Interior view of a modern commercial space with escalators, orange seating along the railing, colorful abstract art on the wall, and a few people walking.
Logo for Brook Architecture with the company name in large blue letters and the word 'Architecture' in smaller blue letters below.
Fire station with red fire trucks parked outside, a building with a red brick facade, and a tall communication tower against a blue sky during sunset.
Indoor swimming pool with lanes, pool chairs, and large glass windows showing city buildings outside.
Exterior of a modern building with glass windows and brick walls, surrounded by a small garden and benches, under a clear blue sky.
A modern multi-story commercial building with glass windows, an enclosed drive-thru, and people walking nearby on a city street.
A brick apartment building with several windows, two trees with orange leaves in front, and a car parked on the street.
Reception desk inside the Chicago Public Schools building with people waiting and staff attending to visitors. Bright interior with a wall of vertical colorful stripes and greenery.
Recreational enthusiast outside of the 31st Street Beach pier, with an outdoor staircase and rooftop feature designed by Brook Architecture to resemble a sailboat.
A modern, multi-story apartment building with a brick and wood exterior, large windows, and a small front yard with a walkway, trees, and a black metal fence.
A multi-story residential building with a modern design, brick and beige exterior walls, and numerous rectangular windows, situated along a street with a sidewalk, trees, a fence, and a streetlamp.
Bird's-eye view of a landscaped outdoor area with curved walkways, patio tables, benches, trees, and a few people sitting or walking.
Founded in 1995 by RaMona Westbrook, Brook Architecture is a Chicago-based practice providing design services to public, private and non-profit organizations. We design buildings and spaces for living, learning and playing.
We begin our work with careful listening, comprehensive analysis, and an appreciation for the context of each project. We believe this approach will always lead us to straightforward and honest responses to the complex problems our clients bring to us.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Listen carefully.
Be patient. Understand our client’s goals.
Ask questions.
Research the problem. Know what our clients worry about.
Respond honestly.
Simplify the answers. Engage and educate our client.
Respect the context.
Know the history of the site. Connect with the legacy of the building. Acknowledge the community’s relationship with the places where they lived, worked, worshipped and played.
Deliver value.
Knowledge, planning, innovation, and experience simplify the complex design process and lead to buildings and spaces that will provide a return on our client’s investment.
Secrets of Sacred Architecture
Aired on WTTW (PBS)
For most of America's history, sacred buildings represented our greatest feats of innovative engineering and artistic design. For a time, America's tallest structure and its largest-capacity building were churches, and a Maryland church organ stood as the most complex machine ever built. SECRETS OF SACRED ARCHITECTURE unlocks the elements of design that make these innovative structures so fascinating and unveils the meaning embedded in religious architecture. RaMona Westbrook is a contributor to this engaging documentary. View the trailer.
ARC: All Reimagining Chicago
Reimagining 75th Street’s “Restaurant Row”
A team of Chicago architects believed they could help the small neighborhood businesses suffering from the aftermath of urban unrest and a pandemic.
Brook Architecture was part of this extraordinary team that conceived, designed, and supervised the construction of a colorful boardwalk in Chicago’s Chatham community.
Visit our Teams page to explore our job postings.