In Philadelphia, Giurgola had formed a relationship with Louis Kahn, who held similar views. In April 1961 the architectural critic Jan Rowan grouped Giurgola, Kahn, Robert Venturi, George Qualls, Robert Geddes and others, into “The Philadelphia School”. Giurgola published several books on Kahn’s work and philosophy.

Giurgola was a professor at Cornell University and at the University of Pennsylvania, before becoming chair of the Columbia Architecture Department in 1966. He was later named the Ware Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Columbia.

In 1982, he was awarded the AIA Gold Medal by the American Institute of Architects

In 1982 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1994.

He was awarded the RAIA Gold Medal by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1988.

In January 1989 he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, “for service to architecture, particularly the new Parliament House, Canberra”. The award became substantive when he adopted Australian citizenship in 2000.

In 1990 Giurgola’s second notable Canberra building, the modest St Thomas Aquinas Church in Charnwood opened in 1989, won the RAIA’s Canberra Medallion.

Giurgola was invited to join the panel of judges for the 1980 international competition for the landmark Australian Parliament House in Canberra. Instead, he chose to enter the competition. After winning, Giurgola moved to Australia and practiced there. He adopted Australian citizenship in January 2000.

In 2001, he was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal, “for service as Principal Architect of the new and permanent Parliament House”.

In 2003 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sydney.

In 2004 his St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, won him Australia’s highest architectural award, the RAIA’s Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Buildings, which he was first awarded in 1989 for the Parliament House.

The portrait of Romaldo Giurgola painted by Mandy Martin, was gifted by the RAIA to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra in 2005.