african architecture and urbanism

[bauzeitgeist]

The fantastic city assembly chamber at the Hotel du Ville, Yaoundé Cameroon—a fanned carousel over a shallow reflecting pool. An elegant yet exuberant example of the mid-century modern. Love the split in the flare of the buttresses.

[bauzeitgeist]

The Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja. Formerly the National Ports Authority—hence ship’s prow, porthole windows, smokestack circulation shafts, and other vaguely naval references. 

[n-a-reference]

Rammed Earth Panel Ghana

[architectureofdoom]

Igreja da Sagrada Família, Luanda

[ourafrica]

African City of the Day: Asmara - Eritrea 

Asmara represents perhaps one of the most concentrated and intact assemblage of Modernist architecture anywhere in the world. The urban design within the Historic Perimeter has remained untouched since its original implementation and subsequent evolution throughout the 1930s, and the architectural elements exemplify a superlative example of Modernist architecture in a complete urban setting. The city’s architecture is heavily influenced by Italian architecture. Asmara is the site of an ancient highland village called ‘Arbate Asmara’. In 1885, the Italians invaded Eritrea and by 1900, Asmara had become the capital city. The site was chosen for its salubrious highland climate, reliable water supply and ideal geographic location in the centre of Eritrea. In the early twentieth century, Asmara represented little more than a tiny highland village. which grew incrementally to become a well-established town by the 1920s.

However, by the 1930s, it was clear that Italy, under the rule of Mussolini, was intent on invading neighbouring Ethiopia and would use Eritrea as the launch pad for this long-held ambition. In preparation for this substantial military escapade, an unprecedented quantity of materials and labour flowed into Eritrea throughout the 1930s. In a matter of months, Asmara became a vast building site, as over 70,000 Italians arrived to established new lives for themselves. The rapid transformation of Asmara from a relatively minor town into Africa’s most modern and sophisticated city at that time overlapped with equally momentous events in the world of design and architecture, which involved the global proliferation of Modernism and its various forms, including Futurism, Rationalism, Novecento, and Art Deco. The spirit of this new age of travel and adventure was embodied in these new architectural forms. Asmara was an ideal blank canvas on which Italian architects could practice and realise these modern ideals. From 1935 to 1941, thousands of buildings were constructed in the city, most of which reflect various Modernist styles and some of which represent inimitable architectural forms, such as petrol stations mimicking aeroplanes and boats, commercial buildings designed as trains, cavernous cinemas with fine period plasterwork and Art Dem interiors, fine ultra-modern hotels and offices, and government buildings with highly politicised monumental designs.

[howiviewafrica]

Asmara, Eritrea. (The Africa we don’t see on TV)

[iseestarsinhereyes]

Fiat Tagliero buildling in Asmara, Eritrea by Eric Lafforgue Via Flickr: The famous Tagliero Fiat garage in Asmara, a real marvel… The airplane-shaped Fiat Tagliero garage, built by architect Giuseppe Pettazzi in 1938, similar to Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. The design of the Tagliero garage was revolutionary for its time. The building has 98-foot-long concrete wings extending above the ground on each side. © Eric Lafforgue

Asmara, Eritrea

[msafiri1]

Hargeisa doors. #Hargeisa #Somaliland #Somalia

SJ

[breathtakingdestinations]

Zanzibar - Tanzania (by Kyle Taylor)

[naf-asi]

Book : Afritecture

”Africa’s economic boom is being accompanied by a rapid urban growth that is decidedly altering the continent. Approaches to an individual, ecological, and context-sensitive kind of architecture are evolving within these transformative processes. In these changing urban structures, numerous projects aim at making an impact on society.”

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[archatlas]

[thekhooll-deactivated20210705]

THREAD: New Artist Residency and Cultural Center Toshiko Mori

The rural village of Sinthian in south-eastern Senegal will be the setting for an exciting new cultural centre, conceived and funded by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut in collaboration with a local leader in Sinthian. Opening on 4 March 2015,THREAD will offer residencies for visiting international artists alongside a diverse range of programs that will provide the people of Sinthian and the surrounding region with the opportunity to discover new forms of creativity and cultivate their skills. A venue for markets, education, performances and meetings, the centre will be a hub for the local community and a place where the resident artists can have a truly meaningful experience of Sinthian society.

Read More

[archatlas]

[thekhooll-deactivated20210705]

Making Africa – A Continent of Contemporary Design @Vitra Design Museum  

From March 2015, a major exhibition by the Vitra Design Museum sheds new light on contemporary African design. Showcasing the work of over 120 artists and designers, “Making Africa – A Continent of Contemporary Design” illustrates how design accompanies and fuels economic and political changes on the continent. Africa is presented as a hub of experimentation generating new approaches and solutions of worldwide relevance – and as a driving force for a new discussion of the potential of design in the twenty-first century.

Read More

[diassaparchitecture]

 Cape Coast, Ghana - Mfantsipim School (1958) Fry, Drew and Partners

Copyright Manuel Herz

African Modernism - Architecture of Independence

  Research and publication project

publication forthcoming in Febuary 2015

with an exhibition at Vitra Design Museum Gallery

  supported by the ETH Zürich

together with

Ingrid Schröder

Julia Jamrozik

Hans Focketyn

  During the late 1950s and the early 1960s most of the countries of Central and Subsaharan Africa gained their independence. Architecture became one of the principal means with which the young nations expressed their national identity. Parliament buildings, central banks, stadiums, conference centers, universities and independence memorials were constructed, often featuring heroic and daring designs. Modernistic, and often futuristic architecture mirrored the aspirations and forward looking spirit that was dominant at that time. A coinciding period of economical boom made elaborate construction methods possible while the tropical climate allowed for an architecture that blended the inside and outside, focused on form and the expression of materiality without the need for insulation or heating. The architecture in the capital cities of countries such as Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Ghana or Senegal still represents some of the best examples of 60s and 70s architecture. Nevertheless it has received little attention and still remains to be ‘rediscovered’. The research project aims at documenting this architectural oeuvre for the first time in an extensive and exhaustive scope. Publication and exhibition forthcoming in 2014.

[diassaparchitecture]

Cape Coast, Ghana - Mfantsipim School (1958) Fry, Drew and Partners

Copyright Manuel Herz

African Modernism - Architecture of Independence

  Research and publication project

publication forthcoming in Febuary 2015

with an exhibition at Vitra Design Museum Gallery

  supported by the ETH Zürich

together with

Ingrid Schröder

Julia Jamrozik

Hans Focketyn

  During the late 1950s and the early 1960s most of the countries of Central and Subsaharan Africa gained their independence. Architecture became one of the principal means with which the young nations expressed their national identity. Parliament buildings, central banks, stadiums, conference centers, universities and independence memorials were constructed, often featuring heroic and daring designs. Modernistic, and often futuristic architecture mirrored the aspirations and forward looking spirit that was dominant at that time. A coinciding period of economical boom made elaborate construction methods possible while the tropical climate allowed for an architecture that blended the inside and outside, focused on form and the expression of materiality without the need for insulation or heating. The architecture in the capital cities of countries such as Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Ghana or Senegal still represents some of the best examples of 60s and 70s architecture. Nevertheless it has received little attention and still remains to be ‘rediscovered’. The research project aims at documenting this architectural oeuvre for the first time in an extensive and exhaustive scope. Publication and exhibition forthcoming in 2014.

[diassaparchitecture]

Accra, Ghana - Former US Embassy (1965) Harry Weese

Copyright Manuel Herz

African Modernism - Architecture of Independence

  Research and publication project

publication forthcoming in Febuary 2015

with an exhibition at Vitra Design Museum Gallery

  supported by the ETH Zürich

together with

Ingrid Schröder

Julia Jamrozik

Hans Focketyn

  During the late 1950s and the early 1960s most of the countries of Central and Subsaharan Africa gained their independence. Architecture became one of the principal means with which the young nations expressed their national identity. Parliament buildings, central banks, stadiums, conference centers, universities and independence memorials were constructed, often featuring heroic and daring designs. Modernistic, and often futuristic architecture mirrored the aspirations and forward looking spirit that was dominant at that time. A coinciding period of economical boom made elaborate construction methods possible while the tropical climate allowed for an architecture that blended the inside and outside, focused on form and the expression of materiality without the need for insulation or heating. The architecture in the capital cities of countries such as Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Ghana or Senegal still represents some of the best examples of 60s and 70s architecture. Nevertheless it has received little attention and still remains to be ‘rediscovered’. The research project aims at documenting this architectural oeuvre for the first time in an extensive and exhaustive scope. Publication and exhibition forthcoming in 2014.

[diassaparchitecture]

Accra, Ghana - International Trade Fair (1964-67) Chyrosz & Rymaszewski

Copyright Manuel Herz

African Modernism - Architecture of Independence

  Research and publication project

publication forthcoming in Febuary 2015

with an exhibition at Vitra Design Museum Gallery

  supported by the ETH Zürich

together with

Ingrid Schröder

Julia Jamrozik

Hans Focketyn

  During the late 1950s and the early 1960s most of the countries of Central and Subsaharan Africa gained their independence. Architecture became one of the principal means with which the young nations expressed their national identity. Parliament buildings, central banks, stadiums, conference centers, universities and independence memorials were constructed, often featuring heroic and daring designs. Modernistic, and often futuristic architecture mirrored the aspirations and forward looking spirit that was dominant at that time. A coinciding period of economical boom made elaborate construction methods possible while the tropical climate allowed for an architecture that blended the inside and outside, focused on form and the expression of materiality without the need for insulation or heating. The architecture in the capital cities of countries such as Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Ghana or Senegal still represents some of the best examples of 60s and 70s architecture. Nevertheless it has received little attention and still remains to be ‘rediscovered’. The research project aims at documenting this architectural oeuvre for the first time in an extensive and exhaustive scope. Publication and exhibition forthcoming in 2014.

[diassaparchitecture]

Accra, Ghana - Independence Square (1961) Public Works Departement

Copyright Manuel Herz

African Modernism - Architecture of Independence

  Research and publication project

publication forthcoming in Febuary 2015

with an exhibition at Vitra Design Museum Gallery

  supported by the ETH Zürich

together with

Ingrid Schröder

Julia Jamrozik

Hans Focketyn

  During the late 1950s and the early 1960s most of the countries of Central and Subsaharan Africa gained their independence. Architecture became one of the principal means with which the young nations expressed their national identity. Parliament buildings, central banks, stadiums, conference centers, universities and independence memorials were constructed, often featuring heroic and daring designs. Modernistic, and often futuristic architecture mirrored the aspirations and forward looking spirit that was dominant at that time. A coinciding period of economical boom made elaborate construction methods possible while the tropical climate allowed for an architecture that blended the inside and outside, focused on form and the expression of materiality without the need for insulation or heating. The architecture in the capital cities of countries such as Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Ghana or Senegal still represents some of the best examples of 60s and 70s architecture. Nevertheless it has received little attention and still remains to be ‘rediscovered’. The research project aims at documenting this architectural oeuvre for the first time in an extensive and exhaustive scope. Publication and exhibition forthcoming in 2014.