ASF-UK is supported by a multi-disciplinary advisory committee of distinguished academics and experienced professionals from relevant sectors (including architecture, development, community involvement, the humanitarian sector and law). They provide strategic advice on programme content, foster links with partner organisations. The advisors promote the work and aims and objectives of ASF-UK and act in the interest of the charity’s reputation.
Currently the ASF-UK Advisory Committee is made up of:
Prof. Nabeel Hamdi
Nabeel is an acclaimed architect and academic in the field of International Development. He was the architect responsible for the award winning community-based PSSHAK housing projects in London in the 1970s and is the principal investigator on sponsored research into low-income housing in UK, USA and in numerous developing countries.
In 1997 Nabeel won the UN Habitat’s Scroll of Honor for his outstanding contribution to community action planning in cities and the Masters course in Development Practice that he founded at Oxford Brooks University in 1992 was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2001.
Nabeel has consulted on participatory action planning and the upgrading of slums in cities to all the major international development agencies, and to charities and NGO’s (non government organisations) worldwide. He is co-founder and director of the Institute for Development in Extreme Environments and a principle advisor to Architecture Sans Frontières-UK. He is the author of numerous books and articles.
Ms. Greta Jensen
Originally trained in industrial design, architecture and planning (RIBA Part I), Greta has for the past 20 years provided technical expertise to a wide range of assignments in India, Nepal and the Himalayan region of China, where she has worked with disadvantaged communities to draw together development programmes based on sustainable ways of regenerating, caring for and using locally available resources.
In 1998 Greta completed an MA in psychotherapy, and since then has drawn on her knowledge of individual and group process to develop a unique experiential dimension to her participatory work with communities.
Greta has a wide knowledge of appropriate technologies for development, such as, low cost, low impact, building and sanitation techniques, renewable energy sources (windpower, solar systems, biogas) and fuel-efficient smokeless cookstoves. She has also worked with community-based environmental regeneration initiatives, including environmental education for first generation learners, and involving re-forestation, coastal protection (especially post-Tsunami), integrated agroforestry, water harvesting and shared resource management, as well as primary and secondary income generating enterprises.
Deeply committed to building a sustainable future for coming generations, Greta has for the past 9 years contributed her extensive field experience to the arena of development education. She currently works as a trainer and consultant to a number of UK and international NGOs working in the UK, the European mainland, South Asia and Africa.consultant to a number of UK and international NGOs working in the UK, the European mainland, South Asia and Africa.
Mr. Peter Newton
Peter is Principal Architect at Urban Design practice Studio Real. Peter graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degrees (with distinction) and completed his professional registration exams at Southbank University, London. He has worked at several architectural practices including Michael Hopkins and Partners, and more recently as an associate with a medium sized practice before relocating to Oxford.
Peter’s work is underpinned by a passion for environmentally and socially responsive design, and he is a founding member of Architecture Sans Frontiéres – UK. Peter has worked on a wide range of projects, both new build and refurbishment, ranging in size, and his experience covers a range of sectors including housing, leisure, retail and commercial projects.
Mr. Stuart Parker
Stuart is an architect working in private practice. He has worked on the design of offices and residences for The British Council, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and various clients throughout West and Southern Africa, the Central Asian Republics of the former Soviet Union and South America.
He was director of the International Development Projects Office of Oxford Brookes University for 5 years. He worked closely with Nabeel, principally on the waterfront in Guayaquil, the largest urban regeneration programme in Latin America.
Stuart now concentrates largely on ecotourism projects coupled with the use of appropriate technology both in the UK and overseas.
Dr. David Sanderson
Having trained and worked in architecture, in 1991 David took the MSc in Development Practices at CENDEP. Since then he has worked on a wide range of poverty-related programmes in over 25 countries.
In the early 90’s David was a CENDEP Research Associate following which he worked as Project Manager for the Oxford Centre for Disaster Studies, involved in disaster risk reduction initiatives for government and non governmental agencies in Africa, Asia, Latin America and The Caribbean.
For 10 years, he worked for the NGO (non governmental organisation) CARE International UK, firstly as Technical and Policy Adviser, and from 2002 as Regional Manager for Southern and West Africa, based in CARE’s Regional Management Unit in South Africa.
David’s areas of experience are in risk reduction, urban poverty and applying livelihoods based approaches, for which he has written several published articles and papers. David is the current head of School at the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice at Oxford Brooks University.
Mr. Perry Seymour
Perry is currently working at RedR as a Training & Consultancies Manager. Perry has been working in the relief and development sectors for approximately a decade, most extensively in South Eastern Europe and Central Asia . Before becoming involved in the sector, he taught Social Problems, Social Movements and Sociology at two universities in the United States before being recruited to manage civil society programmes aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of trade unions in the former Yugoslavia . He held several positions during this period including Balkan Regional Manager and Coordinator of Eastern Europe & Central Asia. Perry moved into the poverty housing field, working with Habitat for Humanity International before moving to London. At RedR, he manages the consultancy unit which offer training, development, evaluation and assessment programme to the humanitarian community worldwide.
