Peter William Roy died on Saturday 26 April aged 79. He was a significant, energetic practitioner and mentor to the architectural community in Australia and New Zealand for nearly 50 years. He provided highly valued leadership as a practicing architect, practice director and advisor, educator and public commentator.
Peter studied and worked in the United Kingdom before moving to Australia in the mid seventies. He first completed a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Environmental Design (Honours) at Nottingham University in 1968 before going on to complete a Diploma of Architecture at the Polytechnic of Central London in 1975. He registered as an architect in the United Kingdom in 1978. As a student and graduate architect he worked in a number of influential high profile practices: Peter Hall (1968 – 1970), Philip Mercer Architect (1970 – 1971), Ric Mather (1973 – 1974) and Colquhoun Miller and Partners (1976 – 1977).
Peter migrated to Australia with his Australian wife, Carla, and three month old son, Tom, in 1977. Settling in Brisbane he joined Robin Gibson and Partners where he worked until 1985. Early in this period, 1979, the year his second son John was born, he registered as an architect in Queensland. In the Gibson office he was the Project Architect for the Queensland Art Gallery and site architect for the Queensland Performing Arts Centre complex. The knowledge and understanding of theatres, civic architecture and public space he developed in those roles was an ongoing major theme in his contribution to the profession and community. His incisive intelligence and expertise particularly in relation to theatre design was much sort throughout his career by the Australian architectural community and he made important contributions to many major theatre projects.
After the Gibson office Peter moved to Sydney for several years working for Hassell Architects (1985 – 1987) and Daryl Jackson Robyn Dyke and Partners (1987 – 1988).
Returning to Brisbane in 1988 he briefly established his own practice and worked in the office of Addison Associates Architects on Hill House in Spring Hill, Tuggeranong Community Centre in Canberra and the 2nd placed competition entry for Darwin Parliament House. Peter then took on the roles of Architect-in-Charge at Brisbane City Council and Manager of the BCC Architectural, Landscape and Urban Design and Project Management Group. He lead these council teams from
1991 to 2001. In these years he was Design Director for over thirty libraries as part of the BCC Library Renewal program, Project Director for the Southern Region Bus Depot, the Queen Street Mall refurbishment and the Brisbane Powerhouse Centre for Live Arts. His work on the Powerhouse is perhaps most noteworthy; developing a brief, design and documentation then steering the project through construction, this work transformed a dilapidated electricity generating station into a performing arts precinct which includes a 400-seat flexible performance space, 200-seat theatre, studio, rehearsal spaces, function rooms and arts administration. Poised on the tip of New Farm peninsula this vibrant arts hub provides a finely functional facility that captures the energy of this enduring physical icon. A place revealing and honouring its history while serving the present and offering opportunity for the future. The Brisbane Powerhouse won a Queensland State Award for architecture and many of the other council projects received Queensland Regional architectural awards.
Following his time with Brisbane City Council Peter returned to private practice joining Davenport Campbell. He played a formative role in the expansion and establishment into Australia of the NZ founded practice, Architectus and their merger with Davenport Campbell. He continued to actively contribute to the design and development of major civic and theatre projects including Tamworth Regional Gallery and Library, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta and the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.
Peter left Architectus in 2006 continuing as a specialist theatre and management consultant. He worked with Elizabeth Watson Brown Architects and helped the office shape revitalised practice management processes.
In 2010 Peter was appointed Practice Manager/Head of Practice at the Queensland Architectural Practice Academy nurturing the skills and values of Queensland’s brightest architectural graduates. He managed to turn the academy’s economic fortunes around and make it a successful design practice; winning awards for the high quality work. Sadly the state government chose to discontinue this fine institution in 2012 as it was deemed to be taking work from the broader
architectural community.
Peter returned to private consultancy offering expert advice and guidance on theatre projects and was made a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects in 2019. He continued to oversee and offer guidance for the evolving development of the Brisbane Powerhouse. Of particular note in this period is his contribution through the offices of Conrad Gargett to the development and realisation of the revitalised Thomas Dixon Centre, home to the Queensland Ballet, and winner of four Queensland Architecture State Awards in 2023.
Throughout his life in commercial practice Peter made a substantial and ongoing input to architectural education in Queensland and the Australian Institute of Architects, At various times he was a design and construction tutor at the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University. He developed and taught the Professional Practice courses at Griffith and was instrumental in ensuring that the first cohorts of graduates from the Master of Architecture program were well introduced to the complexities of managing an architectural project and office. At the Institute he sat on education committees, accreditation panels and awards juries. He was the Royal Australian Institute of Architects State Awards (Qld) Director in 1996 and was a senior examiner for the Board of Architects.
Peter exemplified the altruistic publicly minded architect practitioner, giving far more to the profession than what he took. Generous in spirit, a figure from whom to seek sage advice. He was awarded an Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Chapter President’s Prize for his extraordinary contribution to the profession shortly before his death.
Peter is survived by his partner, fellow architect Lisa Edwards, three adult children and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Brisbane Power House on Sunday June 1.
Obituary written by Leigh Shutter with input from Peter’s family, colleagues and friends.
