Housing Awards: Judging Panel

Dominic McKenzie Dominic McKenzie was awarded a distinction in his Professional Architecture qualifications after studying Architecture at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Art. Prior to joining ABA he worked on large projects at Wilkinson Eyre Architects (Museum of London extension and City and Islington College, Holloway) and CZWG Architects on housing associated with the new Arsenal Football Stadium. Since joining ABA in 2003, Dominic has worked on both residential and public buildings. He was the ABA project architect for the Accordia housing development in Cambridge and the £25M mixed-use West End One Central Milton Keynes housing scheme which is currently on hold. He is currently the project architect for the £4M Folkestone Performing Arts and Business Centre due to completed in November 2008 and the £8.5M Bridgwater Performing Arts Centre which is working towards planning.
Sarah Beeny – TV Presenter Sarah Beeny set up her own property development and investment companies at the age of 24 along with her brother and partner (now husband). With her business a success, Sarah was approached to be the presenter of Channel 4’s prime time show Property Ladder. Enjoying the opportunity to bring property to the masses, Sarah has fronted many other shows, as well as being a regular contributor to magazines such as Homebuyer, New Woman and At Home. Sarah is now a regular writer for The Sunday Times and has written several best selling books. Sarah continues to present Property Ladder amongst other TV shows.
Don Wood - Homes and Communities Agency and the London Housing Foundation After more than thirty years in the social housing sector, the last twenty as group chief executive of London & Quadrant Housing Group, one of the largest housing associations in the country, Don is now the Executive Chairman of London Housing Foundation, a small grant giving charitable body assisting the agencies that provide services to single homeless people in Greater London. He has also recently been appointed to the board of the Homes & Communities Agency where he sits on a number of committees – Audit & Risk, Investment and Milton Keynes Partnership. The third string to Don’s bow is as a Trustee of the Orders of St John Care Trust, the second largest not for profit care provider in the UK operating 74 homes in 4 counties.
Alison Brooks- BES B Arch RIBA, Director, Alison Brooks Architects and 2008 Stirling Prize Winner Alison Brooks has established a reputation as one of the UK's leading new architectural talents since founding her London-based practice ABA in 1996. An intensely site-specific approach, drawing upon the broader cultural context of each project, has generated a continuously experimental yet award-winning, body of work. Recognised for expressively manipulating form, material and structure to reinvent typologies and dramatically sculpt space, her work often questions the nature of architecture and the conventions that surround it. Her belief in the transformative power of architecture underlies a commitment to housing design and its role in defining the character of our cities. Alison Brooks is the first UK architect to have won all three of the UK’s most prestigious awards for architecture - the 2006 Stephen Lawrence Prize for Wrap House, the 2007 Manser Medal for Salt House and the 2008 Stirling Prize for Accordia, Cambridge, with Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios and Maccreanor Lavington. Born in Welland, Ontario (Canada) and educated at the University of Waterloo (BArch 1988) Alison Brooks moved to the UK in 1988 after completing her studies. A successful 7 year partnership in Ron Arad Associates produced their acclaimed Chalk Farm Studios, London’s two Belgo Restaurants and the Tel Aviv Opera’s free-form interior architecture. In 1996 she formed ABA to pursue larger scale public, urban and housing projects. Her first large-scale commission, the Atoll Hotel Helgoland, won several industry awards and was described by the Architectural Review as setting a benchmark in new hotel design. This project was followed by a series of extraordinary UK residential commissions for which Brooks has gained worldwide recognition. Brooks runs her 18-strong practice from studios in Kentish Town, London with co-director Dominic McKenzie. She is a Unit Master at the Architectural Association and has taught and lectured internationally. She has served as juror for the RIBA Awards, the Housing Design Awards and the Young Architect of the Year Awards, in which she was a finalist in 1999. She is a member of the Southwark Design Review Panel and has served as external examiner at Bath and Lincoln Universities.
Liz Walder, Director, RSAW Liz Walder is Director of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW), constituted as the Royal Institute of British Architects' (RIBA). The mission of RSAW is to promote architecture and the work of architects to potential clients, policy makers and the general public. The RSAW is goverened by a council drawn from the whole membership working within the wider framework set by RIBA. Since Liz has been in Wales, she has promoted the RSAW as the 'voice of architects and architecture in Wales, ensuring tha good design remains on the agenda for everyone on every day' Prior to heading up the team in Wales, Liz was Communications Manager for the London regional office of the RIBA and also worked for a short time in the historic Drawings Collection of the RIBA. In July 2009, Liz will have worked for RIBA for 10 years. Witha first degree in archaeology, Liz has maintained and developed her interest in the historic landscape and the urban fabric. She is widely read, sharung her life with 2,000 books (and having read 90% of them). Outside of work, Liz's current research includes topics as diverse as the histry and connections of archirectural prizes including RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the sustainability agenda in terms of architectural design and maintaining the historic views in Wales
Dominic Church Dipl.Ing MSc RIBA ARB Dominic Church is Senior Policy Advisor at CABE, with a particular focus on housing. As part of CABE’s Enabling team, his remit includes the Building for Life initiative. As an architect, Dominic has worked in Germany, Luxembourg, Scandinavia and Israel, specialising in housing and healthcare projects before joining Building Design Partnership in 1998 to work on a number of educational buildings, including the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlisted Hampden Gurney school in Paddington. Dominic completed an MSc City Design and Social Science at the LSE Cities Programme in 2001 and subsequently took a leading role in teaching and research as Assistant Director of the LSE’s MSc programme. His consultancy work at the LSE Cities Programme included the Urban Design Review for the Silwood SRB regeneration project in Lewisham and an international study of the Social, Cultural and Economic role of the High Street in Towns and Small Cities commissioned by Yorkshire Forward.
Kate Dodsworth, National Housing Federation Kate is Head of Customer Relations at the National Housing Federation and has recently led the Services to Customers Project; working to build better relationships with the Federation’s 1300 members. She has held various posts at the Federation working both in policy covering all housing issues in the South of England and as a Regional Manager for London. Prior to completing a Masters degree in housing, Kate managed a hostel for 100 single homeless people in Brighton. She began her career in housing 16 years ago working with rough sleepers in Birmingham and has delivered training on working with people with support needs and delivered lectures to nursing degree students on working with the homeless mentally ill. Kate brings a breadth of housing experience with an emphasis on good customer service to the awards.
Beverley Spear, Head of Housing Consultancy, Homes and Communities Agency Beverley is Head of Housing Consultancy at The Homes and Communities Agency’s National Consultancy Unit, providing advice internally within HCA and to ATLAS (Advisory Team for Large Applications - part of the Planning Advisory Service). Last year she led a joint research project with ATLAS and the Housing Corporation on S106 and Affordable Housing. Beverley was previously Director of The Housing Partnership, the unit set up to improve joint working between English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation. She has worked at a senior level in housing associations, including Circle 33 Housing Trust and ASRA Greater London. Through her RSL work she has commissioned award winning housing and regeneration schemes in London as well as the home counties and Cambridgeshire. She has been Chair of the London Housing Federation Development Committee and also served on the National Housing Federation Investment and Regeneration Committee and Housing Forum Sub-Committee.
Matthew Bailes, Head of the Affordable Housing Division, Communities and Local Government Matthew leads the Affordable Housing Division in the Communities and Local Government Department. He was appointed Head of this Division, which leads on CLG's interest in new affordable housing and the Tenant Services Authority, in September 2008. His career as a Civil Servant includes previous roles including corporate finance, policy on the Fire and Rescue Service, regional government, and neighbourhood renewal, plus a spell in the Ministry of Defence Matthew is married with two young daughters. His interests include history, music and travel and he is fairly passionate about sport particularly football and cricket. He is a self confessed West Ham supporter who admits to being nervous on match day!
Ziggy Brennan Ziggy is an independent consultant with over 25 years of housing experience under her belt. She spent 10 years at the Housing Corporation, working with London local authorities and housing associations in structuring a number of major regeneration projects before returning to local government in 1998. As well as experience in the housing development and investment field, Ziggy has overseen the delivery of front line services in private sector housing, asylum and homeless services and is passionate about the central role housing plays in supporting neighbourhoods and individuals. Ziggy spent 3 years on contract at Government Office for London, developing Local Area Agreements and strategic partnerships before moving into consultancy. This offers greater time and flexibility for Ziggy to contribute to her Board positions with two housing associations and an ALMO.

Dominic McKenzie

Dominic McKenzie was awarded a distinction in his Professional Architecture qualifications after studying Architecture at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Art.

Prior to joining ABA he worked on large projects at Wilkinson Eyre Architects (Museum of London extension and City and Islington College, Holloway) and CZWG Architects on housing associated with the new Arsenal Football Stadium. Since joining ABA in 2003, Dominic has worked on both residential and public buildings. He was the ABA project architect for the Accordia housing development in Cambridge and the £25M mixed-use West End One Central Milton Keynes housing scheme which is currently on hold. He is currently the project architect for the £4M Folkestone Performing Arts and Business Centre due to completed in November 2008 and the £8.5M Bridgwater Performing Arts Centre which is working towards planning.

Sarah Beeny – TV Presenter

Sarah Beeny set up her own property development and investment companies at the age of 24 along with her brother and partner (now husband).

With her business a success, Sarah was approached to be the presenter of Channel 4’s prime time show Property Ladder.

Enjoying the opportunity to bring property to the masses, Sarah has fronted many other shows, as well as being a regular contributor to magazines such as Homebuyer, New Woman and At Home. Sarah is now a regular writer for The Sunday Times and has written several best selling books.

Sarah continues to present Property Ladder amongst other TV shows.

Don Wood - Homes and Communities Agency and the London Housing Foundation

After more than thirty years in the social housing sector, the last twenty as group chief executive of London & Quadrant Housing Group, one of the largest housing associations in the country, Don is now the Executive Chairman of London Housing Foundation, a small grant giving charitable body assisting the agencies that provide services to single homeless people in Greater London.

He has also recently been appointed to the board of the Homes & Communities Agency where he sits on a number of committees – Audit & Risk, Investment and Milton Keynes Partnership.

The third string to Don’s bow is as a Trustee of the Orders of St John Care Trust, the second largest not for profit care provider in the UK operating 74 homes in 4 counties.

Alison Brooks- BES B Arch RIBA, Director, Alison Brooks Architects and 2008 Stirling Prize Winner

Alison Brooks has established a reputation as one of the UK's leading new architectural talents since founding her London-based practice ABA in 1996. An intensely site-specific approach, drawing upon the broader cultural context of each project, has generated a continuously experimental yet award-winning, body of work. Recognised for expressively manipulating form, material and structure to reinvent typologies and dramatically sculpt space, her work often questions the nature of architecture and the conventions that surround it. Her belief in the transformative power of architecture underlies a commitment to housing design and its role in defining the character of our cities.

Alison Brooks is the first UK architect to have won all three of the UK’s most prestigious awards for architecture - the 2006 Stephen Lawrence Prize for Wrap House, the 2007 Manser Medal for Salt House and the 2008 Stirling Prize for Accordia, Cambridge, with Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios and Maccreanor Lavington.
Born in Welland, Ontario (Canada) and educated at the University of Waterloo (BArch 1988) Alison Brooks moved to the UK in 1988 after completing her studies. A successful 7 year partnership in Ron Arad Associates produced their acclaimed Chalk Farm Studios, London’s two Belgo Restaurants and the Tel Aviv Opera’s free-form interior architecture. In 1996 she formed ABA to pursue larger scale public, urban and housing projects. Her first large-scale commission, the Atoll Hotel Helgoland, won several industry awards and was described by the Architectural Review as setting a benchmark in new hotel design. This project was followed by a series of extraordinary UK residential commissions for which Brooks has gained worldwide recognition.

Brooks runs her 18-strong practice from studios in Kentish Town, London with co-director Dominic McKenzie. She is a Unit Master at the Architectural Association and has taught and lectured internationally. She has served as juror for the RIBA Awards, the Housing Design Awards and the Young Architect of the Year Awards, in which she was a finalist in 1999. She is a member of the Southwark Design Review Panel and has served as external examiner at Bath and Lincoln Universities.

Liz Walder, Director, RSAW

Liz Walder is Director of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW), constituted as the Royal Institute of British Architects' (RIBA). The mission of RSAW is to promote architecture and the work of architects to potential clients, policy makers and the general public. The RSAW is goverened by a council drawn from the whole membership working within the wider framework set by RIBA. Since Liz has been in Wales, she has promoted the RSAW as the 'voice of architects and architecture in Wales, ensuring tha good design remains on the agenda for everyone on every day'

Prior to heading up the team in Wales, Liz was Communications Manager for the London regional office of the RIBA and also worked for a short time in the historic Drawings Collection of the RIBA. In July 2009, Liz will have worked for RIBA for 10 years.

Witha first degree in archaeology, Liz has maintained and developed her interest in the historic landscape and the urban fabric. She is widely read, sharung her life with 2,000 books (and having read 90% of them). Outside of work, Liz's current research includes topics as diverse as the histry and connections of archirectural prizes including RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the sustainability agenda in terms of architectural design and maintaining the historic views in Wales

Dominic Church Dipl.Ing MSc RIBA ARB

Dominic Church is Senior Policy Advisor at CABE, with a particular focus on housing. As part of CABE’s Enabling team, his remit includes the Building for Life initiative. As an architect, Dominic has worked in Germany, Luxembourg, Scandinavia and Israel, specialising in housing and healthcare projects before joining Building Design Partnership in 1998 to work on a number of educational buildings, including the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlisted Hampden Gurney school in Paddington. Dominic completed an MSc City Design and Social Science at the LSE Cities Programme in 2001 and subsequently took a leading role in teaching and research as Assistant Director of the LSE’s MSc programme. His consultancy work at the LSE Cities Programme included the Urban Design Review for the Silwood SRB regeneration project in Lewisham and an international study of the Social, Cultural and Economic role of the High Street in Towns and Small Cities commissioned by Yorkshire Forward.

Kate Dodsworth, National Housing Federation

Kate is Head of Customer Relations at the National Housing Federation and has recently led the Services to Customers Project; working to build better relationships with the Federation’s 1300 members. She has held various posts at the Federation working both in policy covering all housing issues in the South of England and as a Regional Manager for London.

Prior to completing a Masters degree in housing, Kate managed a hostel for 100 single homeless people in Brighton. She began her career in housing 16 years ago working with rough sleepers in Birmingham and has delivered training on working with people with support needs and delivered lectures to nursing degree students on working with the homeless mentally ill. Kate brings a breadth of housing experience with an emphasis on good customer service to the awards.

Beverley Spear, Head of Housing Consultancy, Homes and Communities Agency

Beverley is Head of Housing Consultancy at The Homes and Communities Agency’s National Consultancy Unit, providing advice internally within HCA and to ATLAS (Advisory Team for Large Applications - part of the Planning Advisory Service). Last year she led a joint research project with ATLAS and the Housing Corporation on S106 and Affordable Housing. Beverley was previously Director of The Housing Partnership, the unit set up to improve joint working between English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation. She has worked at a senior level in housing associations, including Circle 33 Housing Trust and ASRA Greater London. Through her RSL work she has commissioned award winning housing and regeneration schemes in London as well as the home counties and Cambridgeshire. She has been Chair of the London Housing Federation Development Committee and also served on the National Housing Federation Investment and Regeneration Committee and Housing Forum Sub-Committee.

Matthew Bailes, Head of the Affordable Housing Division, Communities and Local Government

Matthew leads the Affordable Housing Division in the Communities and Local Government Department. He was appointed Head of this Division, which leads on CLG's interest in new affordable housing and the Tenant Services Authority, in September 2008. His career as a Civil Servant includes previous roles including corporate finance, policy on the Fire and Rescue Service, regional government, and neighbourhood renewal, plus a spell in the Ministry of Defence

Matthew is married with two young daughters. His interests include history, music and travel and he is fairly passionate about sport particularly football and cricket. He is a self confessed West Ham supporter who admits to being nervous on match day!

Ziggy Brennan

Ziggy is an independent consultant with over 25 years of housing experience under her belt. She spent 10 years at the Housing Corporation, working with London local authorities and housing associations in structuring a number of major regeneration projects before returning to local government in 1998. As well as experience in the housing development and investment field, Ziggy has overseen the delivery of front line services in private sector housing, asylum and homeless services and is passionate about the central role housing plays in supporting neighbourhoods and individuals. Ziggy spent 3 years on contract at Government Office for London, developing Local Area Agreements and strategic partnerships before moving into consultancy.
This offers greater time and flexibility for Ziggy to contribute to her Board positions with two housing associations and an ALMO.