Peter Hockaday came to Seattle in 1997 to establish and direct the Seattle office of MBT Architecture, a San Francisco firm. In earlier phases of his career, he studied at Yale (BA 1958, MArch 1961).

After graduation he headed West, and landed briefly in Spokane where he worked for Walker & McGough, then after military service, joined forces in Berkeley and San Francisco with the firm that became McCue Boone Tomsick and eventually MBT. He became a principal in 1979.

In Seattle, he directed the firm's work in the specialty of science labs and technology buildings, concentrating his own efforts in master planning, design concepts, and humanizing the workplace, the laboratory, and the classroom. Favorite projects include the Keck Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii for the University of California + Cal Tech, which houses the world's largest telescope sited on top of volcanic Mauna Kea, built in 1991; and Genencor Technology Center at Palo Alto, a unique biotechnology research and process center named Laboratory of the Year in 1997.

Peter has also worked more recently to establish the Seattle office of Perkins + Will.

The AIA College of Fellows honored him with advancement in 1987, recognizing his achievements to advance the profession in design.