African architecture news: buildings designs

African Architecture News: Buildings

post updated 11 June 2026

African Architecture Designs – chronological list

11 June 2026
Bidi Bidi Refugee Music & Arts Centre, north Uganda
Design: Hassell with LocalWorks

photo courtesy of to.org Photographer Mutua Matheka
Led by the to.org Foundation and designed by Hassell in collaboration with Arup, LocalWorks, and SINA LOKETA, the Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre is a pioneering cultural initiative that provides a dedicated platform for creative expression, education, and performance within northern Uganda’s Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. As Africa’s largest refugee settlement and home to more than 250,000 displaced people, Bidi Bidi presents a unique context in which the centre serves as both a cultural landmark and a vital community resource, fostering opportunity, connection, and artistic development.

28 May 2026
Children’s Surgical Hospital, Entebbe, Uganda
Design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Studio TAMassociati and EMERGENCY Building Division Construction

photo : Massimo Grimaldi
As climate pressures intensify across East Africa—bringing higher temperatures, unreliable energy infrastructure, and mounting stress on public health systems—the question is no longer whether hospitals must adapt, but how architecture itself can become an instrument of resilience. Five years after its opening in Entebbe, Uganda, the Children’s Surgical Hospital, designed pro bono by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and TAMassociati for EMERGENCY, offers one of the clearest built answers to that question.

17 May 2026
La Pyramide Architecture Competition, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

image courtesy of architectural contest organsier
In the heart of Abidjan’s administrative district, La Pyramide rises as a 62-meter monument to the era of the “Ivorian Miracle.” Designed by architect Rinaldo Olivieri and engineer Riccardo Morandi between 1968 and 1973, a 15-story brutalist landmark meant to announce Côte d’Ivoire onto the global stage.

2 May 2026
The University of Science and Technology – Houari Boumediene, Algeria
Date built: 1974
A university located in the town of Bab-Ezzouar 15 kilometres from Algiers, Algeria.
The university was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1974.

photos © Daniel Lomholt-Welch

Oscar Niemeyer

Two photos from Annaba, on the coast in northeast Algeria:

Annaba buildings – coastal city with beaches:

Annaba fish market building:

photos © Daniel Lomholt-Welch

15 April 2026
Ebrié Villa, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Architects: SAOTA

photo : Adam Letch
The client envisioned an intimate retreat, giving SAOTA the opportunity to explore a more organic design approach. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding landscape, the villa is defined by expressive forms and a pavilion-like roof structure that enhances its connection to the natural environment.

16 March 2026
City Walk Masterplan Abuja, Nigeria, western Africa
Design: Benoy

image courtesy of architectural practice
A continental landmark and a national first will define Abuja’s new gateway district. City Walk, Benoy’s 250-hectare mixed-use masterplan on Airport Road, will feature Africa’s tallest tower at 450 metres alongside Nigeria’s largest indoor arena with a capacity of 13,000 seats. Located within a Free Trade Zone—where the capital first presents itself to international visitors, investors, and businesses—City Walk brings together trade and civic life in a single destination. Phase One is currently underway.

14 January 2026
Bishoftu International Airport, Abusera, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Design: Zaha Hadid Architects and Pascall+Watson Architects

image : X Universe
Phase One of Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) is designed to accommodate 60 million passengers annually. Subsequent phases will expand capacity to up to 110 million passengers per year, supported by four runways and parking for 270 aircraft.

+++

African Architecture News in 2025

Contemporary Africa building designs images + information. Modern built environment & architects updates.

FBW Works To Deliver East Africa’s Largest Data Centre

FBW Group, a major player in East Africa’s construction and development sector, has been appointed to the team delivering what is set to be the region’s largest data centre.

Work has begun onsite to create a multi-million dollar facility at Tatu City, the special economic zone on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The design team at the groundbreaking ceremony. (L-R) Simon Herd and Alex Sagwe, Mace YMR; Justin Orina, Airtel; Rob Woffenden, FBW; Harry Eddy, Mace YMR and Mohamed Elsayed, Meinhardt:

The groundbreaking project is being developed by communication group Airtel Africa’s data centre arm Nxtra.

The 44-megawatt facility will be a major addition to Kenya’s digital infrastructure and has been designed to support cloud computing, AI workloads, and enterprise-scale services across the region.

The project will strategically position Kenya as a Continental technology hub and the centre is expected to be ready to go into service in the first quarter of 2027.

Leading African planning, design, engineering and architecture consultancy FBW Group is providing local support services to the lead designer team Meinhardt Group, based in Dubai.

Robert Woffenden, FBW’s business development manager in Kenya, said: “We’re delighted to be playing our part in such an important project for Kenya and the wider region.

“The scale and quality of the centre is game-changing. It is a major investment in the country’s future. It will expand broadband connectivity, spur innovation, and enable the digital economy to flourish.

“The project is delivering world-class infrastructure and setting a new benchmark for enterprise-ready data centres on the continent.

“Sustainability is another important feature of the project. Tatu City delivers more than 95% renewable energy, making it one of the most sustainable locations for data centres on the globe.”

Paul Moores, FBW managing director, says the group is ready to play a growing role in the development of data centres, an increasing focus of investment in East Africa, providing its local support, design and oversight services.

He said: “We are seeing increasing interest in the design and construction of data centres, which we believe represents an enormous opportunity for East Africa, and we are well placed to play our part in their delivery.

“These projects are highly specialised and technically challenging. As a multi-disciplinary practice, we are able to draw on a wide skills base and resources as well as all the experience we have helping to deliver highly complex developments in a range of sectors, including health, bioscience and energy.”

FBW Group, which has offices in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, has a strong record of delivery on high-profile infrastructure projects across East Africa and beyond.

It collaborates on programmes of importance both economically and socially, using its on-the-ground knowledge to aid successful delivery.
FBW works with both private and institutional clients, and over its 30 years of operation has built longstanding relationships a trusted ‘Partner of Choice’ for groundbreaking developments.

Its recent high-profile projects have included delivering the newly opened Clinical Research Excellence And Training Open Resource (CREATOR) – a postgraduate medical specialist and research training centre in Malawi.

CREATOR is now providing the most sophisticated clinical research training environment in the region and will be truly transformational and life-changing for the African nation.

FBW is also part of the team tasked with delivering the groundbreaking Kigali Green City masterplan in the Rwandan capital.
And in Uganda it led an international team that delivered new eco-friendly headquarters in Kampala for two major United Nations agencies. The new office, handed over at the end of last year, houses the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The World Food Programme (WFP).
For more information on its wide portfolio of projects please visit www.fbwgroup.com

+++

1 December 2025
Porto Novo Cultural Arena, Benin, west Africa
Design: StudioMAAC Architects

image courtesy of architects practice
Porto Novo Cultural Arena building design by StudioMAAC Architects, a West Africa urban landmark. The structure will not only serve as a venue for performances but also as a symbol of Benin’s cultural identity and vitality.

FBW Helps Deliver Groundbreaking Kigali Sports And Entertainment Complex

East African headquartered FBW Group has played a key role in the creation of Zaria Court Kigali – a new multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex set to become a major destination in the Rwandan capital.

The first development of its kind on the African continent, it has been designed as a hub for social and cultural gatherings, and is expected to create around 500 jobs, particularly in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

image courtesy of FBW Group

FBW’s expert team of architects and engineers played a central role in delivering the structural and MEP design for the groundbreaking project, which sits in the corridor connecting Kigali International Airport to the Central Business District, positioning it as a key gateway into the city.

FBW provided consultancy services as executive architects on the programme, alongside full engineering services. The group also acted as the architects and engineers of record.

Its team was responsible for navigating local regulations, securing planning approvals and co-ordinating with the Rwandan authorities to obtain the necessary permits and licences for construction to get underway.

FBW also developed comprehensive stage technical drawings and provided technical reporting, site inspections and coordination to support the wider project team throughout the construction phase.

Set on the historically significant site of the former Rwanda Biomedical Centre – once used by the UN in the 1990s – the project, designed by Amsterdam based architects NLÉ, has revitalised an existing 80-room boutique hotel, originally built in the 1970s.

image courtesy of FBW Group

The result is a modern destination, featuring restaurants, a rooftop lounge, wellness spaces, co-working areas and a podcast studio. A multi-purpose court will host sporting events, festivals, performances, markets, and other activities.

The development’s masterplan has integrated architecture and landscape to create a walkable, green-focused environment that retains mature trees and has introduced new green spaces.

Zaria Court Kigali, which has now officially opened, is the latest in a series of major developments in Rwanda that FBW Group has played a part in delivering.

The leading African planning, design, architecture and engineering group, which has offices in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, is also a member of the international team tasked with creating the trailblazing Kigali Green City project.

That transformational development is being hailed as is an important milestone on the road to creating more sustainable green cities in the region and worldwide.

Paul Semanda, group director at FBW, said: “Zaria Court is more than a new development. It is a symbol of contemporary urban Africa – youthful, inclusive, culturally grounded, and future-ready.

“It showcases what is possible when sport, hospitality, and civic identity come together with care, creativity, and ambition. We are proud to have been part of bringing this transformative project to life.”

He added: “We worked closely with NLÉ, and as local project architects and engineers led the technical delivery, guiding the project through planning approval, compliance, and detailed construction documentation.

“The team also worked closely with local authorities to ensure that Rwandan building standards, rules and zoning conditions were met, while aligning with the vision of the broader masterplan.

“This collaborative and responsive design approach between global design leaders and local technical expertise has delivered a first-class, community driven civic project that really stands out as something very special.”

FBW is a major player in East Africa’s construction and development sector and has made a name for itself working on high-profile infrastructure projects. In 2025 the group is celebrating 30 years of quality design, architecture, planning and engineering work across the region.

Over that time, it has been involved in a wide range of successful, high-profile leisure and hospitality projects. They include the first Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Uganda’s capital Kampala as well as the Hotel Umubano in Kigali and the AC Marriott, Westlands in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

FBW also delivered Kampala’s first boutique hotel. The Emin Pasha is set in two acres of tropical gardens in the centre of the city.

The multi-disciplinary planning, design, architecture and engineering group has a workforce of more than 30 professionals delivering high value construction and development projects across Africa.

It offers a wide range of in-house professional building and technical services. They include pre-design services, development consultancy, building appraisals and condition surveys, project management, architecture, civil and structural engineering, MEP engineering, telecommunication engineering, and other building consultancy services.

For more information on FBW Group and its services please visit www.fbwgroup.com

+++

22 August 2025
FBW appointed to deliver transformative vocational education centres in Somalia

Leading East African architecture and engineering practice FBW Group has been appointed to design two Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools in Somalia.

FBW is working with international consultancy firm NIRAS, a specialist in sustainable development and engineering headquartered in Denmark, on the transformative project to create two TVET centres in Somalia.

TVET centre building in Somalia:

Once open, the TVET+ schools will deliver a range of vocational education to the local population.

The project is part of a wider programme funded by the German Development bank KfW and being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Somalia.

A Norwegian-Somali consortium involving non-government organisations the YME Foundation and Gurmad for Sustainable Aid (GSA) is behind the plan to develop a network of TVET operations.

FBW has 30 years of experience designing and delivering complex, high-quality and internationally compliant construction projects across East Africa and beyond. The project is FBW’s first work in Somalia.

Antje Eckoldt, FBW Group director, said: “FBW is proud to be part of this important mission to empower Somali youth through transformative education and skills development.

“We are looking forward to working with NIRAS in building the future of vocational education for the local population and creating innovative learning spaces that will deliver the education and skills that will open doors to opportunity.”

She added: “Sustainability is an important part of our design remit and we’re looking at a range of measures such as grey water recycling for irrigation in order to increase tree cover and the use of locally sourced natural materials in order to reduce embodied carbon.”

The team delivering the TVET schools including the YME Foundation and GSA, who work to improve access to water and sanitary installations in Africa by providing solar powered drinking water solutions to local populations in countries such as Somalia.

FBW Group, which has offices in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, has a strong record of delivery on high-profile infrastructure projects enabled and driven by international investment.

It collaborates on programmes of importance both economically and socially, using its on-the-ground knowledge.

FBW works with both private and institutional clients and over its 30 years has built longstanding relationships a trusted ‘Partner of Choice’ for groundbreaking projects.

For more information on its wide portfolio of projects please visit www.fbwgroup.com

16 July 2025
African Flow School, Soa, near Yaoundé, Cameroon, west Africa
Design: Urbanitree – Architects Vicente Guallart and Daniel Ibáñez

photo © Adrià Goula