In Memory of YM Tengku Robert Hamzah (1939–2025)
Defining Ecological Design
May 8, 2025
Ar. YM Tengku Robert bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah
Co-Founder & Principal, T. R. Hamzah & Yeang
(1939 – 2025)
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of YM Tengku Robert bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah, Co-Founder and Principal of T. R. Hamzah & Yeang, and one of the visionary forces behind the firm’s founding in 1976.
For nearly five decades, Tengku Robert was more than a name. He was a steady presence whose values shaped the very DNA of the practice.
His belief in purposeful design, and his lifelong commitment to architecture as a form of stewardship, helped establish T. R. Hamzah & Yeang as a pioneer in ecological design thinking.
A graduate of the Architectural Association (AA) School in London, Tengku Robert met Dr Ken Yeang in 1966. Their friendship began when Tengku Robert, who had already started a small practice, invited Ken Yeang to join him. The two formally joined forces in the late 1970s.
He brought support and principle to the firm’s growth across three continents, across hundreds of projects, and across generations of staff and collaborators.
To those who worked alongside him, Tengku Robert was a mentor and a stabilising presence. He rarely sought the spotlight, but he had a deep respect for design as a process of saving the Earth.
His passing marks the end of an era, but not the end of his legacy. Today, the work of T. R. Hamzah & Yeang is carried forward by those he supported, challenged and believed in, many of whom were mentored by him directly. The values he instilled remain at the core of our practice: humility, responsibility, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to meaningful architecture.
We will continue to honour his memory in the only way we know how which through our work, through our integrity, and through our belief in architecture as a force for good.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege to know him.
He will be deeply missed and never forgotten.
T. R. Hamzah & Yeang Sdn. Bhd.
Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan