The man who designed Canberra's iconic Parliament House has died, aged 95.
Italian-born Romaldo Giurgola designed new Parliament House at the invitation of the federal government in 1980 after his design was selected from 329 entries worldwide.
He said the building, opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988, was designed for the wellbeing of its workers.
"An office building where people can move around and stretch their legs, that's what should be," he told AAP.
Parliament House seen from a hot air balloon in Canberra. Source: AAP
"We architects are looking for that, not a piece of art."
Architect and friend of 35 years Ann Cleary said Prof Giurgola's legacy was "up there with all of those who make an imprint on the understanding of who we are as a people, as a culture".
"He's really a man of humility and he really showed us how to see with a sense of perspective," she told ABC Radio on Monday.
The members hall at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP
She said he fell in love with Canberra and saw it as a poetic place, deciding to call the city home.
Prof Giurgola was born in Rome in 1920.
He studied at the University of Rome and Columbia in the US before creating Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, one of the world's leading architectural firms.
In 2003, Prof Giurgola came out of retirement to help bring another landmark, Parramatta's St Patrick's Cathedral, out of the ashes after the Catholic Church was razed by an arsonist.
Parliament House is seen from a hot air balloon in Canberra. Source: AAP
The then 83-year-old said he donated his time as an offering.
He was also awarded an honorary degree from Sydney University that year, along with Jorn Utzon, the architect who designed the Sydney Opera House.
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