Our story.
A vision inspired by Stuart Hornery AO.
“How do you want to be remembered? That you made a buck or made a difference?”
— Stuart Hornery AO
A career of influence.
Stuart Hornery AO began his career as a site engineer and rose to become Chief Executive and later Non-Executive Chair of Lendlease, one of Australia’s most influential property and infrastructure companies. Over 36 years, including 12 as CEO, he led projects that reshaped cities, proving that urban development could be people-centred, equitable and future-focused.
Commitment to people and communities.
Stuart believed that extraordinary places transform lives. He championed grassroots involvement in urban development, ensuring communities were not just consulted but empowered. He saw education and skills pathways as essential to sustainable urban regeneration and consistently promoted equity and inclusion in every urban development project.
The Hornery Institute (Studio THI).
When Stuart retired from Lendlease, employees and shareholders honoured him by establishing The Hornery Institute in 2001 as an independent not-for-profit organisation. As founding Chair, Stuart created a platform where governments, practitioners and communities could collaborate, experiment and tackle urban change together.
The Institute embodied his ethos: dare to be different, think outside the square, question everything and combine creativity with discipline.
From his leadership at Lendlease to the founding of The Hornery Institute, Stuart showed that cities thrive when communities are engaged, when development serves the public good and when creativity is matched with discipline.
Although our chapter is ending, we share the objectives and values of Studio THI because they remain as relevant as ever.
They stand as a powerful call to action for all built environment practitioners. They guide how we plan, design and deliver urban change, shape the opportunities we seek and remind us of the collective responsibility we hold to create thriving, inclusive and resilient cities.
Our objects.
Over 23 years, Studio THI’s mandate as an independent not-for-profit was to:
Undertake education, research and development projects to solve urban design challenges.
Apply knowledge and resources to improve the quality of life and environments.
Provide information and education on the creative development and management of the built environment.
Support individuals and communities to acquire skills for self-sufficiency.
Our Values.
Studio THI’s values guided every project and conversation:
Everyone deserves access to great places.
Every place, regardless of size, can be extraordinary.
Listening to communities leads to better outcomes.
Bold ideas and innovation can transform lives.
Collaboration and knowledge-sharing solve complex challenges.
Research and practice must always be relevant and rigorous.
Our legacy to you.
Urban change is accelerating. Communities need literacy, leaders need capability and systems need trust to make equitable, resilient and sustainable futures possible.
That’s why we are leaving behind a legacy: tools, research and resources that will continue to empower others long after Studio THI’s closure.