Architecture’s most successful not-for-profit NGO – Article 25 – has announced the launch of More Than a Building, a networking club for senior leaders in the construction industry.
Kao La Amani Children’s Village, Boma, Tanzania, currently under construction designed by Article 25 with engineering partners Michael Hadi Associates (structural), Hoare Lea (M&E) and WSP. In Tanzania, roughly 8% of children under the age of 18 are orphaned, with an estimated 90,000 orphans in the northern region of Kilimanjaro alone. The Children’s Village provides six cottages each with its own live-in ‘Mama’. Photograph by Grant Smith.
Article 25 works exclusively in the Global South, designing and overseeing the building of education, medical, and children’s centres. Completed projects include a school for 1,200 children in Niger, a child counselling unit in Lesotho, a specialist leprosy hospital in Nepal, a women’s training centre in Burkina Faso, and a children’s village for orphaned or abandoned children in Tanzania. Despite its small size, Article 25 has already designed and delivered 100 projects in 34 countries and their current portfolio of 14 projects across the globe has a total construction value of more than £56,000,000.
Its new membership scheme, More Than a Building, aims to achieve ‘100:100:100’ – 100 major construction industry firms signing up at £100 a month within 100 days. The initiative will be launched at an evening reception at the House of Commons on November 2nd 2023, which will be attended by senior leaders across the sector. High-profile developers, engineers, architects and house builders have already pledged their support.
In addition to networking opportunities, Article 25’s More Than a Building scheme also provides CPD, training, and secondment opportunities for the staff of member organisations. Chief Executive, Gemma Holding, said: “More Than a Building is about getting influential people from the construction industry in a room together to share ideas and explore opportunities that might not be possible otherwise. But it’s also about improving workforces through Continuing Professional Development and giving staff the chance to work on projects outside their own organisations. It’s a genuine partnership and value exchange that offers tangible benefits to both our organisations: a real win-win.”
More Than a Building membership will also enable Article 25 to increase its humanitarian work in some of the world’s poorest countries. Article 25 is proudly not-for-profit, meaning all building projects delivered with their NGO partners are a combination of pro-bono (free) and low-bono (provided at cost). For every £1 received per month, Article 25 secures roughly £4 worth of internal and external pro-bono architectural and engineering expertise, quadrupling the value of every contribution.
Article 25’s work means More Than a Building membership can help organisations achieve their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) goals as well.
Emily Binning, Director of Corporate ESG at WSP said: “We’re proud to be a member of More Than a Building and as an early supporter of the Article 25 movement, we value the continued drive towards achieving a more equitable standard of living, education and health for people and communities across the world.”
David Thomas, Chief Executive of the UK’s largest house builder, Barratt Homes said: “Barratt Homes are proud to be a member of More Than a Building – and I look forward to attending the launch event in November.”
More Than a Building membership starts at £100 a month. Benefits include:
- Networkingand Business Opportunities – Get to know other senior leaders in the construction sector at meetups and celebrations.
- PR – Share stories of the impact you’re having in the Global South. Article 25 will also mention your support in its own communications, too.
- Training – Free places on CPD courses, e.g. Architecture & International Development, Achieving NetZero Buildings, etc.
- Secondments – Article 25 offers secondment opportunities and the chance to work on meaningful projects internationally.
- ESG and CSR – More Than a Building can help you achieve your ESG and CSR objectives.
For more information or to become a More Than a Building member with Article 25 visit www.article-25.org or contact Chief Executive, Gemma Holding at gemma-holding@article-25.org
Source: Architecture Today
