Zoe Hooton: RIBA Registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

Congratulations to HPA Director Zoe Hooton, who has recently joined the RIBA Register as a Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA). Zoe also recently obtained the AABC membership making her one of just over 350 specialists nationally and the only specialist in the Lancaster and Morecambe area.

Having grown up in the district, Zoe reflects upon what this means:

“If I recall why I wanted to be an Architect and when I became interested in Conservation, I was a teenager, stood in a derelict graffiti clad Midland Hotel listening to stories of Coco Chanel making her way down the iconic central staircase of the building. I thought that Morecambe could be renewed, if even a fraction of that interest and legacy could be reclaimed. I’d seen the creative reuse of buildings such as Liverpool Docks and Tate Modern in its former bankside power station and wanted to be part of a profession that drove this reclamation and regeneration.

This accreditation has taken years of additional specialist study, research, a professional master’s degree, and direct project experience demonstrating skill, knowledge, and competency. Training is a rigorous and a labour of love, but I’m thankful to all craftsmen, contractors and clients who have assisted and supported me in this journey.”

Recently, Zoe has been the Director Lead for several Conservation Schemes in the City of Lancaster as part of the Heritage Action Zone and residential works in the Lake District and National Landscapes.

Discover more about HPA’s Heritage and Conservation work: https://www.hpa.ltd/sectors/heritage/

For more information about joining the Conservation register: https://www.architecture.com/education-cpd-and-careers/membership-and-accreditation/join-the-riba-conservation-register