Article 25 appoints Scott Brookes as Director of Projects
Article 25, the UK’s leading built environment NGO, is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Brookes as Director of Projects – a significant hire that deepens the organisation’s technical expertise and strengthens its capacity to deliver building projects in underserved communities around the world.
Background
Scott brings 15 years of internationally recognised engineering and design expertise to Article 25 - built across some of the UK's most iconic buildings and the world's most challenging humanitarian contexts.
His career has been shaped by a commitment to globally responsible practice: sustainable and equitable design, the careful reuse of existing buildings, climate and disaster resilience, and the stewardship of culturally significant places.
As a conservation-accredited engineer – one of only roughly 100 in the UK – he has worked on national icons such as the Natural History Museum, St Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle, while also leading humanitarian initiatives, including in Nepal, Iraq, Syria and Rwanda.
“Architecture and engineering are globally responsible professions. Even projects on UK soil have worldwide environmental and social consequences, through carbon, labour and supply chains.
Promoting building reuse and the circular economy is one answer to that responsibility. Working alongside partners in developing and humanitarian contexts is another – supporting buildings that are locally appropriate, resilient and useful over the long term.”
Scott is a Chartered Structural Engineer and holds a Master’s in historic building conservation from the University of Bath, as well as an MBA in Social and Environmental Sustainability. He joins Article 25 from Elliott Wood where he served as Head of Building Stewardship, having previously held the position of Director at Ramboll, where he led the humanitarian strand of the firm’s ‘Making a Difference’ initiative.
A longstanding connection to Article 25
Scott’s appointment builds on a relationship with Article 25 that predates his joining the organisation. While at Ramboll, his multidisciplinary engineering team supported Article 25 on two landmark projects: The Leprosy Mission Hospital at Anandaban in Nepal, and the Rwanda Net Zero Dairy Farm. It is this hands-on experience that gave him a clear sense of Article 25’s approach and impact.
“Article 25 punches above its weight and raises the bar on what can be achieved in complex and constrained settings. The team’s commitment to high-quality design is truly inspiring.”
What Scott brings
As Director of Projects, Scott brings an engineer’s perspective to an organisation rooted in architectural practice – acting as a connector and technical counterpoint across design, delivery and partnerships. He is clear about what lasting impact means in practice:
“For me, lasting impact means buildings that can serve communities across generations – shaped by available materials, passive design, culturally familiar methods, and the trust and capacity built through the process.”
He recently brought this perspective to chairing Architecture in Development’s Global Challenge accelerator panel, which supported some of the most compelling community-based regenerative projects worldwide.
Growth and strategy
Beyond project delivery, Scott’s work in commercial practice informs how he thinks about Article 25’s strategy and growth: purposeful, mission-led, and built on the kind of reliable multi-year income that allows organisations to attract and retain talent and take on long-horizon work. His MBA dissertation – on cultivating radical sustainability culture within design organisations – brings a focus on culture where ambitious approaches are the norm.
“We need more examples of ambitious sustainable designs working in different contexts – not as isolated exceptions, but as proof that better approaches are possible, practical and beneficial.
For designers to advocate for that kind of work, they need an internal culture that gives them confidence to test ideas, learn and improve. Everything starts with culture.”
Article 25 is entering a new phase – one defined by greater ambition, broader partnerships, and a determination to show that grounded, community-led design can create buildings of beauty, trust, dignity and continuity. We are delighted to welcome Scott to the team.
About Article 25
Article 25 is the UK's leading built environment NGO, delivering community-led building projects in some of the world's most underserved regions. Working across healthcare, education, housing and community spaces, Article 25 combines award-winning design with a commitment to local skills, sustainable materials and lasting impact.
For press enquiries, please contact the Article 25 communications team.
