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.

Benga Riverside Residential Community / Kere Architecture

Architects: Kere Architecture
Location: Tete, Mozambique
Project Team: Francis Diebedo Kere
Interior Décor: Kere Architecture
Project Year: 2015
Photographer: Kere Architecture
Website: www.kerearchitecture.com

- 29 June 2015
- Karanja Samuel Edwin Seda
Residential , Sustainability ,

Our favorite Burkinabe architect of the German based architectural office Kere Architecture comes to us yet with another of a sustainable environment within the continent. This is a project that oozes the picturesque spirit of a rural environment, in a move aimed at "fostering an atmosphere of economic housing within the Mozambican community of Tete.

Located on the picturesque banks of the Revuboe and Zambezi Rivers, the aim of the Benga Riverside Residential Community is to introduce a new neighborhood typology for the growing community of Tete, Mozambique. As various industries continue to invest in the region, there is a growing demand for quality and economic housing solutions for migrant and local families alike.

The Benga Riverside Community will pioneer a new method of planning and building for the residential sector in the area, fostering an atmosphere of social inclusion among residents of diverse cultural backgrounds. Educational, civic, and recreational needs will be supported by a variety of mixed-use public and private functions, including a primary school, sporting facilities, restaurant, commercial storefronts for local businesses, public square, resident’s clubhouse, and up to 100 housing units.

Home to a wide range of wildlife and vegetation, Benga Riverside will celebrate the heritage of its site by preserving elements such as old-growth Baobab trees, shrubs, and native grasses which will also help to shade and protect the area from dusty winds. To further establish this new architectural identity, the built interventions will utilize local rock, wood, clay, and will be developed as a high-quality, low maintenance modular system. Private courtyard space, scenic landscape views, passive ventilation, and grey water management will also contribute to provide the best sustainable, economic, and long-term housing solution for future residents.

CLICK TO REVIEW LINKED STORY

National Park of Mali / Kere Architecture
Amidst the senseless construction of commercial urban projects in Bamako, a welcoming vision of nature and beauty stands at the entrance of the National Park. The renowned architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, Aga Khan Award for Architecture recipient in 2004, was commissioned to redevelop 8 existi...

- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...
- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...
- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...
- © Benga Riverside Residential Community_Francis D...

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

If you want your own avatar and keep track of your discussions with the community, sign up to archiDATUM >>

SELECTED WORKS

- John Brown Media South Africa Workspace / Inhouse Brand Architects
- 25 Feb 2017
Led by Inhouse Brand Architects’ director, Aidan Hart, the re-design of John Brown Media’s premises aims to increase connectivity among s...
- Kasungu Maternity Waiting Village / Mass Design Group
- 02 Jul 2016
Malawi suffers from one of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the world: in 2010, one in thirty-six Malawian women had...
- Nubian Museum / Mahmoud El-Hakim
- 10 Apr 2016
The Nubian Museum celebrates the culture and civilization of the Nubian region of Egypt from prehistoric times to the present. It is loca...

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN DIRECTORY

- Mopti Centre For Earth Architecture / Kere Architecture
- 12 Aug 2015
The Centre for Earth Architecture is part of a series of developments the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has carried out in Mopti. Oth...
- Lalibela /BC Architects
- 26 Mar 2015
The Ben Abeba 'rock hewn hotel rooms' project was aimed at creating a contemporary and ecologically sensitive architecture inspired by th...
- National Theater of Equatorial Guinea / Independent Architectural Diplomacy IAD
- 16 May 2015
Designed for one of the smallest countries in middle Africa, the National Theatre of Equatorial Guinea acts as a cultural hub sited in th...