Due to its history, Niamey, the capital of Niger, has a valley that cuts the city into two. The one side of the valley is where the more affluent citizens live while the poor live on the other side. But despite this divide the city is known for its manufacturing industries which include bricks, ceramics and weaving. When architect Mariam Kamara was asked to speak at … [Read more...]
Atelier Masomi and Studio Chahar transform derelict Niger mosque into library
Atelier Masomi and Studio Chahar have converted a former mosque into a library and community centre that sits opposite a new mosque it designed for the rural village of Dandaji, Niger. Niamey-based Atelier Masomi and Studio Chahar designed the library within the former mosque, which had fallen into disrepair and was no longer large enough to support the village's growing … [Read more...]
A public hospital in Niamey, Niger
The Republic of Niger (Niger) is a landlocked country in Western Africa with over 80 percent of its land area covered by the Sahara Desert. Niger's subtropical climate is extremely hot and dry with annual average temperature up to 35 centigrade. The rainy season is from July through September. The rest of the seasons are dry seasons and its annual precipitation is low. Niamey … [Read more...]
First step for Niger school towards creating a sustainable healthy environment
The American International School in Niamey currently has academic facilities organized around a calm, shaded green space. The extension scheme by Atelier Masomi pushes that notion forward and creates additional "quads" throughout the site. They will each serve a different purpose that complements the academic quad area. Phase 1 of the project organizes a set of small … [Read more...]
Regional market for Dandaji, Niger
In rural Niger, markets run on a weekly basis, allowing sellers to move from village to village all week long to offer their products. With a rapidly increasing population, the village Dandaji felt a need for a more permanent market for its own inhabitants to both procure and sell goods in a more consistent way. The current weekly market is organized around an ancestral tree … [Read more...]
Profile: Racines Architecture
Racines Architecture recently won first prize for their project, 'Les pieds sur terre' in the CISP-Niger competition for an Earth Pavilion in the Niamey Boubou Hama Museum. Africanism chatted to Abiola Akandé Yayi: Can you give us a short background on yourself and your practice? I’m Beninese and was born in 1988 in my country. Seven years ago I came to Brazil to make my … [Read more...]
Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for Middle East Africa
Sustainability in building is rapidly gaining significance in the Middle East Africa region – particularly among female professionals and young graduates in architecture and engineering. This was clearly seen at the prize-handover ceremony for the regional LafargeHolcim Awards in Nairobi, Kenya. The majority of the 12 prize-winning projects dealt with education and the … [Read more...]