The Australian Institute of Architects is delighted to announce David Wagner FRAIA, as its new National President and welcomes Ross Donaldson FRAIA, as National President Elect.
David will take up the role at the close of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. The Institute extends its sincere thanks to Adam Haddow FRAIA, for his leadership as National President and looks forward to his continued contribution in the role of Immediate Past President. Finally, we farewell Jane Cassidy LFRAIA, as outgoing Immediate Past President and thank her for her significant contribution to the Institute over her tenure.
Of his appointment, David said, “I am both honoured and excited to be stepping into the role of National President of the Australian Institute of Architects. The National Presidency is both a responsibility and a privilege and I thank National Council and the membership for entrusting me with this role. I pledge that I will do all I can to respect and energise the role to the benefit of the membership while being a faithful custodian until it is my turn to pass the baton onto the next National President.
“I harbour great ambitions for the Institute and its membership. We have a faithful and dedicated membership spread across our states & territories, cities & regions, and internationally. There is so much richness and diversity in our membership which we must respect and energise in the interests of our Institute, our profession and the community it serves. No longer ‘us’ and ‘you’, we must all work together as ‘us’ in the true spirit of egalitarianism. My vision is that by empowering our membership, the experience of being a member becomes more real, more collegiate, more personal, and more valuable. Reciprocity encourages growth through action, not just through words and meetings alone. Member value is driven by the opportunity for us all to engage and grow as architects.
I am dedicated to continuing the advocacy work that has gone before me, promoting the value of architects and architecture to the benefit of a designed built environment to both the public and to government. Our recent member survey called for greater advocacy. This is best achieved through collaboration between our elected members and membership generally to empower advocacy rather than just through elected members only. The Institute is currently transforming its committee structure and refining how to streamline its capacity to best articulate and resource advocacy. I will lead this process along its next steps. A sustainable future, one that recognises the importance of retaining and adapting existing infrastructure and building fabric gifted to us by previous generations, a future that recognises and benefits from changing technical advancements in building technology, but also through artificial intelligence, a world where we recognise universal rights and equality for all in how we design and the spaces we create, and a world where regulation works to benefit our communities rather than burden them, is the sustainable future we must create.
First and foremost, our future lies with our intelligent, energetic and enthusiastic members and I look forward to the role of harnessing this energy, community spirit, and innovative design led thinking to the benefit of our membership and of our community generally.”
As a prominent and respected figure in Australian architecture, David is an accomplished practitioner, committed advocate, and the newly appointed National President of the Australian Institute of Architects. With more than 30 years of experience across Melbourne, Canberra, and London, he is a partner at Atelier Wagner, the practice he co-founded in 1998.
David has contributed to the architectural profession over many years. A Fellow of the Institute since 2013, he served as a Councillor for the Victorian Chapter from 2020 to 2022 and most recently held the role of Victorian Chapter President. He also co-chaired the Medium Practice Forum between 2018 and 2022 and has been involved in the Institute’s small and medium practice forums since 2007.
Guided by a strong belief in architecture’s capacity to positively influence society, David is particularly interested in how innovation and design-led policy can support more sustainable, liveable, and equitable built environments. He brings a well-rounded perspective on practice, advocacy, and education to his leadership.