Howard Raggatt

His ideas and bold experimentation have shaped some of Australia’s most recognised and talked about buildings and cityscapes.

Howard’s instinct for narrative-driven architecture is often entwined with stories of the land, nation and people – the Garden of Australian Dreams at the National Museum of Australia, its ground plane inscribed with overlapping maps of language, land and history, and Melbourne’s Barak Building, where a 32-storey image of Wurundjeri Elder William Barak looks out over Swanston Street. Each treats architecture as something to be read, not just seen; it’s an invitation to notice what the building is telling you.

With Ian McDougall and the late Steve Ashton, Howard won the 2016 Gold Medal, the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest honour. In 2026 Howard and Ian were awarded honorary doctorates by RMIT University for their body of work which has not only shaped Australia’s built environment but contested its cultural assumptions.

A respected cultural leader, educator and mentor, Howard continues to expand architecture through advocacy, exhibitions, lectures, publications and teaching.