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“I cannot pursue my architecture without considering the minimization of energy consumption, simple and direct technologies, a respect for site, climate, place and culture. Together, these disciplines represent for me a fantastic platform for experimentation and expression. Of particular importance is the junction of the rational and the poetic resulting hopefully in works that resonate and belong to where they reside." -- Glenn Murcutt

Celebrated for his strong and personal approach in architectural and environmental design, the work of the Australian architect Glenn Murcutt was “green” decades before it became a buzzword. With thoughtful consideration of  their impact on the local ecosystem, his buildings act as carefully constructed instruments responding to the forces of nature and tapping into the phenomenal qualities of their place in celebration of life attuned with nature. These formally eloquent buildings with refined detailing are built using standardized and recycled products and indigenous materials that are readily available and affordable. Though his work is limited in scope - primarily single-family residences, located in Australia – Murcutt's impact has been world-wide due in part his frequent lecturing and teaching at numerous universities around the globe and most recently his annual master classes in Australia for beginning and established architects.

He has worked as a sole practitioner since establishing his office in Sydney in 1969 and still uses only pencil and paper to design.

Prestigious awards include the Gold Medal of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1992, the Alvar Aalto Medal in 1992, the Richard Neutra Award for Teaching in 1998, the 'Green Pin' Award from the Royal Danish Academy of Architects in 1999, the Thomas Jefferson Medal for Architecture from the American Academy of Architects in 2001, the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2002, the Kenneth F. Brown Asia Pacific Culture and Architecture Award in 2003, and most recently, the 2009 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects. He is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, an Honorary Fellow of the Finnish Association of Architects as well as Honorary Member of the Architects Institutes in Taiwan, Scotland and Singapore. In 2008 he was elected an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was founding President of the Australian Architecture Association and is Chair of the Architecture Foundation Australia.

Glenn Murcutt's work has been extensively documented. Good references include Glenn Murcutt: The Architecture of Glenn Murcutt and Glenn Murcutt: Thinking Drawing/Working Drawing (both by TOTO Publishing, 2008), Francoise Fromonot, Glenn Murcutt : Buildings and Projects 1962-2003 (Thames and Hudson, 2005); Philip Drew, Touch This Earth Lightly: Glenn Murcutt in His Own Words (Duffy & Snellgrove, 2000); and E. M. Farrelly, Glenn Murcutt - Three Houses (Phaidon Press Inc., 1993).

This lecture, Glenn Murcutt's last ever in North America, will take place at 7 p.m. in the Arkansas Union Ballroom. Overflow seating will be available in the Arkansas Union Theater.