Usually representing spirits, ancestors or the primordial couple, these figures were placed in shrines and treated with great respect. Through a wide range of style, scale, belief and function the couples depicted share a timeless, serene equality necessary to the continuity of their societies.

Benga Riverside Residential Community / Kere Architecture

Architects: Kere Architecture
Location: Tete, Mozambique
Project Team: Francis Diebedo Kere
Interior Décor: Kere Architecture
Project Year: 2015
Photographer: Kere Architecture
Website: www.kerearchitecture.com

- 29 June 2015
- Karanja Samuel Edwin Seda
Residential , Sustainability ,

Our favorite Burkinabe architect of the German based architectural office Kere Architecture comes to us yet with another of a sustainable environment within the continent. This is a project that oozes the picturesque spirit of a rural environment, in a move aimed at "fostering an atmosphere of economic housing within the Mozambican community of Tete.

Located on the picturesque banks of the Revuboe and Zambezi Rivers, the aim of the Benga Riverside Residential Community is to introduce a new neighborhood typology for the growing community of Tete, Mozambique. As various industries continue to invest in the region, there is a growing demand for quality and economic housing solutions for migrant and local families alike.

The Benga Riverside Community will pioneer a new method of planning and building for the residential sector in the area, fostering an atmosphere of social inclusion among residents of diverse cultural backgrounds. Educational, civic, and recreational needs will be supported by a variety of mixed-use public and private functions, including a primary school, sporting facilities, restaurant, commercial storefronts for local businesses, public square, resident’s clubhouse, and up to 100 housing units.

Home to a wide range of wildlife and vegetation, Benga Riverside will celebrate the heritage of its site by preserving elements such as old-growth Baobab trees, shrubs, and native grasses which will also help to shade and protect the area from dusty winds. To further establish this new architectural identity, the built interventions will utilize local rock, wood, clay, and will be developed as a high-quality, low maintenance modular system. Private courtyard space, scenic landscape views, passive ventilation, and grey water management will also contribute to provide the best sustainable, economic, and long-term housing solution for future residents.

CLICK TO REVIEW LINKED STORY

National Park of Mali / Kere Architecture
Amidst the senseless construction of commercial urban projects in Bamako, a welcoming vision of nature and beauty stands at the entrance of the National Park. The renowned architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, Aga Khan Award for Architecture recipient in 2004, was commissioned to redevelop 8 existi...

- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...
- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...
- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...
- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

If you want your own avatar and keep track of your discussions with the community, sign up to archiDATUM >>

SELECTED WORKS

- Mahali Mzuri Safari Camp / Real Studios
- 30 Sep 2015
It is a sight of beauty, a merging of man and nature, a design endeavour that only fans of both architecture and nature "archinatures" ca...
- Guelimì House / Ilaria Di Carlo
- 24 Mar 2017
The 600 square metre Villa was commissioned by a contemporary art dealer in Algeria as her new home and a place to host her private colle...
- Dominican Chapel/ Demas Nwoko
- 04 Jan 2016
Dominican Chapel is a landmark for the city of Ibadan. It is located in a hill with slight incline and it is surrounded with green lawns ...

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN DIRECTORY

- Terra Lodge Hotel / Ramos Castellano Arquitectos
- 05 Dec 2017
In the middle of the Atlantic ocean, in the island of Sao Vicente, in a dry windy island where only rain in August. A France trekking gui...
- Leopards Leap Vineyards / Makeka Design Lab
- 02 Aug 2016
How does a utilitarian wine shed become the new home for a young wine, and become a gateway for new audiences to wine and unique food? Ho...
- Bloomsbury Waterfront Development/ NLé Works
- 21 Apr 2015
The project is a premium office space that maximises the great views across the city’s waterfront within a strategic site plan that incor...