Mayor de Blasio Announces Appointment of Architect Laurie Hawkinson to the Public Design Commission

November 1, 2016

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the appointment of Laurie Hawkinson to the Public Design Commission, New York City’s design review agency. Hawkinson brings a wealth of experience in architectural design and capital construction to the Commission, having completed many public and private projects around the world. Hawkinson also brings a deep historical understanding of architecture, with over 30 years of teaching experience at a number of colleges and universities.

“For this city to lead in the 21st century, this city must be designed for the 21st century,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Laurie’s years of work designing projects for a wide range of clientele, both domestically and internationally, as well as both privately and publically, demonstrate her expertise in the field. I look forward to working with Laurie on projects that will benefit this city for years to come.”

“As an architect committed to equity in design and service to the public, it is an honor to serve on the Public Design Commission,” said Laurie Hawkinson. “I look forward to working with the Commission to enhance the public realm and make New York City a better place for all of its constituents to live and work.”

About Laurie Hawkinson
Laurie Hawkinson is a partner at Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects (SMH+) and Professor of Architecture at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and currently serves on Columbia University’s Professional Schools’ Diversity Council.

Hawkinson has taught at Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Yale University’s School of Architecture, the Institute for Advanced Architectural Studies in Venice, Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Parsons School of Design’s School of Environmental Design, and the University of Miami’s School of Architecture. She has served on the Space Planning Committee of Columbia’s Manhattanville Campus and on the Dean Search Committee of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Hawkinson received a Bachelor of Architecture from The Cooper Union, an MA in Department of Art Practice from UC-Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UC-Berkeley.

About the Public Design Commission
The Commission reviews permanent works of architecture, landscape architecture and art proposed on or over City-owned property. The Commission is composed of 11 members and includes an architect, landscape architect, painter, sculptor and three lay members, as well as representatives of the Brooklyn Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Public Library and the Mayor.