Mark Gazy has moved to HDR to assume the role of Civic Principal, strengthening the practice’s commitment to delivering city-shaping projects and precincts.
Gazy’s 25 years as a built environment professional spans across the mixed-use, residential, commercial, education and urban design sectors at the likes of BVN, Tzannes, SJB and AJC. Gazy’s role at HDR will see him work alongside the practice’s health, education, science and defence teams to innovate operations.
“Whether designing neighbourhoods as an antidote to loneliness, rebuilding net zero communities on higher ground to safeguard from flooding or creating innovation precincts for scientists, researchers and educators to converge, by looking beyond traditional typologies we have the potential to solve some of our most complex societal, cultural and economic challenges,” Gazy says.
Gazy will combine both his own personal expertise with that of HDR’s to deliver an array of projects and precincts including build-to-rent and social and affordable housing. HDR’s work in public infrastructure will see Gazy operate alongside governments to deliver high quality justice and correctional health facilities.
“Today, the civic sector is unlocking new paradigms, and we have a unique opportunity to shape its future trajectory by responding to both our client’s complex needs and our increasingly variable market forces,” Gazy continues.
“For example, could we solve our housing crisis, and supply and demand pressures, by integrating our social infrastructure and precincts with key worker accommodation and amenities?
“This could reinvigorate the market and create deeply integrated environments that enable social, economic and cultural systems of influence to thrive in their own right.”
HDR’s Regenerative Design Framework will be adopted and driven by Gazy during his tenure at the practice. The Framework, which features high-performance design goals towards net-positive impacts and metric-driven targets for carbon, water, nutrients, air, biodiversity, social and health categories, is utilised on a global scale.
HDR’s advanced design team will create virtual replicas of buildings in conjunction with Gazy, to measure the ecological, social, cultural and financial resilience of an urban environment before a building is even constructed.
“Following a period of significant company growth, the appointment of Mark Gazy will enable us to further diversify and integrate our markets and services so we can elevate the communities we serve and codesign resilient, equitable and regenerative places and precincts that support and define our future,” Cate Cowlishaw, HDR’s Regional Managing Principal says.
