Book Launch: An Evening with David George Holm | Drawing the City

Join us for a delightful evening with leading Australian architect, urban designer, and artist David George Holm, in conversation with Grand Designs Australia. Together they’ll explore David’s new book, Drawing the City, which takes readers on a hand-drawn journey through some of the world’s most famous, diverse, and densely populated cities.

6:30pm arrivals for a 7pm start

Tickets: $10 per person (+ GST and Humanitix fee), redeemable on the night towards any book purchase.

Please note: Your $10 ticket fee is redeemable on night towards any book purchase. Please see staff on the night.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In this rich celebration of architecture, history and culture, leading Australian architect, urban designer and artist David Holm takes us on a hand-drawn journey through some of the world’s most famous cities.

Whether grown randomly, organically or via master planning, the city, in its various iterations, is perhaps our greatest invention. As centres of cultural, social and economic memory, they tell us who we are and where we’ve come from. The city is an ancient form, yet one that persists at the very heart of modern civilisation.

Over the past forty years, David has visited and drawn over 500 urban spaces in many of the leading cities of the world. The reader will find stately city parks, heritage-listed cathedrals, small neighbourhood places, atmospheric ruins and iconic railway stations. Drawing the City is a collection of these detailed and captivating sketches, an illustration of the beauty, diversity and richness of life within dense urban spaces.

From the piazzas of Venice to the soaring skylines of Shanghai, the historic squares of London and the bustling streets of Dhaka, David Holm's illustrations capture not just architecture, but the stories and cultural narratives that give each city its own unique character.

A beautiful book for lovers of travel, architecture, drawing and above all, cities.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

David George Holm is an architect, author and artist. Practising as an architect, he has completed award winning design internationally over the last 40 years. Passionate about drawing, he has published two books, Drawing Italy and Drawing Paris. His sketch books have been acquired by the State Library of NSW, and he regularly runs drawing masterclasses. His drawings and artworks have been exhibited throughout Australia, and he has lectured on aspects of urbanity, public place, transport design and drawing worldwide over the last 25 years.

David is a principal of COX Architecture, where his design focus is the nexus of urban infrastructure, transport connections and public placemaking in the city. He is a recipient of the NSW Board of Architects Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship, a Churchill Fellow and an Adjunct Professor of the Faculty of Design Architecture & Building at the University of Technology Sydney.

Anthony Burke is an internationally recognised Professor of architecture, academic, and television presenter. Currently Professor of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Burke brings enthusiasm to exploring how architecture and design shape our daily lives.

Anthony is widely known as host of Grand Designs Australia and Restoration Australia and co-host of Grand Designs Transformations on ABC. In 2025, he was part of producing Culture by Design with ABC Asia. His engaging presentation style has made architectural design accessible to mainstream Australian audiences, with Grand Designs receiving an ACTAA award in 2025 and logie nominations. In 2012, Burke served as co-creative director for the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale and directed the architecture symposium celebrating the Sydney Opera House's 40th anniversary. He regularly curates exhibitions, lectures at the Art Gallery of NSW, and leads international architectural tours.