Dr Peter Tonkin is a founding director of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and one of Australia’s most awarded architects. His work spans small to large scale, regional to civic, multi-faceted public projects, urban planning and adaptive reuse to educational facilities and collaborative art installations. Peter embeds environmental and social sustainability into all that he does, and has volunteered work to successful affordable housing schemes, carried out complex urban projects such as the multi-award-winning Walsh Bay Arts Precinct and designed iconic structures such as the Lighting Towers for Sydney’s 2000 Olympic Games. Recent projects such as the revitalisation of Art Gallery of NSW and the refurbishment of UNSW Roundhouse demonstrate his critical insight to the revival of the buildings that define our city’s contemporary life and aesthetic, and so preserving our built heritage.

Peter’s commitment to public art allows him to blend architecture and art, seen in collaborative works such as the Australian War Memorial sculpture in London, created with artist Janet Laurence; and the transformation of the heritage-listed former power station into the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, which incorporates major pieces by Robyn Backen and Judy Watson.

Through urban design and planning, Peter works to combat the lack of public space in our cities – reimagining unused infrastructure and addressing density by incorporating visionary places and vital community resources that empower people. Exemplary projects include Bondi Pavilion Restoration and Conservation Project, Riverbank Bridge Adelaide, and the National Arboretum Canberra, which won ten major awards, including the Sir John Overall Award for Urban Design. After running his own practice since 1981, he joined Brian Zulaikha in 1987 to form Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects. He is an Accredited Greenstar Professional, a former Trustee of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW and gives regular CPD talks at the Australian Institute of Architects and at universities Australia wide.