Gareth Capner has been appointed chair of the Housing Design Awards. He replaces Graham Pye who died suddenly in 2009.  Gareth was the first planning associate to join architects Barton Willmore in 1979, helping grow the practice when he became senior partner to become one of the country’s largest multidisciplinary housing specialists employing more than 300 staff. Gareth has been chosen for his awareness of the role both architecture and planning play in new housing.