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Ken Maher
Peter Mould
1948–2026
Architect Peter Mould helped shape Sydney as we know it today.
Through his leadership, judgment and advocacy as NSW government architect, he influenced the design of many of the places that Sydneysiders experience daily from Circular Quay and George Street to Green Square.
Mould was a talented designer and architect who led award-winning projects within NSW Public Works, where he dedicated much of his career. He was government architect from 2006 to 2012.
He served on the Central Sydney Planning Committee, bringing a commitment to design quality and the public interest to some of the most consequential planning decisions affecting central Sydney, including the restoration of St Mary’s Cathedral, upgrades at Circular Quay, master planning for Sydney Cove and work on the public domain at Taronga Zoo.
One of his longest-standing contributions was as deputy chair of the City of Sydney’s Design Advisory Panel from its inception in 2007.
Mould brought independent and fearless advice to this role, translating the ambition of design excellence into better buildings, streets and public spaces across Sydney, including the development of George Street and – fundamental to addressing the continued need for housing – Green Square. The 278-hectare Green Square redevelopment is one of Australia’s largest urban renewal projects, with a population expected to peak at 61,000 residents and 21,000 workers by 2030.
Mould had a unique ability to work through complex problems with diplomacy, technical skill and, very often, a gentle sense of humour. He was well respected by his team, government and the broader professional community for his integrity, intelligence, enthusiasm and generosity of spirit.
His contribution to the culture of architecture and design also extended nationally and internationally.
Mould served as a member of Design Review Panels in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, the ACT and NSW, for Sydney Olympic Park and Transport for NSW, as well as numerous competition juries for the state and City of Sydney. He was the initiator and founding chair of the Sydney Opera House Eminent Architects Panel, providing critical design leadership for the decade of significant renewal and contemporary transformation of the Opera House.
He was also a leading voice within the profession through his lectures and writing, and generously mentored future generations as a visiting and adjunct professor at the University of NSW and as a member of the university’s campus Design Excellence Review Panel.
Mould was elected as a life fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects and, in 2011, received its NSW President’s Prize for his outstanding contribution to architecture.
He has been deputy president of the NSW Architects Registration Board. Internationally, he served as councillor for the International Union of Architects from 2014 until 2017, where he drove reform and rewrote many policies, and as a member of the UNESCO-UIA Joint Committee for the World Capital of Architecture.
Mould grew up in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, graduating from Vaucluse High in 1965. Following completion of his architecture degree at UNSW, he worked briefly on the Sydney Opera House with the Public Works Department in 1971. Then, with a period of extensive international travel and work in London, he developed an interest in Islamic architecture, including its influence on Jørn Utzon. After returning to work for the Public Works Department in Sydney, it was on a later visit to London that he met his future wife, Kate.
Throughout life his infectious curiosity led him to be an avid traveller, cyclist, swimmer, reader and movie lover. His unerring modesty and sense of humanity, reflected in his passion for architecture, resulted in a wide circle of friends and a close and loving family.
Mould was diagnosed with a brain tumour in September 2025. Following an intensive operation, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he continued to participate in his busy professional schedule, characteristically with tenacity and stoicism and not a whiff of self-pity. Only saying, “it was a bugger”.
He is survived by his wife, Kate, and daughters Mattie and Louise, who returned to Australia to support him in his illness. His daughters said they “loved how respected and valued he was at work, and that he was equally valued as a dad”. They recalled how as little girls they would often sit on top of the postbox in front of their house, waiting for their father to turn the corner, fresh off the bus on his way back from work. He would turn into the street with a big smile, and be greeted by yells of delight, scooping them up to take them for a pre-dinner swim where he would teach them body surfing, reading currents and diving under waves. An expert in many fields, his daughters said they were “lucky to learn from him”.
Tributes continue to flow since Mould died on August 30, and his impact as a “wonderful man and outstanding architect” will live on.
Perhaps his greatest professional legacy is also the simplest: that design excellence matters. It is not simply about creating better buildings. It is about taking responsibility for the places we create, understanding their lasting impact, and continually asking how design can better serve the people and communities who will inherit them.
Ken Maher AO is an architect and advocate for design excellence, sustainability and the public value of architecture. A former national president (2016-17), life fellow and 2009 gold medallist of the Australian Institute of Architects. He is a former principal and chair of Hassell.
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