Lillian Chrystall OBE passed away on 24 February, 2022. Awarded a Bronze Medal by the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) in 1967, Chrystall was the country’s first female architect to be recognised on a national level for her work.

Having worked in London and Paris at the start of her career, Chrystall returned to New Zealand to set up her own practice in the 1950s. During this period, she also became the first woman to work as a lecturer at the University of Auckland’s School of Architecture. It was through the university that she met her husband, David Chrystall, after he successfully applied to join her firm, Lillian Laidlaw Architect, which was renamed Chrystall Architects.

As a practising architect, Chrystall would go on to work in the industry for over 60 years, with notable buildings designed by her firm including the Lincoln Laidlaw House (1950s), Fraser House (1960), the Yock House (1964) and the Kauri Loop Road House (1974). Along the way, Chrystall became a fellow of the NZIA, and won various other awards from the professional organisation, including an Auckland Branch Merit Award in 1957, a Branch Award in 1977, and a Local Enduring Architecture Award in 2013. 

In 2014, Chrystall’s career was also recognised by Architecture+Women•NZ with the creation of the Chrystall Excellence Award to celebrate fellow female architects for their work, leadership and contributions to the wider community. During the inaugural Awards Dinner, Chrystall herself presented the A+W NZ Chrystall Excellence Award to Julie Stout, with other winners including Sarah Treadwell (2017) and Christina van Bohemen (2020). 

For more about the life of Lillian Chrystall, A+W NZ has published an obituary, which includes links to articles written about her groundbreaking career.