Michael Rayner AM
B.Arch [Hons 1] [UNSW], LFRAIA, FTSE, FQA, RIBA, BOAQ, NSWARB
Director
Michael Rayner is a Director of Blight Rayner Architecture. In addition to designing and managing projects, Michael leads the practice’s urban design, policies, marketing and public relations, Reconciliation Action Plan, Quality Assurance System and human resources.
Education
Michael Rayner graduated with First Class Honours in Architecture from the University of NSW in 1980 and was awarded the Building Science Forum of Australia National Theis Medal.
Early Career
Michael worked at Philip Cox, Richardson, Taylor and Partners until 1990, becoming a director in 1983, He made significant design contributions to the Australian national Maritime Museum, Sydney Exhibition Centre, the University of Technology Sydney Haymarket Campus, and Milton Park in Bowral. With Philip Cox, he opened the practice’s Melbourne and Perth offices in the 1980s. He was awarded two major scholarships by the Australian Institute of Architects – the Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship studying urban waterfront renewal and the ACI Sisalation Scholarship studying intersections between art and architecture over the 20th Century.
Cox Rayner Architects
Michael opened Cox Rayner Architects in Brisbane in 1990. His first project was the Development Control Plan for Point Lookout on Stradbroke Island, followed by the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre won in competition alongside Leighton Contractors. Over the next 26 years, he led the designs of significant public, community and educational architecture including Brisbane Magistrates Court, the zero-carbon Sir Samuel Griffith Building and Johnson Spine at Griffith University’s Nathan Campus, the Griffith Health Centre at Griffith’s Gold Coast Campus, the Kurilpa Pedestrian Bridge, Brisbane’s inner city CityCat Terminals and Thuringowa Riverway in Townsville.
Michael generated the first Brisbane City Centre Master Plan in 1996, the Newstead-Teneriffe Urban Renewal Plan 1993, the Queensland Cultural Centre Millennium Arts Master Plan 2001 and the master plans for Griffith University’s Nathan, Logan and Gold Coast campuses. In 2007, he created the Queensland Government Smart State Council ‘Smart Cities: Rethinking the City Centre’ strategy which fostered multiple now built pedestrian bridges across the Brisbane River and defined the ‘Brisbane Knowledge Corridor’ linking educational, research and cultural institutions.
Michael forged the Cox practice’s entry into Singapore and China, leading the designs of the National Maritime Museum of China, the Helix Bridge in Singapore and the Singapore Management University Master Plan. From 2010-2016, he led the practice to 8 World Architecture Festival Awards and served on its Super Jury in 2014. He has spoken at major international conferences including the FIDIC World Engineering Conference in Geneva and the ‘Australian: Living on the Edge’ forum for the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
Blight Rayner Architecture
In 2016, Michael formed the practice Blight Rayner Architecture with fellow former Cox director Jayson Blight, with the purpose of maximising their hands-on design time. He worked with Jayson on the international competition-winning Glasshouse Theatre at QPAC in South Bank and led the designs for such award-winning projects as the National Rugby Training Centre at Ballymore, 340 Queen Street in Brisbane and Mary’s Place in Dalby, winner of the Australian Urban Design Award 2025. He led the Reference Designs for two major Olympic and Paralympic Games venues and Peer Reviews for the Games stadium and Brisbane Arena. He has been heavily involved in pro-bono design for homeless youth and victims of domestic violence, including the Jinndii Waijung housing at Yarrabilba.
Positions
Michael was President of the Australian Institute of Architects Queensland 2000-02, a member of the Queensland Premier’s Smart State Council 2006-12, the Premier’s Business Roundtable 2008-12 and Queensland Design Council 2010-12. He was joint Creative Director of the Australian Institute of Architects International Conference in 2012 and was the State Awards Director in the same year. He is the longest serving member of the Queensland Government’s Urban Design and Places Panel and serves on Brisbane City Council’s Urban Futures Board. In 2026, he was appointed Specialist Advisor City Centre to Brisbane City Council.
Michael is a long term Adjunct Professor at both The University of Queensland and Griffith University, delivering many lectures and tutoring master classes. He is a founding member of the Property Industry Foundation, supporting homeless youth since 2012. Michael is a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Services and Engineering, Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Associate of the Royal British Institute of Architects.
Awards
Michael’s first personal award in architecture was as winner of the London International Creative Design Award 2010. In 2011, Michael was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the built environment of Queensland and the Queensland community. In 2024, he received the Property Council of Australia Queensland Industry Impact Award. In 2025, he received the Urban Developer National Architecture and Design Award, and the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2026, Michael received the AIA/AILA/PIA Australian Urban Design Champion Award.
Personal Life
Michael is married to Kylie who is a social worker. They have two sons, Hugh, a software designer and Lachlan, a biomechanical engineer. Michael is a passionate rugby advocate, former competitive squash player and current keen kayaker. He has a significant collection of Australian art focused on Queensland artists, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
