Kuba Granicki, Alessio Lacovig and Mike Rassmann, the three partners behind Johannesburg-based Architects Of Justice, sat down to have a discussion on how the workplace, and the architect’s role in its design, has evolved over the past few decades and point out areas where they feel it can be improved. How do you see office spaces having changed over the years? Mike … [Read more...]
Mauritius’ first Green Star certification
The Mon Trésor Business Gateway, a 13 500sqm office park in the district of Grand Port, has recently become the first project in Mauritius to receive a Green Star certification, achieving a 4-Star Green Star SA Office v1.1 Design rating in July 2018. Owned by MAREF Mon Trésor Investments, the development was designed by Architects’ Studio and Boogertman + Partners, with … [Read more...]
Architecture concept for a spiritual community
KPRA is the name of an Italian architecture collective consisting of Piergiacomo Acerboni, Andrea Redaelli, Danilo Tomasoni and Michele Amadori. They have recently submitted a bid for the Kaira Looro International Architecture Competition (which challenges design groups to conceptualise a community-driven spiritual center for the Senegalese village of Tanaf) with the HUT … [Read more...]
Setting new standards for high rise building construction in Kenya
Sanlam Tower, a state of the art eighteen storey office tower designed by GAPP Architects & Urban Designers, is setting new standards for high rise building construction in Kenya. According to Peter J. Muller, who oversaw the construction on behalf of GAPP Architects & Urban Designers, the building draws upon lessons learned on previous projects to create a timeless … [Read more...]
Improved installation solutions for modern flooring
Construction chemical manufacturer, Mapei, has launched its new Resilient line of state-of-the-art flooring solutions that have been specially developed to meet modern flooring requirements. These all-new formulations have been specially developed for new kinds of flooring that have become available in recent years, such as laminates, new vinyl and polymer types … [Read more...]
Creating a hub for innovation in Africa
The Botswana Innovation Hub, by SHoP Architects, will be an iconic symbol of Botswana’s support for research and development, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship and acting as a nexus for knowledge creation and innovation. The client’s brief was for an iconic yet timeless building which employed the most advanced green technology available. With this in mind SHoP’s … [Read more...]
Compact housing in the informal settlements of Maputo
Casas Melhoradas is an applied research project on housing for low-income groups in the informal settlements of Maputo, Mozambique with a three-fold focus: 1) developing alternative construction methods to improve the quality and decrease the cost of housing; 2) developing housing typologies that utilise space and infrastructure more economically to initiate a more … [Read more...]
Swiss embassy finds a home in leafy Nairobi neighbourhood
Lucerne-based firm Roeoesli & Maeder has completed Switzerland’s new embassy in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital and largest city. The building is surrounded by trees which have an embedded social and political importance following political activist Wangari Maathai’s green belt movement in the country, which began in 1977. Set in a lush and leafy neighbourhood, the embassy’s … [Read more...]