In J. G. Ballard's dystopian novel High-Rise, the tower's architect is Anthony Royal.
Royal lives in the penthouse of the forty-storey apartment building and presents himself as its visionary creator. His elevated position gives him symbolic and practical authority over the residents, although the building's design also intensifies their social divisions.
The novel follows the tower's increasingly violent breakdown through figures such as Robert Laing, a doctor living in the building, and Richard Wilder, a television documentary producer. As services fail and residents form rival groups, the tower becomes a self-contained experiment in class conflict.
Anthony Royal is sometimes confused with Robert Laing because both are central figures and both occupy important positions in the building. Royal is the architect and penthouse resident; Laing is the doctor whose viewpoint anchors much of the narrative.