Australian Institute of Architects National Prizes 2021
Gold Medal
Donald Watson
The 2021 recipient of the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal, Donald (Don) Robert Watson, stands as a perfect antidote to much that has been exhausting and difficult in 2020. At a time when we have been wearied by narcissistic personalities, polarizing debates and questionable competence, Watson shines as a man of genuine achievement, architectural intelligence, altruism and modesty. As global crises rage, Watson’s elevation of his beloved Queensland context demonstrates the power of the local to inform a national sensitivity to place. This award is timely: for Watson, after a career of more than 50 years, and for our profession, as an affirmation of the holistic possibilities of ethical practice.
The jury’s unanimous decision recognizes Watson’s comprehensive contribution to architecture since he graduated from The University of Queensland (UQ) in 1970. The term “Renaissance man” may well be outdated, but it captures Watson’s remarkable prowess across the diverse areas of architectural agency.
As a design architect, Watson’s built work traverses scales, typologies, and public and private commissions. He has received the highest accolades of peer and public review. Initially, Watson’s practice career was nourished by exposure to a wide range of projects: in regional Queensland and Papua New Guinea; with James Birrell and, later, Geoffrey Pie and Associates in Brisbane; and a year in the UK. His arresting op-art treatment of the T. C. Beirne Building facade and supergraphics interiors at Brisbane Airport’s international terminal led to an Australia Council study grant. In 1989, after 15 years balancing sole practice, National Trust consultancies and part-time lecturing at UQ, Watson came to national prominence when his Campbell House won the Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture. Ever self-effacing, Watson had not formally entered his masterful hybrid design, yet the jury members were so moved that they were “unanimous in their desire not to leave.” That same
