The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced its 2024 shortlist, featuring 14 building projects from Africa.
The 14 building projects from Africa featured in the World Architecture Festival 2024 Shortlist were selected under two major categories: Completed Buildings and Future Projects. Within these main categories, the projects were further divided into various sub-categories. Here are the projects that made the list;
1. John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History
- Category: Culture
- Location: Lagos, Nigeria
- Architects: Studio Imagine Simply Architecture (S.I.S.A)
- Lead Designer: Seun Oduwole
- Status: Completed
Blending traditional Yoruba architecture with modern flair, this new cultural hub, with 1000-square-meter exhibition gallery, honors the region’s heritage. Featuring an expansive exhibition gallery, community center, library, restaurants, and public square, it celebrates Yoruba history and intangible culture. The complex also restores iconic landmarks, including the 1928 swimming pool and 1956 performance hall, revitalizing a beloved public space for the community. View on World Architecture Festival.
2. Green School South Africa
- Category: School
- Location: Paarl, South Africa
- Designer: GASS Architecture Studios
- Lead Architect: Georg van Gass
- Status: Completed
Green School South Africa is a 3,313-square-metre campus showcasing sustainable architecture with rammed earth walls and elegantly curved roofs. Phase one of this multi-phase development was finished in February 2021, integrating essential facilities: kindergarten to high school, Ihub, cafeteria, drama and music building, multipurpose space, sports fields, and amphitheater. View on World Architecture Festival.
3. University of the Witwatersrand Flower Hall Test and Examination Centre
- Category: Creative Re-use
- Designer: Savage + Dodd Architects
- Lead Architect: Dr. Heather Dodd
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Status: Completed
The Flower Hall, originally part of the Rand Easter Show showgrounds, has been renovated into a functional test and examination centre. Built in 1969 for the Wits Agricultural Society’s flower displays, the building now seats over 1,000 people, doubling its original capacity. The renovation maintained the building’s structural integrity while adding new floor plates and a mezzanine. Future plans include repurposing the building as a multi-laboratory facility. View on World Architecture Festival.
4. Upper Albert
- Category: Housing
- Designer: SAOTA
- Lead Architect: Philip Olmesdahl
- Location: Cape Town, South Africa
- Status: Completed
Upper Albert, situated in Cape Town’s city bowl, offers panoramic views of the city and harbour. Occupying a large plot on a steep site, oriented northeast to maximize natural light, the property was subdivided and redeveloped to accommodate a spacious five-bedroom family home on the upper section and two four-bedroom rental apartments on the lower section. The interior features a four-piece server in the living room, a console in the master bedroom, and stylish basins in the bathrooms. View on World Architecture Festival.
5. Paje Beach Resort
- Category: Hotels
- Lead Architect: John Henderson
- Designer: Spectrum
- Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Status: Completed
This east coast resort covers 10,370m² and offers a blend of luxury and coastal style. Amenities include 25 villas, a restaurant, terrace, outdoor pool, and bar. The Paje Beach resort also features tranquil outdoor spaces, including the Envi Garden and private outdoor bathing areas, providing a relaxing atmosphere for guests. View on World Architecture Festival.
6. Enkanasa
- Category: Civic
- Designer: Tétris Design & Build
- Lead Architect: Niels Kramer
- Location: Loita Hills, Kenya
- Status: Future Project
Enkanasa, a Maasai Community Center, provides a holistic space for socialization, education, and cultural preservation. The center includes an amphitheater, beading area, cultural space, classroom, communal kitchen, office, and accommodations. Its semi-open outer wall design creates a playground and community hub, embodying an embracing spirit. View on World Architecture Festival.
7. African Urban School
- Category: Education
- Designer: Q3 Architects
- Lead Architect: Shadi Abdelsalam
- Location: Bamako, Mali
- Status: Future Project
The African Urban School’s design combines biophilic principles with community-driven architecture, featuring classrooms surrounding a central courtyard filled with greenery. Sustainable, multi-level playgrounds promote exploration and learning through natural climbing structures, sensory gardens, and outdoor classrooms. These playgrounds were designed to be accessible and enjoyable for students of all ages, fostering cross-year collaboration, socialization, and a sense of community. View on World Architecture Festival.
8. Hurghada Grand Mosque
- Category: Experimental
- Designer: Q3 Architects
- Lead Architect: Shadi Abdelsalam
- Location: Cairo, Egypt
- Status: Future Project
This ultra-modern mosque features a grand entrance, spacious hall, and large glass walls allowing natural light. The traditional mihrab is replaced with a sleek, luminous glass wall. The mosque boasts an undulating ceiling, creating an illusion of infinity, and slender cylindrical minarets with programmable LED lights, adding a futuristic touch. View on World Architecture Festival.
9. Kinshasa Ndjili Airport
- Category: Infrastructure
- Designer: Tabanlioglu Architects
- Lead Architect: Murat Tabanlıoğlu
- Location: Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic of The Congo
- Status: Future Project
The new airport terminal, designed for 8 million annual passengers, expands without disrupting existing operations. The 100,000 sqm Main Terminal integrates domestic and international areas, with separable segments for efficient partial usage. The modular design, built with intent to accommodate future expansion, features bright spaces, streamlined transitions, and optimized circulation for a simplified passenger experience. View on World Architecture Festival.
10. Kalahari Dunes
- Category: Leisure Led Development
- Designers: ARRCC and SAOTA
- Lead Architect: Stefan Antoni
- Location: Upington, Kalahari Desert, South Africa
- Status: Future Project
Nestled in the rugged Kalahari Desert, this off-grid, solar-powered building seamlessly blends into its surroundings through minimalist, durable design elements such as sand-finished walls and rusted steel roof fascias. Reflecting SAOTA’s dedication to sustainability, the structure offers an immersive desert experience, connecting guests with the vast, untamed landscape. View on World Architecture Festival.
11. Forbes International Tower
- Category: Office
- Designer: (AS+GG) Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill
- Lead Architect: Adrian Smith
- Location: Cairo, Egypt
- Status: Future Project
The sleek, curved high-rise building, crafted from glass and steel, boasts 43 floors of adaptable office space offering breathtaking views of the iconic nearby tower, alongside two levels of luxurious retail experiences. Designed with sustainability in mind, the tower harnesses nature’s power through integrated rows of solar panels on its roof and façade, showcasing a blend of innovative architecture and eco-friendly design. View on World Architecture Festival.
12. Oxford Hive
- Category: Residential
- Designer: Boogertman + Partners
- Lead Architect: Henk Boogertman
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Status: Future Project
Dubbed the Compact Dwelling, this innovative residential project features 300 units, comprising 299 residences and a unique digital advertising billboard. The development boasts 41 distinct unit typologies, intertwined and interlocked like pieces of a Chinese puzzle or Tetris cube. Breaking away from conventional residential design, the external facade reflects the building’s heterogeneity, with each facet showcasing the individuality of its diverse residents. View on World Architecture Festival.
13. Meru
- Category: House
- Designer: SAOTA
- Lead Architect:
- Phillippe Fouché
- Location: Mombasa, Kenya
- Status: Future Project
The project seamlessly merges traditional Swahili architecture with modern luxury, drawing inspiration from classic homesteads. Notably, the circular geometry of these traditional dwellings informed the design of a stunning cylindrical courtyard, which provides shelter while optimizing natural light and ventilation, beautifully blending cultural heritage with contemporary sophistication. View on World Architecture Festival.
14. Kinshasa Arena
- Category: Sport
- Designer: Tabanlioglu Architects
- Location: Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic of The Congo
- Lead Architect: Murat Tabanlıoğlu
- Status: Future Project
The 47,000m² arena accommodates 18,179 spectators and hosts various sports competitions. It features six entrances, VIP and VVIP areas, and a large parking area, prioritizing safety and accessibility. Flexible infrastructure allows for events like boxing, handball, and basketball, with angled spectator stands for optimal field visibility and 20 corridors for swift exit. View on World Architecture Festival.
These 14 building projects from Africa will compete with other shortlisted buildings around the world within their respective sub-categories. The winners will be announced at the World Architecture Festival in December 2024.
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