Atlantic-Dunkerque, 2003; and the competition-winning Museum of Contemporary Art (MACRO) in Rome in 2001.

 

Odile Decq graduated from the Ecole d'Architecture de Paris-La Villette in 1978, and in 1979 she obtained a DESS in Urbanisme et Aménagement from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris.  In 1980 she decided to open her own agency, and 1985 saw the launch of her valuable partnership with Benoit Cornette which ended tragically when Benoit died in a car crash in 1998.  During this period she and Benoit developed numerous projects including the prestigious Banque Populaire de l’Ouest et d’Armorique in Rennes, and their work received awards and recognition on several occasions, including the Golden Lion of the Biennial International Exhibition of Modern Art in Venice (1996), the Benedictus Award for the Faculty of Economic Sciences and the Law Library of Nantes (1990) and the Trophy of the Association of Construction Journalists (1990).

 

In addition to her illustrious Architecture career she has also devoted much time to teaching, working at her old school the Paris-La Villette Ecole d'Architecture between 1984 and 1986 and at the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in 1993 and 2002.  Odile was appointed honorary professor at the Université de Montréal in 1992 and has since worked as a visiting professor at the TU in Vienna in 1998, the Bartlett in London between 1998 and 2000, and Columbia University in New York in 2001 and 2003.

Peter Elliott is a practicing Melbourne architect and an Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture and Design, RMIT University. He is principal of Peter Elliott Pty Ltd, Architecture and Urban Design, which was established in 1975. He has lectured and written extensively on contemporary architecture and urban design. The work of the practice has won in excess of 40 National and State architectural and industry awards. This includes an Order of Australia in 1987 for services to architecture (public housing), the RAIA Victorian Architecture Medal 1991 for the Carlton Baths and Community Centre, the 2000 Walter Burley Griffin Award, the Joseph Reed Award for RMIT University Urban Spaces Project and the 2006 Lachlan Macquarie Award for the Memorial Hall & Music Centre at Melbourne Grammar School.

The practice has a special interest in architecture and urban design in the public realm. This includes a broad range of work for secondary and tertiary educational institutions, public authorities and government agencies. Projects include, Spencer Street Footbridge, the Robert Clark Horticultural Centre Ballarat Botanic Gardens, Observatory Gate Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

Recently completed projects include Mirka at Tolarno Hotel, Fitzroy for Guy Grossi, and the Water Recycling Plant for the Melbourne Zoo.

Practice webpage: www.peterelliott.com.au

Professor Glyn Davis became Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Melbourne on 10 January 2005. Professor Davis was previously Vice-Chancellor of Griffith University in Queensland and has served as the most senior Queensland public servant. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with first-class honours in political science from the University of New South Wales and was awarded his Doctorate of Philosophy from the Australian National University for a thesis entitled 'The Political Independence of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation'. His academic association with Griffith University began in 1985 as a lecturer in politics and public policy. The award of a prestigious Harkness Fellowship provided an opportunity to work at the University of California, Berkeley, the Brookings Institution in Washington and the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, during 1987 and 1988.

Subsequently, as an Australian Research Council QE II Research Fellow at Griffith, Professor Davis published a series of articles and books on policy coordination and public sector change. He was appointed a Professor in 1998.

Secondments to the Queensland Government have included appointments as Commissioner for Public Sector Equity in the Queensland Public Sector Management Commission (1990-1993), as Director General of the Office of the Cabinet (1995-1996), and Director General of the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet (1998-2002).

Professor Davis has written widely on policy and governance. His most recent publications are a third edition of The Australian Policy Handbook (with Peter Bridgman, 2004), The Future of Australian Governance: Policy Choices (coedited with Michael Keating, 2000) and Are You Being Served? State, Citizens and Governance (coedited with Patrick Weller, 2001). Professor Davis was Foundation Chair of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) which is headquartered at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a Companion in the Order of Australia.

Tom Kvan was appointed Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning in 2007. He has held similar positions at the University of Sydney and University of Hong Kong. His experience in architectural practice in Hong Kong, Botswana and the United States of America have complemented academic study in England and California. A pioneer in the development of digital design and building operations, his teaching and research have focused on extending digital support of architecture and urban design.