A graduate from the University of Waterloo's School of Architecture has been named one of the most influential people in Great Britain by the Sunday Times newspaper.
Alison Brooks, who graduated from Waterloo in 1998, was named to the list for demonstrating "outstanding influence, achievement and the capacity to inspire.” The jury citation states, "Brooks is a powerful force in British architecture with her drive to produce handsome housing for ordinary people."
“Alison’s accomplishments are an inspiration for our students,” said Professor Ila Berman, director of Waterloo’s School of Architecture. “Her reputation speaks to the strength of our international alumni network, and her professionalism and creativity reflect the tremendous education our students receive.”
Specialist publisher DeBrett's and the Sunday Times newspaper compiled the 'Influential 500' list through selection committees comprising industry leaders and experts in 25 fields ranging from architecture, politics and literature to technology, healthcare and broadcasting.
The list includes people creating radical waves in their industries, who, as it indicates, “give fresh stimulus to thinking and lead by example as they show us what the combination of exceptional talent, unswerving dedication and sheer hard work can achieve.”
Brooks appears alongside such notable people as Sir David Attenborough, Sir Ridley Scott; Sir Kenneth Branagh, JK Rowling, Philip Pullman, Stella McCartney, Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, Sir James Dyson, Jamie Oliver, Steve McQueen, Lord Coe and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.
This is the latest in a string of accolades paid to Brooks, who was awarded Woman Architect of the Year by the Architect's Journal in 2013, shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize and Supreme Winner of the 2013 Housing Design Awards.
Brooks moved to London shortly after graduating from Waterloo and spent the following seven years working in partnership with Ron Arad, a notable designer-artist-architect. She left the partnership in 1996 to start her own firm, Alison Brooks Architects (ABA). The practice delivers work ranging from regeneration masterplans to theatres and private art galleries.
ABA is the first firm to win all three of the UK’s most prestigious awards for architecture: the Stirling Prize (2008), the Manser Medal (2007) and the Stephen Lawrence Prize (2006).
Waterloo’s School of Architecture, part of the Faculty of Engineering, is one of North America’s leading architecture schools, according to Azure magazine.
More information on the Influential 500 appears on the Debretts website.
About the University of Waterloo
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's technology hub, has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 35,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Waterloo, as home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. In the next decade, the university is committed to building a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow. For more information about Waterloo, please visit www.uwaterloo.ca.
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