What Brook Architecture does

Brook Architecture is a Chicago-based architectural practice founded in 1995 by RaMona Westbrook that delivers design services to public-sector, private developer, and non-profit clients across the Chicago Metropolitan Area. The firm operates as a professional services practice on a project-based, fee-for-service model, with fees typically determined through competitive bidding for public work or negotiated agreements with private developers. Its service portfolio spans five categories — residential architecture (affordable housing, market-rate, mixed-income), interior design, new construction, renovation/adaptive reuse, and planning — augmented by sustainability consulting and LEED certification pursuit.

The firm is staffed by a team of approximately eight credentialed professionals (including founder RaMona Westbrook and associates holding AIA, NOMA, and LEED AP designations) and executes its work either as lead architect or in partnership with larger firms on larger commissions. Notable projects include the LEED Gold-certified 31st Street Harbor (82,000 SF community center, AIA Chicago 2011 Sustainability Leadership Award), the Chicago Public Schools Central Office relocation (200,000 SF for 1,000 employees on a 6-month schedule), the $110M Cook County Professional Building (as partner with Gensler and Clayco), the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center (120,000 SF with Lamar Johnson Collaborative), and the DuSable Park Design Alliance (joint venture with Ross Barney Architects).

Brook Architecture's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: it wins public work through competitive bidding, secures developer projects via established partnerships (The Community Builders, Self-Help Federal Credit Union), and generates awareness through portfolio visibility, civic engagement (Organic Oneness King Day of Service), and earned media (Crain's Chicago, WTTW documentary). The firm is privately held, founder-led, with no disclosed outside investors, no parent company, and operating geographies strictly within the Chicago metropolitan area.

Name

Brook Architecture

Legal name

Brook Architecture

Website

https://brookarchitecture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brook Architecture is a Chicago-based architectural practice founded in 1995 by RaMona Westbrook, delivering project-based design services in residential, interior, new construction, renovation, and planning to public-sector agencies, private developers, and non-profit organizations across the Chicago metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Residential Building Construction (2361)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB), Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Residential architecture
• Interior design
• Sustainable architecture
• Urban planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Fee-for-service architecture and design services for public, private, and non-profit clients. Projects include new construction, renovation, interior architecture, and urban planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brook Architecture is a Chicago-based architectural practice that provides design services to public, private, and non-profit organizations. The firm designs buildings and spaces for living, learning, and playing, including new construction, renovation, interior architecture, and urban planning, with specialization in sustainable design, historic preservation, community-focused development, and mixed-income housing.

Product overview

Brook Architecture is a Chicago-based architectural firm founded in 1995 by RaMona Westbrook, providing design services to public, private, and non-profit organizations. The firm offers a comprehensive portfolio of architectural services organized into five main categories: Residential Architecture (affordable housing, multi-family, mixed-income developments), Interior Design (space planning, visioning sessions, technical drawings), New Construction (ground-up design from concept to closeout), Renovation (adaptive reuse, building revival), and Planning Services (strategic project frameworks). The firm's design philosophy emphasizes careful listening, comprehensive analysis, and contextual responsiveness to create straightforward and honest architectural solutions. Projects span educational facilities, healthcare buildings, sacred spaces, residential developments, parks, and civic infrastructure across Chicago's neighborhoods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% energy usage reduction achieved through sustainable upgrades
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ross Barney ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership forming the DuSable Park Design Alliance for the design of DuSable Park, a 3.5-acre public space on Chicago's lakefront honoring the city's founder.
• Lamar Johnson CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrook Architecture manages community engagement and supports medical equipment consultants for the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center project.
• Interior ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAward-winning interiors firm hired to assist with design, permit, and construction documents for Chicago Public Schools Central Office relocation.
• Clayco Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign builder on the Cook County Professional Building project, a $110 million, 282,000 SF nine-story building.
• CBREcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject manager for Cook County Professional Building development.
• GenslercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign architect responsible for building shell, lobby, and three floors of clinic spaces on Cook County Professional Building project.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with a significant Chicago studio covering healthcare, education, and residential work. Competes for the same institutional clients (Northwestern, Cook County, CPS) at much larger scale.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with a major Chicago office. Already partnered with Brook on the Cook County Professional Building project and competes for the same large institutional commissions.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm with strong civic and public-sector practice. Competes for high-profile Chicago civic and institutional projects at much greater scale than Brook.

Direct peers

• Landon Bone Baker Architects: Chicago-based architecture firm with comparable focus on community-oriented residential, multi-family, and institutional projects in Chicago neighborhoods. Similar team scale and practice model serving public and non-profit clients.
• Wheeler Kearns Architects: Chicago residential and institutional architecture firm with comparable size and emphasis on contextual, community-responsive design. Similar focus on custom residential and mission-driven institutional work.
• Ross Barney Architects: Chicago architecture firm known for civic and public infrastructure projects. Already an established Brook partner on DuSable Park — directly comparable practice serving public sector clients at larger scale.
• Bauer Latoza Studio: Chicago architecture firm specializing in community-focused residential and institutional projects. Comparable scale, public sector engagement, and mixed-income/multi-family housing portfolio.
• UrbanWorks: Chicago-based architecture practice with a similarly small team delivering mixed-use, residential, and community-focused projects. Comparable service breadth and engagement with affordable and market-rate housing developments in Chicago.

Regional players

• Studio Gang (Studio Gang Architects): Chicago-based architecture practice with comparable focus on civic and community projects. Larger scale and national reputation, but competes directly for high-profile Chicago public-sector commissions.

Emerging players

• Moody Nolan: Largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the U.S., with growing community-focused design portfolio. Comparable community-engagement model and NOMA-affiliated leadership; represents a scaling version of Brook's positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BrookArchitecture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brook Architecture