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Professor Philip Thalis

BSc (Arch) B Arch (Hons) University of Sydney
CEAA Arch Urb Paris-Belleville
Director Professor of Practice in Architecture (UNSW)
NSW ARB Registered Architect # 6780
NSW D&BPAct # 0001821
LFRAIA
Member – Urban Design Group NSW

Philip is a founding principal of Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects, first established as a partnership in 1992. Philip has more than 30 years local and international experience across a broad spectrum of architecture and urban projects.

Hill Thalis has achieved many industry awards, commendations and competitions for architecture, urban design, planning, public domain and heritage projects. The Sydney Olympic Village competition winning project was instrumental in launching Sydney’s Green Games agenda and the Barangaroo International Competition has generated strong public debate about Sydney’s urban future. The K2K Competition winning scheme proposed new models for the targeted improvement of existing urban areas.

Hill Thalis practice has successfully undertaken some of Sydney’s significant urban projects, including Sydney2030 , the University of NSW Master Plan, Rhodes Peninsula DCP and Public Domain Plan, Parramatta City Centre DCP and Sydney Olympic Park 2025 Plan – for SOPA (with Tony Caro + JILA). A series of major projects in Canberra includes the ambitious City to the Lake , Constitution Avenue redesign and Campbell Section 5 .

Work on public space projects includes a new waterfront park and pavilion structures in Pirrama Park, Lennox Bridge Portals on the Parramatta Foreshore, the heritage interpretation of Giles Gym while the Thyne Reid Boatshed is poised over harbour waters.

Hill Thalis design residential projects at all scales and densities. Large scale estate and subdivision plans include the Little Bay Master Plan , Pemulwuy and other projects for Landcom and private developers.

The practice has undertaken approximately 100 multi-unit, medium and high-density, social, affordable and aged care housing projects. Projects range in scale from 2 to 200 dwellings, often mixed-use including retail, commercial and civic uses. Major award-winning projects include Wedge Studio Apartments , the twin towers at Verve Residences in Newcastle, and the super-compact Studios 54 and Substation No. 175 in Surry Hills. Many of the projects have been widely published and featured in architectural tours.

Philip was awarded a scholarship by Paris Belleville Architecture School to complete his Urban Design Masters in 1988. He combines the direction of the practice with research, lectures and teaching at various Sydney universities. He regularly delivers public lectures and conference papers on a range of environmental and design issues. His extensive knowledge of Sydney’s architecture and urban history is widely respected and he regularly contributes to leading journals. His book, Public Sydney: Drawing the City, co-authored with Peter John Cantrill was published in 2013, while the Uro Publications Minimono #2 monograph on the practice appeared in 2016.

Philip has frequently been appointed to high level advisory roles, including the Institute of Architect’s appointee to the Heritage Council in 2000 – 01, Trustee of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW for 1998 – 2006, appointee to the PlanningNSW Urban Design Advisory Committee (UDAC) 2002-4 and member of the Central Sydney Planning Committee (CSPC) since 2016. He was a member of the Institute of Architect’s Awards Juries in 1985, 2000 and 2012 and has served on a number of design review panels and competition juries.

Philip served as an Independent Councillor on the City of Sydney between 2016 and 2021, a role he carried out in parallel with practice. In 2017 Philip was appointed Professor of Practice in Architecture (Fractional) at UNSW, and he was reappointed for a further term in 2021.