Tengku Robert Hamzah was born in 1939, in Malaysia, to the Kelantan royal family - his brothers going on to become the Finance Minister and the Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherland, respectively. Robert studied at the Sultan Ismail College, Kota Bharu, Kelentan from 1951-58, followed by the Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur, from 1961-62. He then travelled to the UK and in September 1965 enrolled on the five-year Diploma course at the Architectural Association, in London. He took a year out from his studies in 1969/70, where he gained valuable work experience with the London Borough of Southwark Architects and Planning Department. For his final Diploma year, Hamzah elected to study with the AA’s Department of Development and Tropical Studies, where, where he submitted a final thesis on Rural Housing in Malaysia. His tutor, within the Department, appears to have been Hartmut Schmetzer, and Hamzah received funding for his studies from the Malaysian Government. Following his graduation with an AA Diploma, Hamzah married in London and returned to Malaysia, where he started his own practice. Previously, in 1966, he had first met a Malaysian architectural student, Ken Yeung, also studying at the AA, and he was to invite him to join his practice in 1975, as T.R. Hamzah & Rakan-Rakan - formally becoming ‘T.R. Hamzah & Yeang Sdn. Bhd.’ Based in Kuala Lumpur, in 1976. For nearly 5 decades, the practice has been at the forefront of ecological architecture and sustainable design, with Hamzah serving as the Non-Executive Director. They practice has won over 70 major awards and built over 1000 projects across 10 countries, their work including bioclimatic eco-high-rise structures, eco-master plans and eco-city designs. Some of their most significant projects are perhaps the Roof-Roof House (Kuala Lumpur, 1985), Menara Mesiniaga Bioclimatic Tower (Kuala Lumpur, 1991), National Library (Singapore, 2005), Extension to the Great Ormond Street Hospital (London, 2012), and Suasana PJH 2C5 (Putrajaya, 2017).
Sources
- Architectural Association Student Register 1945-1972, AA Archives
- Architectural Association Diploma Roll Book, 1964-1975, AA Archives
- General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 5b; Page: 2084
- London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Electoral Registers; Reference: GLC/PER/B/3720
- Powell, R. ‘Rethinking the Skyscraper: the complete architecture of Ken Yeang,’ Thames & Hudson, 1999
- ‘Tribute to Tengku Robert Hamzah’ Jan 2026 Circular, Royal Selangor Golf Club website, 2026. Accessed 20th Jan. 2026: https://mag.thersgc.com/?p=4732
- ‘In Memory of YM Tengku Robert Hamzah (1939-2025).’ Hamzah & Yeang website, 2025. Accessed 20th Jan., 2026: https://trhamzahyeang.com/2025/06/09/ym-tengku-robert-hamzah/
