The collected works of architecture

Maggie Corrigan, wife of renowned architect and RMIT Adjunct Professor, the late Peter Corrigan

Renowned Australian architect and RMIT Adjunct Professor, the late Peter Corrigan (1941-2016), left his mark on Melbourne in a myriad of ways, including RMIT’s Building 8 in Swanston Street. His wife Maggie shares her memories, following the family’s gift of 3,447 journals and 3,424 books to the RMIT Design Archives.

“Peter amassed an enormous collection of books and papers over the years, he was interested in so many areas of endeavour, not just the realm of architecture. It was his passion for theatre, design, art, sport, and in particular Melbourne, that brought an informed integrity to his work.

When Peter won a scholarship to Yale in the late 1960s, he returned to Australia seven years later, energised about a new way of teaching architecture which challenged the purely academic approach we had here. The Design Studios at RMIT, in which he taught for 30 years, were really his thing. In fact, he essentially ran the Corrigan Studios from his hospital bed in the last months. He was dedicated to the idea that RMIT students needed to have more opportunities to understand new expressions in design.

Building 8 [designed by Peter, and winner of the RAIA Gold Medal Award for Urban Design in 2003, and other awards] really provides RMIT with a tangible identity in Melbourne.

It demonstrates the considered determination that was a great part of the way Peter worked, he wasn’t about chance, he was all about systematic planning and that came from a great sense of knowing who he was.

Architecture brings in a lot of threads, it’s a lot about psychology, observation and osmosis, in a way you have to be a walking antenna. Peter did this very well and that’s what I continue to love about being an architect.

He was passionate about RMIT and Melbourne, which is why he gifted a significant amount of his personal documents and books to RMIT in a bequest that will form The Edmond and Corrigan Archive.”

Cultural gifts to the RMIT Design Archives:

Many renowned architects, fashion and industrial designers and artists have donated significant collections to RMIT, now housed in the Design Archives. The Archives inspire and assist student learning by providing access to these unique collections. For more information on cultural gifts to RMIT, call us on +61 3 9925 5220.