Stephen Frith FRAIA was Professor of Architecture at the University of Canberra, 1998- 2012.
Stephen was a scholar, earning a BArch (Hons) (1976) and Masters (Built Environment Conservation) at UNSW (1981), followed by a MSc Architecture/Urban Design and MPhil Urban Planning (1990) at Columbia University, then a PhD at Cambridge University (1994).
In New York 1984-1990, he taught at Columbia University, worked for firms including Eisenman/Robertson and established an urban design practice. Returning to Australia, Stephen became a Senior Lecture in Architecture at UNSW. In Canberra from 1998, he served as RAIA ACT Chapter Councillor (2000-2002) and President of the Association of Architectural Schools of Australasia (2008-2010).
Stephen contributed to books and journals related to architecture, hermeneutics, and ethical theory. He was an editor of Fabrications and guest editor of the Architecture Theory Review. He held numerous honorary appointments related to architecture, sustainable design, urban planning and public art.
A beloved teacher, Stephen’s history classes brought the architectural exemplars of the past into students’ thinking about the architecture of the future. Many graduates have attested to the importance of his lectures and design studios to their journey through architecture school and into their professional lives. He will be long remembered.
Dr Eugenie Keefer Bell LFRAIA
Canberra, January 2025