African Modernism Exhibition at Shifteye Gallery Studios Nairobi by Manuel Herz

Manuel Herz was in Nairobi early last month to open the exhibition based on his book, African Modernism, to over 100 architects and artists who showed up. The organisers, the University of Nairobi and Goethe Institute Nairobi gave the opening remarks before Manuel Herz gave his informative lecture.

Shelfie: Unpacking My Library - Architects and Their Books

Did Victor Hugo prophesy technology’s coming of age to the point where print technology would combine with the art of building to have 3d printed buildings? That aside, it is claimed that Architects do not read, how true this is, is shown by the number of them who are able write about their works and the profession. The common relationship between the architect and his books is the occasional r...

Other Desires: The African City

Discussions on African cities bear diverse voices. Architects, artists, theorists, filmmakers, novelists, historians, planners and other professionals that have an impact on the continent’s development of cities come together and share their voices in one or divergent commonalities. Having this multi-disciplinary approach, gives an appropriate  kaleidoscopic view of the situation in Africa espe...

Shelfie: Cradle To Cradle

Africa is known to be the cradle of mankind as evidenced from the archeological findings in Koobi Fora and Meroe. This goes to state that the continent itself is to serve as a point of reference going forward, the book cradle to cradle, takes a multi-disciplinary approach to sustainability where the origin and life of a product is well thought through. The Authors, William McDonough is a traine...

Olifantsvlei Primary School / Studio 3

The idea of a school has in the past been reduced to a dumping ground for children where in this bleak, uninspiring places, violence and abuse becomes common place. A different paradigm on how children can engage in their education through a jungle gym like construction. By associating learning with fun, this creates a dramatic break from the typical design of schools constructed under South Af...

Shelfie: Learning from Nairobi-Mobility / KISD, UoN, Goethe Institute-Kenya

Thump! Thump! Thump! The strong, audible pumping heartbeat of the city of Nairobi can be felt as I thumb through the stethoscope designed by German precision and Kenyan innovation; Learning from Nairobi- Mobility. This book is a publication result of a cultural library project done where a collaboration between 20 students from  Koln International School of Design, Cologne and University of Nai...

10x10 Housing Initiative / MMA Architects

Is it possible to develop a low cost house without using the conventional brick + mortar + concrete mix? This was the question posed by the Cape Town based [design Advocacy] organization, Design Indaba,  through the 10 x 10 housing project competition. The competition invited 10 teams, each consisting of one international and one South African Architect to design for a family in freedom Park Ar...

Mahiga Rain Water Court / Dick Clark Architecture + Architecture for Humanity

How can a tree inspire a project? A local of Mahiga, Nyeri county Kenya wanted to plant a tree in the school his child attended, the school needed water to allow the tree to grow, but more importantly to provide clean drinking water to his students. The success of focused learning is through content children, by providing safe clean water to students equates to safe access to sanitation thus pr...

Shelfie: The Future of Architecture in 100 buildings

This 2015 mind opening book rightfully says that more can be asked from Architecture to bring life and innovation to produce an accurate back-drop to our divergent, creative and active society. Mark Kushner considers the public to be a partner in Architecture and he invites him into asking simple yet critical questions together with the designer in the hope of pushing the envelope towards the u...

Legson Kayira Community Center and Primary School / Architecture for a Change

Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Malawi is among the world’s least-developed and most-densely populated countries. Around 85% of the population live in rural areas. The economy i...

Nike Football Training Centre Soweto / RUF Project + Nike Global Football

Cities are living organisms- without the right cultivation, they wither and die. Architecture has the power to stitch individuals into a community and energize forgotten corners of our urban fabric. Nike football in conjunction with RUFproject and MMA architects have designed and built an architectural solution to the urban problem present in Soweto, and has shown its potential as a tool for en...

Roman Ridge / Alfredo Resende Architects

In the growing city of Accra, Ghana,a new twelve-building complex captures the artistic play of facades and elegant block design. It is a development that tackles the housing menace with cost-controlled construction that targets the emerging middle class with the ground floor projected for small-scale commerce. This propels it as an exceptional residential development into an iconic project.

Villagio Vista / Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

In Accra, a landmark building has helped in creating mental maps for its city users, contributing to the local conditions of the site. Through demonstrating the possibility of building high-rise in  an equatorial, earthquake risk location, the Architects, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, have offered a new housing prototype for Ghana’s emerging middle class.

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