The Practice of the Year Award is judged on key business data from both the main AJ100 survey and the employee survey along with quality of design and approach to sustainability during 2020. Judges also consider how practices promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

Hawkins\Brown have moved to become a 100% employee owned trust, evidencing their clear focus on workplace culture and employee voice, undoubtedly contributing to their success in this award category. Further, despite facing a lockdown and redundancies a year prior in 2019, Hawkins\Brown managed to grow by 15 staff in 2020, indicative of their continual work on their workplace culture.

Our client was also named the AJ100 Building of the Year, for their transformative work on the Grade II listed public library, into a new local civic and social hub, combining library and leisure services into a community building. Their work provides a multi purpose space within a historical building, in keeping with the past and present for design.

This project's contribution to the community, with its flexible and adaptable design add such value to the project meaning the community can use the space for lots of activities and functions. Throughout the project the community were regularly consulted on the approach to the building to ensure the building met the needs of the local community.

Judges also applauded the rework for its consideration throughout the process, with Hawkins\Brown using their H\B:ERT tool. to assess the building's whole life carbon.

Congratulations to our client Hawkins\Brown!

References

• https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/aj100-building-of-the-year-2021-announced?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=LinkedIn#Echobox=1632306434
• https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/hawkinsbrown-named-aj100-practice-of-the-year-2021
• https://www.hawkinsbrown.com/news-and-events/news/hawkins-brown-is-moving-to-employee-ownership