Tom Heneghan CHAIR OF ARCHITECTURE, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

What keeps you motivated/inspired?
Keeping poverty only 'near', but not to close.

What do consider your greatest achievement?
That I haven't yet strangled a client or university bureaucrat.

In your opinion what qualities make a good architect?
Passion for creativity, of any type. Curiosity about everything. The ability to notice how the habits and wishes of mankind reveal themselves in sometimes absurd minor events and details. Billy Connolly would probably be a great architect.

Have you ever said no to a client?
I've sometimes (but rarely) said no to potential clients. I've very often said no to actual clients. Clients hire you, after all, because you know and can do things that they can't, so you fail them if you allow them to change things without good reason. Or at least without a good fight.

Do you have a favourite architect? Why?
James Stirling. You can look at any of his works (including those of his po-mo period) and see his brain working, not just his eye. They are full of ideas and inventions and wit (and occasionally full of buckets collecting rain dripping through the roofs).

What topics concern you regarding Australian architecture?
Localism, Urbanism, Globalism. Australia and Australia's architects are uniquely placed to develop relevant theories and approaches to these issues for the Pacific-Rim 'New World'.

What Australian building excites you the most?
The house at Stradbroke Island by Brit Andresen and Peter O'Gorman. There is so much intelligence, knowledge, experimentation, wit, creativity and sensitivity. It is so recent that I think we are all too close to it to truly assess its importance, but my hunch is that it will eventually take its place amongst the greatest, legendary works of the world.

If you weren't an architect what would you be?
All architects have the alternative career-dream of being a life-saving, help-the-people doctor. But I can't stand the sight of blood. The father of a friend was a commercial airline pilot, famous for his smooth-air-searching flights and feather-like landings. After every day's work he could go home knowing he'd exercised his great responsibility well - he'd done a good job. Architects never get that immediate sense of assurance. But, I'm scared of flying.

Your idea of perfect contentment?
What is contentment?

What possible future or futures do you foresee for the built world?
The 20th Century was the era of the architect as cerebral theoretician. The architects of the 21st Century 'New World' (aka China) will have to (almost) start again - all well-learned paradigms and parameters will be as dust. It's going to a fantastically exciting period of self-analysis and self-reflection for us western architects.

What elements/concerns do you deem most important in your work?
As an educator my most important concern is to convince Australia's architects of their leading position in international architecture, and to convince Australia's schools that they can so easily be at the leading edge...but only if they want to be, and only if they are prepared to adopt the flexibility that is required in the modern world. While the leading Architecture schools of the world are predominately staffed by gifted design architects, many of Australia's 'elite' universities, such as Sydney, require full-time staff - even staff who teach design - to have research PhD's. Consequently, were he to want to join us, Elia Zenghelis - 2001 winner of the RIBA Award for Excellence in Education and 2002 winner of the UIA Medal for Architectural Education - he could not become part of the facility here - he has no PhD. Related to which, almost every week I receive letters from important architect/educators from all over the world, keen to get involved in education in Australia. We must embrace them (and the international students that will follow them).