ShareAdam Haddow appointed as Australian Institute of Architects’ National President
The Australian Institute of Architects has announced the appointment of Adam Haddow as National President of the Institute and David Wagner as National President Elect.
Adam Haddow’s tenure as Australian Institute of Architects’ National President will begin at the conclusion of the 2025 Annual General Meeting. The Institute also thanked Jane Cassidy for her tenure as National President and welcomes her to the position of Immediate Past President.
Haddow is a champion of good design and a strong advocate for the value Architecture brings to communities throughout Australia and the world. He is a firm believer that Australia’s future will be better where architecture and design thinking are prioritised, and that good design can deliver both economic benefits and improved health and wellbeing outcomes.
With over 30 years’ experience across diverse scales and typologies, his contributions to architecture are recognised both nationally and internationally. His work has earned prestigious accolades, including the Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture, the Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design, and the Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture.
“I am both honoured and excited to be stepping into the role of National President of the Australian Institute of Architects. This is a crucial time for our country and industry. Sustainability is the greatest challenge of our lives, housing affordability the greatest of our generation,” Haddow says.
“Firstly, I must congratulate our outgoing National President Jane Cassidy on her phenomenal work. Of particular note I want to point out Jane’s advocacy that led to all State and Territory housing ministers greeing on mandatory and aligned carbon reporting, her leadership in collaboration with the CEO to structurally realign the business of the Institute to ensure we are equipped for the next 50 years, and her leadership in appointing the first all First Nations curators to represent Australia at this year’s Architectural Venice Biennale.”
According to Haddow, being National President is like participating in one long running relay, but without a first or last runner.
“Our role is to pick up where the last President finished and ensure that we run a good race for the next.”
“Often as an organisation we can be accused of acting too slowly, but importantly we need to recognise the work that’s happened, the work that is in train, and temper everything we want to do – to ensure that the structure of the organisation is able to deliver with pride and excellence.”
“So, my promise is that I will continue to champion Jane’s initiatives to ensure that they are implemented and effective, while at the same time weaving three new objectives into the discussion.”
First, an absolute focus on the profession being in the driving seat to help solve the national housing crisis, second, that as an organisation the Institute will work out how to better listen, engage and mobilise our regional, rural and international members.
“Finally, a big ambition – a seismic shift in thinking from Architects to Architecture for the Institute and its advocacy agenda,” Haddow says.
“Working together with National Council, the Board and many factions of influence – we will work to uncover a more outward facing organisation that can continue to advocate for the role of architecture in our communities.
“We need the academics, design managers, project managers, landscape architects, urban designers and interior designers who all trained in Architecture to be part of us – so that together, and with numbers, we can advocate more broadly for what we believe in – that through good design Australia is a better place.”
Through his involvement in numerous strategic design initiatives, Adam significantly shapes urban policy and planning, consistently bringing a thoughtful, design-led perspective. Recognised as a thought leader in mixed use design, Adam’s work reflects the belief that architecture should provide an armature for community life; that the activities buildings facilitate are just as important as the physicality of the buildings themselves.
He remains curious and driven by a passion for creating cities and spaces that serve the community and shaping a profession that supports its contributors.
A respected voice in Australian architecture, David Wagner is an experienced architect, a dedicated advocate for the profession, and the newly appointed National President Elect of the Australian Institute of Architects.
With over 30 years of practice in Melbourne, Canberra, and London, he is a partner at Atelier Wagner, a studio he co-founded in 1998.
Wagner has been an active contributor to the architectural community for decades. He served as a Councillor of the Victorian Chapter from 2020–2022 and most recently served as the Victorian Chapter President. He also co-chaired the Medium Practice Forum (2018–2022) and has participated in the Institute’s small and medium practice forums since 2007.
A Fellow of the Institute since 2013, he has also held key roles with the Association of Consulting Architects, including Secretary and Chair of the Industrial Relations Committee.
Driven by a belief in architecture’s power to shape a better society, Wagner is especially focused on how innovation and design led policy can enable more sustainable, liveable, and equitable built environments. He brings a broad perspective on practice, advocacy, and education to his leadership role.
Image: Adam Haddow / The Australian Institute of Architect
