Adam Haddow

Adam Haddow is a director of SJB, a multi-disciplinary design practice with studios in Sydney and Melbourne. Heading up the Sydney studio, Adam is a specialist architect in the built environment and is interested in what makes cities vibrant, connected and civic with particular expertise in urban density, and the intersection of public and private space.

He is a Churchill Fellow who investigated alternatives to conventional models of urban design, resulting in a research project entitled ‘Shall We Dense,’ an examination into the state of modern density living in Australia that led to successful collaborations within the professional and architectural realms.

Adam’s work embodies the ambition of beauty, joy and delight and is an armature for community life. His work is highly localized – often just walking distance from the Surry Hills studio. His work, and the work of SJB can often be indistinguishable as an ‘SJB project’ responding to the local context rather than design codes.

His belief that you can’t make excellent architecture on your own makes for an always unique outcome and rich collaborations. Recent examples include Quay Quarter Lanes where, as coordinating architect, SJB worked in a design team with Studio Bright, Silvester Fuller, ASPECT Studios, Carter Williamson and Lippmann Partnership to deliver a collection of five interconnected buildings; and the Newcastle East End project, which saw SJB working as Masterplan Architect, collaborating with Durbach Block Jaggers, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and ASPECT Studios to deliver the first of four city blocks to reinvigorate the city of Newcastle.

Adam’s design achievements have been recognized with numerous awards including the Australian Institute of Architects’ National Architecture Awards, World Architecture Festival, International AR Awards, UDIA Awards for Excellence and the Australian Interior Design Awards.

In 2023, Adam become the NSW Institute chapter president.