Hazel York

Hazel is a partner and architect at Hawkins\Brown and leads the practice’s civic, community and cultural team. Her architectural experience ranges from local primary schools to national museums, town halls, theatres and libraries.

Hazel is known for her clarity of thinking and incisive critique. Her skills lie in translating a client’s requirements into a design vision and she has been instrumental in delivering award winning projects, including the new biochemistry building for University of Oxford, and the Oily Cart Theatre Headquarters.

She is an expert in facilitating focused user group workshops and is part of a team working with the RIBA to develop new digital tools and techniques to make the whole briefing process more effective. She has led community consultation events and is an enthusiastic advocate of working with artists to create inspiring places.

Alongside her project work, Hazel oversees many aspects of practice management at Hawkins\Brown, and has been instrumental in its recent growth. Her interest in communication through different media has led to several initiatives including Hawkins\Brown’s award-winning film and website.

Hazel is a member of the Creative Industries Federation; visiting critic at Newcastle University and regular contributor to design based judging panels. She is a passionate advocate for creative subjects within the school curriculum and mentors younger architects and designers within the industry.

Hazel has worked previously at the Department for Education researching and writing guidance for the design of primary and secondary schools in the UK and abroad. She has a BA in Architecture from the University of Newcastle, and a Diploma of Architecture from the University of Sheffield.