Maya Szybicka

Maya is an architect with nearly a decade of experience in commercial, residential and retail sectors specialising in major refurbishments, re-use of existing buildings and BIM delivery throughout all RIBA stages.

She has run projects in sensitive planning contexts and nestled within conservation areas. Prior to joining the Spring Cohort 2023, she worked at TP Bennett where she took on the lead role in delivering a complex refurbishment and extension of retail units on the high street in Chelsea. 

Maya previously worked as a studio tutor in the Manchester and Oxford Schools of Architecture. She has experience in community engagement from her involvement in charities such as the Outward Bound Trust and Groundwork. Maya has also worked with the London Cornish Pilot Gig Club, which aims to preserve and celebrate the art of traditional Cornish gig rowing and boat building, making the sport accessible to all.

Buckinghamshire Council

Throughout her placement in Buckinghamshire Council, Maya worked as Digital Planning Innovation & Delivery Officer. In practice, this position was an amalgamation of product owner, product operations and product manager roles. Working closely with the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, software developers and other councils, she was involved in various aspects of the design, delivery, and management of Open Digital Planning products.

Maya contributed to projects such as Plan X (formerly RIPA), a public-facing planning application submission and guidance service that aims to reduce invalid planning applications. Additionally, she worked on BOPS, a user-centred back-office planning system designed to facilitate and streamline the processing of planning applications. She contributed to The Planning Register, a single public register and index containing site planning application information integrated with incumbent back-office systems BOPS.