Richard Anthony Johnson (born 11 May 1946) is an Australian architect best known as the creator of some of the Australian most important and iconic cultural buildings and spaces of the twentieth century.

Academic career

Johnson graduated in 1969 with first class honours in

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

from the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

and a

Master of Philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

Town Planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

from the

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

in 1977. He has held several academic positions including

Adjunct Professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

of Architecture, at the University of NSW between 1999 and 2008; and a professor of practice/architectural studies, at the University of NSW since 2008. Professional associations include appointment as a Life Fellow of the

Royal Australian Institute of Architects The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (abbreviated as RAIA), is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow), ARAIA (Associate Member) an ...

in 2011; a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 2005; an Associate of the Design Institute of Australia; an Associate of the

Japan Institute of Architects The Japan Institute of Architects (JIA; , ''Nihon kenchikuka kyōkai'') is a voluntary organization for architects in Japan, and an affiliated organization of the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA). The institution was founded in May 1987 ...

; and a

Registered Architect Professional requirements for architects vary from place to place, but usually consist of three elements: a university degree or advanced education, a period of internship or training in an office, and examination for registration with a jurisdict ...

in the State of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Professional experience

*1969–1985 Principal Architect, Department of Housing and Construction *1985–2000 Director,

Denton Corker Marshall Denton Corker Marshall is an international architecture practice based in Melbourne, Australia. History Denton Corker Marshall was established in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1972. It was founded by architects John Denton, Bill Corker, and Barri ...

Pty Ltd In 2001 the Sydney-based Directors of

(DCM), Richard Johnson, Adrian Pilton and Jeff Walker de-merged the Sydney office from the group and renamed the office Johnson Pilton Walker Pty Ltd — a multi-design disciplinary firm currently working on a wide range of projects in Australia, China and New Zealand. Kiong Lee, Paul van Ratingen and Graeme Dix joined the practice as Directors. *2000–present, Director, Johnson Pilton Walker Pty Ltd

Projects

Some of Johnson's major projects have included:. *Australian Pavilion

Expo '74 Expo '74, officially known as the International Exposition on the Environment, Spokane 1974, was a world's fair held May 4, 1974, to November 3, 1974, in Spokane, Washington, in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States. It was the ...

in Spokane (USA) (as assistant to James Maccormick) *Australian Pavilion

Expo '75 Expo '75 ( ) was a World's Fair held on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa in Japan from July 20, 1975, to January 18, 1976. History Expo 75 was conceived, in part, to commemorate the American handover of Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa to Japa ...

in Okinawa (Japan) *Australian Pavilion

Expo '85 Expo '85, officially called the , was a world's fair held in Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki, Japan between Sunday, March 17 and Monday, September 16, 1985. The main venue was located in town of Yatabe, and the sub venue was in ...

in Tsukuba (Japan) *

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation and also known as AusPost, is an Australian Government-State-owned enterprise, owned corporation that provides postal services throughout Australia. Australia Post's head office is loca ...

Pavilion and Exhibits at

Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo wa ...

(Brisbane) *Queensland News Pavilion and Exhibits – Expo 88 (Brisbane) *Spanish Pavilion and Exhibits – Expo 88 (Brisbane) *Australian Embassy, Beijing *Australian Embassy, Tokyo, masterlan *

Museum of Sydney The Museum of Sydney (MOS) is a historical collection and exhibit, built on the ruins of the house of New South Wales' first Governor, Arthur Phillip, on the present-day corner of Phillip and Bridge Street, Sydney. Description The museum is ...

, 1995 *

Art Gallery of NSW The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

, New Asian Gallery, 2004 *

masterplan, 2007 *

forecourt and ramp, 2011 *

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

masterplan and refurbishments (with Jørn Utzon) *First Government House Place, Sydney *

Australian Museum The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

– New Zoology Building * Westpac Headquarters, Sydney *

Australian National Maritime Museum The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) is a Australian government, federally operated maritime museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. After considering the idea of establishing a maritime museum, the federal government announced that a nation ...

– Masterplan *

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, Canberra, 2009 *

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is a museum located in Hobart, Tasmania. The museum was established in 1846, by the Royal Society of Tasmania, the oldest Royal Society outside England. The TMAG receives 400,000 visitors annually. ...

in Hobart – Masterplan *

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

– Redevelopment Masterplan and Feasibility Study

Honours

Australian civil honours

At age 30 Johnson was appointed Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) on 12 June 1976 for Public Service in the field of architecture, with a citation of "For service with Sub–Treasury at Australia House in London." In the

2014 Australia Day Honours The 2014 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2014 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), with the ...

list on 26 January 2014, Johnson was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AO) "for distinguished service to architecture, particularly the design of iconic Australian public buildings, to the visual arts and the museum and galleries sector, and to professional associations."

RAIA Gold Medal

Richard Johnson was awarded the

RAIA Gold Medal The Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal is the highest individual award of the Australian Institute of Architects, awarded annually since 1960. The award was created to recognise distinguished service by Australian architects who have: ...

by the

on 13 March 2008. The RAIA National President Alec Tzannes said the medal recognised Johnson's "executed work of exceptional merit, and his outstanding contribution to the development of the profession in Australia".Australian Institute of Architects – Gold Medal.
Retrieved 28 September 2010

Other honours

In 2012 was appointed Life Governor of the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

References

External links

Johnson Pilton Walker official webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Richard 1946 births Living people University of New South Wales alumni Alumni of University College London Officers of the Order of Australia Members of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal Architects from Sydney Academic staff of the University of New South Wales