Penodiadau i Gomisiwn Dylunio Cymru
Appointments to the Design Commission for Wales
Heddiw, cyhoeddodd Julie James, y Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol, bedwar penodiad newydd i Fwrdd Cyfarwyddwyr Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru.
Bydd pedwar Comisiynydd newydd, Mike Biddulph, Jon James, Cora Kwiatkowski a Joanna Rees, yn ymgymryd â’u rolau ar 1 Ebrill eleni. Bydd y penodiadau hyn yn para o 1 Ebrill 2021 tan 31 Mawrth 2025.
Sefydlwyd Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru yn 2002 gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Mae’n sefydliad cenedlaethol sy’n hyrwyddo gwaith dylunio da ar gyfer gwell adeiladau, mannau a lleoedd nawr ac ar gyfer cenedlaethau’r dyfodol. Mae Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru yn defnyddio sgiliau tîm amlddisgyblaethol o gynllunwyr proffesiynol, dylunwyr trefol, penseiri, cynllunwyr trafnidiaeth, arbenigwyr cynaliadwyedd a pheirianwyr i ddarparu cyngor a chymorth arbenigol ar gyfer cleientiaid sy’n eu comisiynu, hyfforddiant i awdurdodau cynllunio lleol a gweithwyr proffesiynol ym maes yr amgylchedd adeiledig, canllawiau creu lleoedd a gwasanaeth Adolygu Dyluniadau strategol cenedlaethol Cymru.
Mae Comisiynwyr Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru yn Aelodau o’i Fwrdd Cyfarwyddwyr. Nid ydynt yn cael eu talu, ond cânt eu had-dalu am gostau teithio a chynhaliaeth rhesymol. Maent yn ymrwymo tua dau ddiwrnod y mis o’u hamser.
Dywedodd Julie James:
“Rwy’n falch bod pedwar Comisiynydd newydd wedi’u penodi i Fwrdd Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru. Mae pob un ohonynt yn cynnig ystod eang o sgiliau newydd a phrofiad. Mae’n sicr y bydd y penodiadau hyn yn cefnogi Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru yn ei rôl bwysig i weithredu ein polisïau cynllunio cenedlaethol ar ddylunio a chreu lleoedd er mwyn sicrhau lleoedd gwell i bobl Cymru.”
Dywedodd Gayna Jones, Cadeirydd Bwrdd Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru:
“Mae’r Comisiwn Dylunio yn estyn croeso cynnes i’n Comisiynwyr newydd ac edrychwn ymlaen at eu gweld yn cyfrannu at ein bwrdd cryf ac amrywiol. Mae ein rôl graidd o hyrwyddo gwaith dylunio o ansawdd uchel ar gyfer lleoedd rhagorol yn canolbwyntio ar helpu i sicrhau canlyniadau cadarnhaol i ganol trefi, dinasoedd, pentrefi a chymunedau ar hyd a lled Cymru wrth i ni adfer o Covid-19.
"Rydym yn croesawu ein cydweithwyr i’n tîm ac rydym yn hyderus y byddant yn ein helpu i barhau i chwarae rhan hollbwysig wrth gefnogi amcan a blaenoriaethau cenedlaethol allweddol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer gwell lleoedd a chartrefi da, a chynnal a datblygu economi ffyniannus ar gyfer canol ein trefi a’n dinasoedd. Mae penderfyniadau dylunio da ac ansawdd rhagorol yn hanfodol ar y trywydd tuag at sicrhau datgarboneiddio a gwrthsefyll y newid yn yr hinsawdd, datblygu ecosystemau cryf a gwella iechyd a lles ein cymunedau.”
Dywedodd Carole-Anne Davies, Prif Weithredwr Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru:
“Mae’n fraint fawr i mi weithio gyda Bwrdd medrus y Cyfarwyddwyr a’r tîm staff yma yn y Comisiwn. Bydd ein Comisiynwyr newydd yn cryfhau’r tîm hwnnw ymhellach a’n gwaith o helpu i wneud Cymru’n lle gwell. Bydd eu sgiliau a’u profiad yn ychwanegu dimensiwn newydd i Comisiwn Dylunio Cymru ac rydym yn falch iawn o’u croesawu i’r tîm.”
Mae’r penodiadau’n cydymffurfio â'r Cod Llywodraethiant Penodiadau Cyhoeddus. Gwneir pob penodiad ar sail teilyngdod ac nid yw gweithgarwch gwleidyddol yn chwarae unrhyw ran yn y broses ddethol. Fodd bynnag, yn unol ag argymhellion gwreiddiol Nolan, mae’n ofynnol cyhoeddi gweithgarwch gwleidyddol y sawl a benodir (os caiff gweithgarwch o’r fath ei ddatgan).
Nid oes unrhyw un o’r unigolion hyn wedi cyflawni unrhyw weithgareddau gwleidyddol yn ystod y pum mlynedd diwethaf nac wedi dal unrhyw benodiad Gweinidogol arall.
Nodiadau i olygyddion
DCFW Background
The DCFW is a company limited by guarantee, wholly owned by the Welsh Government and established under the Companies Act 1985.
The DCFW’s mission is to champion high standards of architecture, landscape and urban design in Wales, promoting wider understanding of the importance of good quality in the built environment, supporting skill building, encouraging social inclusion and sustainable development.
The aims and objectives of the DCFW are:
- To champion high standards of design and architecture to the public and private sector in Wales through promoting wider understanding of design issues and the importance enhancing the built environment across all sectors, including the organisation of exhibitions, meetings, seminars and conference;
- To promote design practice that is compatible with the scheme made by the Welsh Ministers under section 79 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (“the Sustainable Development Scheme”), promoting best practice in energy efficiency, waste disposal and access to public transport;
- To promote design practice compatible with the highest standards in relation to equality of opportunity and the promotion of social inclusion; and
- To promote excellence in prestige projects with regard also to the promotion of excellence in day to day developments such as residential estates and industrial units.
Biographies
Mike Biddulph
Dr. Mike Biddulph is an urban designer working for Cardiff Council. He is a graduate of the urban design programme at Oxford Brookes University. At the start of his career he worked for Oxford City Council and then lectured in urban design at the Universities of both Liverpool and then Cardiff, where he founded and initially directed their MA Urban Design. He maintains a keen interest in how design is dealt with by UK planning processes, and has published extensively on urban design theory and principles, neighbourhood planning, master planning and design coding practices, various approaches to urban regeneration and renewal, as well as street and public realm design. He was, in particular, at the forefront of efforts to get home zones introduced into the UK.
For a period of time he was a Trustee of Play Wales and always tries to advocate on behalf of children and young people in planning and design. For Cardiff he provides design comments on significant planning applications, and is helping to shape the urban extensions to the city, the design of new council housing projects and contributes ideas and suggestions to public realm schemes.
Being a strong advocate for the work of the Design Commission over many years, he has supported it through officer and councillor training, contributions to Design Review, research and the authoring of material for its website and various publications. If he is not doing this, he will probably be drawing.
Jon James
Jon James is an experienced Architect and certified Passivhaus Designer. With 20 years’ experience in the industry, he has worked on projects across many sectors including small scale residential, commercial, education and masterplans. He has a strong reputation for working closely with his clients, creating and delivering buildings that exceed expectations. Jon has spoken at several influential conferences over the years on topics such as education and sustainable buildings.
Jon has worked for a number of award winning national and international practices. During his time as a Director at Scott Brownrigg he worked on a number of acclaimed schemes including Cardiff Pointe, Cardiff North-West Masterplan and Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen in Bridgend. The new community school achieved a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating at design stage and became an exemplar project for the Low Carbon Research Institute.
Jon leads his own practice, Jon James Studio Architecture, based in the Vale of Glamorgan with a focus on sustainable buildings. He is currently working on several sustainable/ Passivhaus buildings and works with the Welsh School of Architecture as a consultant.
Cora Kwiatkowski
Cora is a chartered architect with over 20 years’ international experience and Divisional Director/Sector Lead for Higher Education at Stride Treglown, as well as a RIBA Client Adviser with a special focus on strategic advice, briefing and user experience.
With her strong design background, she has been responsible for high-value and change inspiring projects, including higher education, student accommodation and workplace schemes.
Cora is experienced in working with the public and private sector to deliver award-winning projects. As a multi-disciplinary design team leader, she led, for example, on the €200m train station in Cologne, designed the innovative Shilling Building at Royal Holloway and worked on the world-class £56m Bristol Business School as Technical Adviser for the University of the West of England, as well as on masterplans and design codes for up to 2,200 residential units.
Cora has demonstrated encouraging design excellence as thought-leader through co-chairing the Design Review Panel at the Design Commission for Wales and Design West. She further supports this aim as Board Trustee for the Architecture Centre and a member of the Higher Education Design Quality Forum. Cora was Finalist in the ‘Best Woman Architect’ category at the Women in Construction and Engineering European Awards 2019.
Joanna Rees
Jo is a lawyer and partner at Blake Morgan in Cardiff where she specialises in construction and development schemes and heads the firm's cross discipline Infrastructure team. She has considerable experience of large scale public and private development work, regeneration schemes and infrastructure projects.
Originally from Porthcawl she graduated from Bristol University and worked in the City before rediscovering the attractions of Welsh life. She now lives with her family and two large Airedales in the Vale. Jo is also a trustee of Wales Millennium Centre, a member of the Cardiff Business Council ac mae'n siarad Cymraeg.