# Philip Cox

Philip Sutton Cox AO FAHA is an Australian architect. He is the founding partner of Cox Architecture, one of the largest architectural practices in Australia. His work has won him multiple awards, the first being in 1963, one year after graduating from the University of Sydney.

## Early years and education

Philip Sutton Cox grew up in Killara on the North Shore in Sydney.
Cox attended Gordon Public School and then the Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore) in North Sydney. In his first years at Shore, art was taught by John Lipscombe, who had helped plan the new art block which had been praised by the architect Harry Seidler, who had lectured in the building in July 1952. Cox decided at quite an early age that he wanted to be an architect, though this was not clear until it was nearly time to leave school. He won a Commonwealth scholarship which was to pay his fees.
Cox studied at the University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning between 1957 and 1962, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture, then at the University of New South Wales between 1970 and 1975, where he was awarded a Doctorate of Science.

## Career

Cox commenced his first practice with Ian McKay in 1962, and in 1967 he founded his own practice, Philip Cox and Associates.
Shortly after he had graduated in 1980, Michael Rayner joined Philip Cox & Partners, working closely with Cox for the next ten years. Rayner was responsible for designing noted public buildings, including Australian National Maritime Museum and the Sydney Exhibition Centre (now demolished) in Darling Harbour. In 1990 Rayner moved to Brisbane and established Cox Rayner Architects.
The firm grew, becoming become Cox Architecture, with offices across Australia as well as in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Involved in much of concept design for each project over 50 years, Cox stepped back from the business in 2015. Cox Architecture is responsible for projects throughout Australia and also in Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, South Africa, and Europe.
Cox has been described as "epitomising the Sydney School of Architecture" in earlier projects.

## Awards and honours

Cox has won many architectural awards, the first being in 1963, one year after graduating from the University of Sydney.
Cox has received the Sir Zelman Cowen Award, the RAIA Gold Medal in 1984, Life Fellowship to the RAIA in 1987 and Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects in the same year.
In 1988 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to architecture.
In 1993 he received the inaugural award for Sport and Architecture from the International Olympic Committee, and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in the same year.

## Other roles

Cox has held a range of voluntary positions during his professional career including Vice President, Environment Board, RAIA, NSW Chapter; a Member, Historic Buildings Committee, Cancer Patients Assistance Society of NSW; Vice President, Cancer Patients Assistance Society of NSW; Vice Chairman, Architecture and Design Panel, Visual Arts Board, Australia Council; and Chairman of Education Board of the RAIA, Federal Chapter.

## Major works

Cox was the architect responsible for initially implementing the American Radburn design for public housing in New South Wales.
Cox and his firm have designed many iconic public buildings in Australia and throughout South East Asia, including a number of the buildings used for the Sydney Olympics. The following list provides a summary of some of the major architectural design works of Cox and his firm, ordered from earliest to most recent, where Cox has either worked individually or as part of consortia:
| Completed | Project name | Location | Award | Notes |
| 1963 | St Andrews Presbyterian Church | Leppington, South-western Sydney, New South Wales | John Sulman Medal (1965) | (demolished) |
| 1965 | C B Alexander Agricultural College | Tocal, New South Wales | John Sulman Medal (1965);Blacket Award (1965) | |
| 1969 | Hawkins Residence | 19 Norma Crescent, Cheltenham | Wilkinson Award (1969) | |
| 1977 | Bruce Stadium | Bruce, Australian Capital Territory | | |
| 1985 | Ayers Rock Resort | Yulara, Northern Territory | Sir Zelman Cowen Award (1985) | |
| 1987 | Haileybury Chapel | Springvale Road, Melbourne, Victoria | | |
| 1988 | Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre | Darling Harbour, Sydney, New South Wales | John Sulman Medal (1989) | (demolished 2013) |
| 1988 | Rod Laver Arena | Flinders Park, Melbourne, Victoria | | (refurbished 1995) |
| 1991 | Australian National Maritime Museum | Darling Harbour, Sydney, New South Wales | | |
| 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales | | (demolished 2019) |
| 1995 | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre | South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland | | |
| 1994 | Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre | Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales | | |
| 1997 | Sydney Harbour Casino | Darling Harbour, Sydney, New South Wales | | |
| 1999 | Sydney Super Dome | Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales | | |
| 1999 | Singapore Expo | Changi, Singapore | | |
| 2001 | National Wine Centre of Australia | North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia | | |
| 1996 | Cairns Convention Centre | Cairns, Queensland | | |
| 2000 | Princess Alexandra Hospital Redevelopment | Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland | | |
| 2001 | Goodwill Bridge | South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland | | |
| 2002 | Western Australian Maritime Museum | Victoria Quay, Fremantle, Western Australia | | |
| 2004 | Brisbane Magistrates Court | George Street, Brisbane, Queensland | | |
| 2005 | Challenger Institute of Technology, Marine Campus | Fremantle, Western Australia | | |
| 2006 | Northern Stand, Melbourne Cricket Ground | | | |
| 2007 | National Institute of Circus Arts | Prahran, Melbourne, Victoria | Award for Architectural Steel Design – Large Project, Australian Steel Institute VIC (2008) | |
| 2008 | District Court of Western Australia | Perth, Western Australia | | |
| 2008 | Australian Film, Television and Radio School | Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales | State Commendation for Commercial Architecture, AIA NSW (2010) | |
| 2010 | Energex Headquarters | Newstead, Brisbane, Queensland | | |
| 2010 | The Helix | Marina Bay, Singapore | | |
| 2010 | AAMI Park | Sports & Entertainment Precinct, Melbourne, Victoria | World's Most Iconic and Culturally Significant Stadium, World Stadium Congress (2012) National Award for Public Architecture, AIA (2011) State Architecture Medal, AIA VIC, (2011) William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, AIA VIC (2011) | |
| 2012 | One One One Eagle Street | Brisbane, Queensland | John Dalton Award for Building of the Year, AIA QLD (2013) Corian Design Awards Winner (Project) (2015) | |
| 2012 | Queensland Performing Arts Centre Refurbishment | South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland | Interior Design Impact Award, AIDA (2016) | |
| 2013 | Neuroscience Research Australia | Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales | The People's Choice Award, Randwick City Council (2013) | |
| 2014 | Kaohsiung Exhibition Center | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | Excellence Award, Chinese Institute of Engineers (2014) | |
| 2015 | Carnarvon Police and Justice Complex | Carnarvon, Western Australia | | |
| 2015 | Newcastle Courthouse | Newcastle, New South Wales | | |
| 2016 | Anna Meares Velodrome | Chandler, Brisbane, Queensland | Venue for 2018 Commonwealth Games | |
| 2018 | Sir John Monash Centre | Villers-Bretonneux, France | | |
| 2018 | Jakarta International Velodrome | Jakarta, Indonesia | | |
| 2020 | National Maritime Museum of China | Tianjin, China | | |
| 2020 | Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct | Christchurch, New Zealand | | |
| 2021 | Oman Across Ages Museum | Muscat, Oman | Special prize for an Exterior, Prix Versailles (2024) | |

## Personal life

Cox is separated from wife Louise Cox AO, a fellow architect. They married in Sydney in April 1972 and have two daughters.
His longtime partner is the journalist Janet Hawley.