Architects recognized in 2024 Australia Day Honours

The 2024 Australia Day Honours list has acknowledged and celebrated the contributions and achievements of 1,042 Australians. Among them are six architects who have made significant advancements in the field of architecture.

Gold Medallist, Maggie Edmond, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "significant service to architecture, to tertiary education, and to professional organizations."

Edmond's distinguished career as an architect and urban designer spans more than five decades. In 1969, she began working as an architect, and in 1974, she became the principal at Edmond and Corrigan, where she still works. She is the recipient of 35 awards the Australian Institute of Architects, including the Walter Burley Griffin National Award for Urban Design in 1995. In 2023, Edmond was retrospectively awarded the Australian Institute of Architects 2003 Gold Medal with Peter Corrigan at the National Architecture Awards.

Architect, former National Trust of Australia (NSW) board member and academic, Helen Lochhead was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to architecture and urban design, to building regulation reform, to tertiary education, and to professional organizations."

Lochhead has served in various roles at the Australian Institute of Architects, including as the institute's national president between 2019 and 2021. She has been an ongoing board member of the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat since 2018, and was appointed chair of the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016, 2018 and 2020. She is chair of the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment, and an emeritus professor of architecture and urbanism.

Also appointed as a Members of the Order of Australia (AM) was John Taylor for "significant service to architecture, heritage conservation, and to professional organizations," and Margaret Ward for "service to the building industry."

Two architects were awarded the Medal of Order of Australia (OAM) including Paul Hede, of Victoria, and Peter Hodge, of Western Australia - both for their "service to architecture, and to the community."

Architect, Dillon Kombumerri was awarded a Meritorius Award for "outstanding public service to the field of architecture and design and relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and cultural practices."

Kombumerri is principal architect at the Government Architect NSW office. Hailing from Yugambeh and Quandamooka Country, Kombumerri was the University of Sydney's first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander architecture graduate in 1990. In October 2023, the University of Sydney awarded him an honorary doctorate of architecture in recognition of his contributions to Australia's built environment.