Remaining a sole practitioner since establishing his practice in 1969, Glenn developed a patient and refined approach to architecture early in his career. Principally residential and regional, notable projects including the Marie Short House (1974–75) near Kempsey in NSW; the Marika-Alderton House (1990-94) in Eastern Arnhem Land, NT; and the Simpson-Lee House (1988­–93) in Mount Wilson, NSW.

Glenn also designed the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre (1996–99) at Riversdale, NSW, in collaboration with architects Wendy Lewin and Reg Lark, and the Australian Islamic Centre (2006–16) in Newport, Vic, in collaboration with architect Hakan Elevli.

Glenn’s architecture motto derives from his education in Indigenous practices and cultures: “Touch the earth lightly.” Responding directly to the elements of the Australian landscape through his designs and thoughtful use of materials, Glenn’s practice is a harmonious blend of modernist sensibility, local craftsmanship, Indigenous structures, and his respect for nature.

A dedication to vernacular and sustainable design has seen Glenn take an experimental approach to his projects, also leading to an identifiable aesthetic: repeated use of slim structures and corrugated iron recall the iron woolshed; passive cooling is achieved through a manipulation of materials that respond to wind patterns, as well as the use of slats and fly screen. His buildings are highly adaptable.

“We layer our clothing, put more on when it’s cold, take more off when it’s hot—and I think our buildings should equally respond to their climates,” Glenn has said.

Despite having never designed a project outside Australia, Glenn is highly regarded as a teacher and lecturer across the world, imparting principles about topographical and climate research and observation that can be transferred across geographies and cultures. He has been a visiting professor at Yale and Washington universities in the United States, and is a professor at the University of New South Wales. His annual Glenn Murcutt International Master Class, initiated in 2001, invites architects and senior students from around the world to Australia for a two-week studio-based program, which he has described as “a place of reconciliation, a reconciliation of place”.

As well as the Pritzker Prize, Glenn is the recipient of the 1992 Alvar Aalto Medal, the 2009 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, and the Kenneth F. Brown Asia Pacific Culture and Architecture Award (2003), among others.

He is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA); he was the founding President of the Australian Architecture Association, and is Chair of the Architecture Foundation Australia.