In Africa's architecture scene, some rebels are opposing the climate-damaging concrete mainstream and working with sustainable building materials such as raw earth. One of these rebels is Nzinga Mboup in Dakar, Senegal.
00:00Dakar, Senegal, in the historic neighborhood of Vanhoek.
00:05The architectural firm Vorofila has its headquarters.
00:09Co-founder Nzinga Mboub was born in Mozambique to a Cameroonian mother and a Senegalese father.
00:15After studying in London, she returned to West Africa to realize her vision of sustainable architecture.
00:21I feel very blessed and very lucky.
00:23Here I feel total freedom to be able to invest myself in the conversations of architecture
00:28and then use that in order to inform the practice and build it.
00:32Together with co-founder Nicolas Rondé, she is working on Vorofila's current project,
00:38the rainforest gallery for the Museum of West African Art, MOVA.
00:42This prestigious project blends functional design with traditional building materials.
00:48The rainforest gallery sits within the MOA campus in Benin City.
00:53We use natural materials such as timber which is going to be used for the roof
00:56or raw earth which is used in the walls.
00:58It has a great capacity to absorb humidity in the air.
01:01So that's a great way to also, you know, reduce the humidity level
01:05which is important for the artwork that is going to be there.
01:09In 2019, at age 30, she founded her architecture firm.
01:13Two years later, her team was already tackling one of its first major projects,
01:17a residential building in Dakar's Engor district.
01:20The concept, climate conscious design, a shaded facade of cooling clay bricks and natural ventilation.
01:26Smart design with attitude.
01:29I do feel that as an African we need a bit more of a radical approach.
01:33A radical approach that is sort of anchored in our traditional knowledges to really make buildings and cities that sort of work better for us.
01:43From a climatic point of view, from a cultural point of view, from an economical point of view.
01:48And I do believe that the use of locally sourced material, low-tech materials, is going to enable us to do that.
01:55Her favourite building material is raw red earth, abundant across Africa.
02:01Mixed with about 7% cement and a touch of lime, it's pressed into shape and sun-dried.
02:06A climate friendly method that doesn't require firing.
02:10This is how buildings were traditionally made.
02:13And what the future could look like, entirely without concrete.
02:17Today, modern earth architecture is still a niche.
02:20But Nzinga is proving its value with this residential project in southern Dakar.
02:27There's sometimes a lot of scepticism when it comes to what can be done.
02:31People have a lot of constructs that have developed over time and that we need to deconstruct by actually doing.
02:37So it helps that we have clients that are willing to go for it.
02:40That we have architects, engineers, contractors that are all participants in this revolution.
02:48And one building at a time, we're showing that it's possible and more people are adhering to it.
02:53Change of scene to Francis Carré's studio in Berlin, Germany.
02:59The architect from Burkina Faso, winner of the Pritzker Prize, is a pioneer in sustainable earth-based construction.
03:06One of his most renowned projects is the new Goethe Institute in Dakar, Senegal.
03:12Nzinga's Vorofila team is managing on-site construction in collaboration with the German planning office Rebuilding.
03:20For Nzinga, the project is more than just work. It's a statement.
03:27We knew that this project has the capacity to really shift the perspective on earth and architecture,
03:34because it's a cultural institution, because it's going to be a public building.
03:38And we were just excited and wanted to make sure that we participate in the success of the project.
03:44Having, obviously, Francis Carré being chosen, I think having a West African architect operating and doing this building in Dakar,
03:51also based in Germany, so obviously being this kind of like cultural bridge, you know, was a golden opportunity.
03:57Nzinga's next opportunity arises in Venice in 2023, when Leslie Locco, curator of the Architecture Biennale, invites the most exciting African architects,
04:08including Nzinga, to showcase their work. While still in Venice, Nzinga is also honoured by the Canadian Centre for Architecture, CCA,
04:18by naming her one of its curators in Dakar. She's a voice of a new sustainable architectural movement.
04:25I realise that I'm even less alone than I thought we were, and it's quite heartwarming to be able to also have those conversations
04:32and see that we're not the only ones asking ourselves those questions and that we're thinking collectively about how to redefine the role of architecture.
04:39So I'm a lot more involved in to be able to go back and kind of continue in the multidisciplinary approach that I have to my practice
04:47and connect more as well with the others, because there's been a lot of exchanges of contacts, of emails,
04:52and with the true will to collaborate.
04:56Back in Dakar, the newly appointed CCA curator immediately sets her mandate in motion.
05:02She organises panels, researches Senegal's modern architectural history, and gives a stage to forgotten architects.
05:09While giving others visibility, she is also becoming more prominent herself.
05:14Nzinga has long been a role model for a new generation of African architects,
05:19a role she embraces with poise, curiosity and responsibility.
05:23Her latest challenge? Building a network.
05:27Together with colleagues, she founded Female Black Architects, a space for exchange and mutual empowerment.
05:33Here women architects from across Africa connect, share experiences, ideas and strategies.
05:40Nzinga is a unifying figure whose influence extends far beyond Dakar, and even beyond Africa.
Be the first to comment