Richard Hassell is recognised for his outstanding international contribution to architecture, urban sustainability and design leadership over more than 35 years of professional practice across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Registered in Western Australia since 1996 and in Singapore since 1998, Richard is Founding Director of WOHA, established in 1994. Under his leadership, the practice has become one of Asia’s most internationally acclaimed studios, widely recognised for advancing sustainable high-density urban architecture. His body of work spans residential towers, public housing, transport infrastructure, hospitality developments and cultural institutions, delivered across diverse climatic and cultural contexts while consistently demonstrating environmental innovation and social responsibility.
Notable projects include Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, The Met in Bangkok, Skyville @ Dawson public housing in Singapore, Kampung Admiralty, Pan Pacific Orchard, and The Hedberg cultural complex in Hobart. These works exemplify Richard’s commitment to integrating architecture, landscape and urban systems, redefining the relationship between density and liveability. His approach has consistently balanced technical rigour, climatic responsiveness and civic generosity at scale.
Richard’s contribution to architecture has been recognised through some of the profession’s most prestigious international honours. These include the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the RIBA Lubetkin Prize, the International Highrise Award, the CTBUH Best Tall Building Worldwide Award and the World Architecture Festival World Building of the Year. His personal accolades include Singapore’s President’s Design Award – Designer of the Year, the SIA-Getz Architecture Prize and Designer of the Year Asia by Maison&Objet. Collectively, these distinctions reflect his global influence in shaping sustainable urban futures.
Beyond practice, Richard has made a significant contribution to education and thought leadership. He has held the Seidler Chair at UNSW and Adjunct Professorships at the University of Western Australia and the University of Technology Sydney, and has anchored the National University of Singapore’s MSc Integrated Sustainable Design Masterclass since 2011. Through major international lectures and symposia, he has advanced discourse on tropical urbanism, high-rise ecology and regenerative design. WOHA’s “Form Follows Systems” and “Garden City Mega City” strategies have informed policy frameworks and design guidelines in cities including Singapore, Brisbane and Taichung, demonstrating the broader civic impact of his work.
Richard has also contributed extensively to public service and advisory roles, including appointments to Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority Design Advisory Committee, the Building and Construction Authority, the DesignSingapore Council and the Land Transport Authority Architectural Design Review Panel. Through these roles, he has helped shape regulatory frameworks and elevate standards of design excellence.
Complementing his architectural work, Richard maintains a cross-disciplinary art practice exploring geometry, ecology and materiality, and co-founded the Totems for the 21st Century movement, advocating for habitat creation and the integration of human and natural systems.
Richard Hassell is elevated to Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects in recognition of his distinguished international leadership in sustainable architecture, his transformative contribution to high-density urban design, and his enduring commitment to advancing the environmental, cultural and civic role of architecture.
Congratulations, Richard.
