Afritecture

Soccer City Stadium

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:53:37 +0000

Designed to have the appearance of a Calabash, or an African pot, Soccer City is currently the largest stadium in Africa. One of the most artistic and awe-inspiring football venues on the African continent, the newly-reconstructed Soccer City Stadium was host to the first and final matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Learning Landscape

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:36:17 +0000

Project H Design, a San Francisco based non profit, completed an amazing project playground project in Uganda. Design fellows Dan Grossman and Heleen de Goey built a mathematics playground for the students of the Kutamba AIDS Orphans School. The grid, made from reclaimed tires and ten math games, comprise a system called the Learning Landscape, which combines education and play to teach basic math concepts in an engaging way.

Royal Netherlands Embassy

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:41:28 +0000

A stunning example of a building concept that responds to its cultural and ecological surroundings, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, reflects a convergence of cultures, and collaboration between Ethiopian and Dutch architects. The guiding principle in the construction of the project was a respect for place while addressing the functional requirements of a working embassy, resulting in a contemporary structure that fully engages its local environment.

Le Medi

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:07:46 +0000

Le Medi is a Dutch neighbourhood consisting of 93 dwellings in the Rotterdam district of Bospolder. The object of this housing development was to create a residential block with characteristics of Moroccan and Mediterranean dwellings that are in complete harmony with the contemporary needs of housing consumers in terms of both individuality and the design and interpretation of residential wishes. It is the combined result of a well travelled architect, a local visionary with immigrant roots, and a growing urban demographic increasingly embracing global tastes and influences.

M’Afrique

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:50:14 +0000

Designed by African-American designer Stephen Burks and presented by Italian furniture maker Moroso at the 2009 Milan Design Week, the M'Afrique exhibition aims to use furniture as the vehicle to showcase the aesthetic influences and diversity of the continent with the creativity of a few of the great artists and exponents of contemporary African culture.

Using works by visual artists, photographers, interior designers, industrial designers, poets, and architects, the exhibition was the first to compile multiple disciplines in creation a complete and stunning collection.

Kampala Serena

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:36:29 +0000

Uganda's natural beauty inspires a sophisticated design approach to one of Africa's most elegant hotel properties. Situated in Kampala, the land-locked country's bustling capital, the Kampala Serena Hotel blends indigenous themes with careful attention to the hotel chain's 5 Star details.

Brian Vermeulen on Great Zimbabwe

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:08:52 +0000

Brian Vermeulen, of the architecture firm of Cottrell and Vermeulen in London, England, describes how the African Site of Great Zimbabwe, a major trading center until the 15th century, has influenced his work.

Butabu

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:19:39 +0000

James Morris, a photographer, and Suzanne Preston Blier, professor of Afro-American studies at Harvard authored Butabu: Adobe Architecture of West Africa. This a well-researched and beautifully presented study of the sculptural mud architecture of West Africa is stunning. These often beautiful buildings were designed and built by architects for kings and emperors, making the best of local materials and know-how.

In Mali, and in Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin, mud is not just used for making pots. It has been used for hundreds of years to build sensational structures -houses, mosques, palaces, temples, entire communities - which are repaired and remoulded every year during engagingly splashy mud festivals. And the very viscosity of this most malleable material has produced some highly inventive forms that seem to encompass ancient cultures, the spirits of the Sahara and even a touch of Surrealism.

Lamu Residence

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:18:33 +0000

Off the northern coast of Kenya, on the island of Lamu, a house captures the spirit of its owner and is site. Building on Lamu is never easy. This centuries old island, with an old town that is a UNESCO protected Cultural Heritage Site, is accessible only by boat or air, and cars are not allowed. Despite the challenges, owner Suno Kay Osterweis, an aficionado of the local swahili culture, and architect Claudio Modola, worked together to create a home that celebrates local aesthetics and building forms.

Gando Primary School

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:05:56 +0000

Inspired by one man's dream to improve the educational facilities of his village, the primary school in Gando, Burkina Faso, is an extraordinary achievement in philantrophy, design, and constructions methods.