John Neville Morphett (1 August 1932 – 25 March 2016) was an Australian architect, known for his role as lead designer of the

Adelaide Festival Centre Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the 1970s, designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the centr ...

Early life and education

John was born in

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

, Malaya, a son of surveyor John William Morphett and his wife Nellie, née Ireland. He was educated at

Christ Church Grammar School , motto_translation = God is our leader, learning is our light , established = , founder = William Joseph McClemans , type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day and boarding school , gender = Boys , deno ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and St Peter's College, Adelaide, and studied architecture at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

and the

South Australian School of Mines and Industries The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

. During university semester breaks, Morphett worked part-time for architects Hassell, McConnell and Partners, with whom he was employed after graduation, and had a continuing relationship for forty years. He undertook further training in architecture at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Graduate School, where lecturers included

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

, Philip Johnson,

Richard Neutra Richard Joseph Neutra ( ; April 8, 1892 – April 16, 1970) was an Austrian-American architect. Living and building for the majority of his career in Southern California, he came to be considered a prominent and important modernist architect. He ...

and Paul Rudolph, and graduated with a Master of Architecture degree. From 1957 to 1961 was employed with

The Architects' Collaborative The Architects Collaborative (TAC) was an American architectural firm formed by eight architects that operated between 1945 to 1995 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The founding members were Norman C. Fletcher (1917-2007), Jean B. Fletcher (1915-1965 ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where he was involved in a collaboration with Walter Gropius.

Career in Adelaide

In 1962 Morphett returned to Adelaide and joined Hassell, McConnell and Partners. He was made a partner in Hassell Architects in 1967 and a director in 1975. He became managing director of the Hassell Group in 1979, and in 1992 was made chairman of Hassell Pty Ltd. He retired in 1997, but continued to act as a consultant to the company. The works which he is most associated are the Bragg Laboratories for the University of Adelaide (1962) and the

, which opened in 1973 and is regarded as notable example of Modernist architecture.

Other interests

Morphett had a range of interests and memberships: *He was a member of the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce and its successors the Chamber of Commerce and Industry SA Inc. and the Employers’ Chamber. He was a board member of the

Australian Chamber of Commerce The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) is Australia's largest and most representative business association, comprising state and territory chambers of commerce and national industry associations. ACCI represents Australian busines ...

from 1990 to 1992. *He served on the National Trust of SA council 1985/1986). *He was a board member of the Australian Dance Theatre. *He was a member of

Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI) ...

and

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

. *He was a member of the

Adelaide Festival of the Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

board and its Chairman 2001/2002.

Recognition

*1956: Associate of the

South Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

1956 *1981/1982: President, SA chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) *1997: RAIA State president's medal *2000: RAIA Gold medal *1996: Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

*1996: Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE)

Family

John Morphett married Vivienne June Williams in 1955; they had four sons and a daughter.

Early life and education

Career in Adelaide

Other interests

Recognition

Family

References

Further reading