Peter Mould, who served as NSW Government Architect from 2006 to 2012 and dedicated more than five decades to shaping public architecture across Australia and internationally, has died. He was 77.

Mould grew up in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, graduating from Vaucluse High in 1965. After completing his architecture degree at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), he worked briefly on the Sydney Opera House with the NSW Public Works department in 1971, before an extended period of international travel and work in London. During that time he developed a particular interest in Islamic architecture, including its influence on Jørn Utzon. He returned to Sydney and to the Public Works department, rising to deputy government architect before his appointment as government architect in 2006, a position he held until 2012.

During his tenure, Mould led award-winning projects including the restoration of St Mary’s Cathedral, upgrades at Circular Quay, masterplanning for Sydney Cove, and work on the public domain at Taronga Zoo Sydney. His approach was defined by integrity, intelligence and a generosity of spirit that extended from his immediate team to politicians and the broader professional community.

His contribution to the public realm continued well beyond his time in government. Mould served as a member of design review panels in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, including for Sydney Olympic Park and Transport for NSW. He was chair and member of numerous competition juries for the state and the City of Sydney.

Perhaps his most enduring institutional contribution was as the initiator and founding chair of the Sydney Opera House Eminent Architects Panel, now the Design Advisory Panel, which provided design leadership through more than a decade of significant renewal and contemporary transformation at the Opera House. He also held the longstanding role of deputy chair of the City of Sydney’s Design Advisory Panel since its inception in 2007, consistently offering independent, fearless advice in pursuit of design excellence.

As a visiting and later adjunct professor at UNSW, Mould mentored future generations and served on the campus Design Excellence Review Panel. Internationally, he served as a councillor for the International Union of Architects (UIA) from 2014 to 2017, driving reform and rewriting many of its policies, and as a member of the UNESCO-UIA Joint Committee for the World Capital of Architecture. In New South Wales, he was deputy president of the NSW Architects Registration Board and sat on the Central Sydney Planning Committee as government architect.

In 2011, the Australian Institute of Architects awarded Mould its NSW President’s Prize for outstanding contribution to architecture. He was made a life fellow of the Institute.

Ken Maher AO, in a tribute published by the Australian Institute of Architects, described Mould as “an inspiration through his absolute dedication” to the public interest, and noted his unique ability to work through complex problems “with diplomacy, technical skill and, very often, a gentle sense of humour.”

In September 2025, Mould was diagnosed with a severe brain tumour. Following an intensive operation, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he continued to participate in professional life with characteristic tenacity and stoicism. Following a second operation, he remained himself with family and friends until the end. He is survived by his wife Kate, whom he met on a visit to London, and daughters Mattie and Louise.

Image: Courtesy UNSW

Vale Peter Mould, the architect who gave five decades to Australia's public realm

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