Rodney Uren, a HASSELL Principal who left a profound mark on the practice and on the cities of Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, has died after a long illness. He was 63.

His wonderful legacy is the many successful buildings he helped design. Perhaps the best known is Olympic Park Station, built for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and designed to accommodate up to 50,000 passengers per hour during major events. This beautifully crafted public building, engaged with the landscape, sensitive to climate, expressive of technology, with robust engineering and finely wrought detail embodies all that Rodney held dear.

"The station was one of a handful of projects that put HASSELL on my radar as a young designer," said Managing Director, Rob Backhouse. "It was one of the projects that attracted me to the company. Without Rodney, HASSELL would not have achieved the success it has in the rail sector.

"But Rodney's contribution goes far beyond that. He was an industrial designer originally. He became Design Director at Foster and Partners on the back of major projects like the Bilbao Metro. He first joined HASSELL in Melbourne in 1995, taking charge of interior design, but later moved into architecture and to Sydney. He was clever, subversive, and had a great sense of humour. His death is a great loss".

Ross de la Motte, HASSELL Sydney Managing Principal, who worked with Rodney for many years, described him simply as "a remarkable man and a great friend."

Ken Maher, Chair of the International Executive, said Rodney’s talent, passion, intelligence and infectious enthusiasm was unique. “I had the privilege of collaborating closely with him over the years and gained much from the experience,” Ken said.

"He made projects demanding in his search for perfection, yet always fun. He touched all he encountered deeply and his legacy will remain with us forever.”

HASSELL Chairman Peter Duncan also paid tribute. “Rodney was a truly  remarkable man who made an equally remarkable impact on our practice through his passion, design talent, and enormous encouragement with his colleagues. He will be greatly missed by our colleagues, partners and clients.

“His design thinking led to a unique aesthetic balanced with an intelligent technical understanding. His influence lives on through his colleagues and projects around the world in marking his wonderful life.”

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