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.

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OVD 525 / Three14 Architects

OVD525 is a private home located in Bantry Bay, Cape Town. The steep mountainside site boasts un-disturbed views over Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard and Robben Island to the north and north-east. The city is seen in the distance towards the east and the iconic Lion’s Head Mountain towers over the house from the south. Western views take advantage of spectacular ocean-sunsets.

Arijiju Resort / Life Grand Group

Arijiju lies on the lowland. The building behaves as though it has always been on that warm stone hillside with living, grassed roofs that move with the air and link into the earth and forest. It is there but not there. Partly sculptured into the rock bed, the subtle entrance opens into a fragrant, greened space with generous Swahili curves and an air of elastic calm. Walls of stone create walk...

Mandarin Oriental / Pascal Desprez + Gilles & Boissier

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech is set amid lush, lavish gardens surrounded by a walkway that allows guests to fully appreciate their charms. An avenue lined with palm trees provides a spectacular entrance, referencing the traditional Moroccan palm groves, while small mounds recall the dunes of the South Moroccan desert. Scattered among the palm trees, pink bougainvillea are cut into Japanese shap...

Hotel Sahrai / Christophe Pillet

The five-star Hotel Sahrai, designed by the architect and designer Christophe Pillet, enjoys spectacular views of the largest medina in the Arab world, taking in twelve centuries of the city’s history in one fell swoop. Just 2h30 away from Paris, it offers a totally new hotel experience in Fez. An alternative to the shady isolation of the riads and the impersonal feel of the big resorts, its ar...

Royal Mansour Luxury Hotel / 3BIS Interior Architecture

The Royal Mansour is the result of pure inspiration: a dream made real, and a spectacular recreation of a beautiful way of life. The very soul of Morocco is reflected in the fulfilment of this vision, one that is faithful to architectural tradition, and honours both heritage crafts and contemporary artistic talent. Yet its most memorable aspect is its sense of welcome – that’s where the real ma...

Villa Suluwilo / COA

The use of simple linear plan forms, broken up into pavilions to accommodate the natural vegetation and site features dominate the layout. While the living courtyards, solid clay wall elements, open air bathrooms, “cooling” planted water features, connecting walkways, daybeds etc all have strong similarities to the Traditional Villa, it is the more creative ‘organic’ roof and the utilization of...

Alara Concept Store / Adjaye Associates

Alara Concept Store is perhaps West Africa's first signature and lifestyle store, a concept store made specifically for its products in its entirety. David Adjaye says "the Alara store will promote emerging talent while establishing a creative hub and an essential new designation for Lagos. Situated on the Akin Olugbade Street in an affluent Victorian Island area of Lagos, the shop borrows hea...

Mahali Mzuri Safari Camp / Real Studios

It is a sight of beauty, a merging of man and nature, a design endeavour that only fans of both architecture and nature "archinatures" can experience in its entirety. Real Studio sort to touch the earth lightly and blend in it with these terracota canvas pieces gently placed onto the Motorogi Conservancy in the Maasai Mara, perhaps one of the most famous wildlife sceneries in the world. And it ...

El Gouna Hotel Resort / Michael Seagraves Architects

Hassan Fathy would be proud standing on one side of the red sea and glaring into the yonder, eyes fixed on the red adobe architecture replication of his ideas into the El Gouna Hotel resort in Egypt’s hot and humid air. It is a oxymoron idea into architecture, using locally affordable materials and technology to create a luxurious environment for the well-heeled, trying to adopt a cultural and ...

Windmills Chapel / Koop Design

The brief on this project was to design a small chapel that would provide a beautiful setting for couples who want to tie the knot. It was not to be associated with any specific religion and was to have very strong relationship with the landscape especially the water body within the site. The required capacity was 150 people and the space would be used for live music and conferences as well.

Highveld Pavilion / Studio Mas

Instigated in a highly contemporary environment, the Highveld pavillion is reminiscent of a Mies van der Rohe structure, touched and ordained by the masters of their trade. The building is located in a lush plot, south of johannesburg and oozes structural neatness, and extravagance with crisp clean glass lines and a air of permanence on the ground that it stands on. It is a project that within ...

Lalibela /BC Architects

The Ben Abeba 'rock hewn hotel rooms' project was aimed at creating a contemporary and ecologically sensitive architecture inspired by the power of expression of the historical rock hewn churches in the town of Lalibela. It’s a project that was intended to sprout out of the rocks as an extension rather than an addition.

House 12 Magnolia Hills / Mehraz Ehsani

In the quiet suburbs of Kitisuru, away from the bustling streets of Nairobi, a magnificent mansion has captured the essence of contemporary modern living with picturesque views all round. Like a dream house, it is a result of genius and keen attention to detail. With playful exploration of pools, fountains and jacuzzis, light and space, green and hard landscape… the house is a breath of fresh a...