African architecture news: buildings designs

African Architecture News: Buildings

post updated 29 September 2026

African Architecture Designs – chronological list

17 September 2026

Africa Architecture Forum 2026 to Connect Leaders Shaping Africa’s Built Future

Rabat, Morocco: Great Minds Event Management is set to host the Africa Architecture Forum 2026, taking place on 4 and 5 November 2026 at the Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr, Morocco. The Forum will bring together government authorities, architects, developers, urban planners, consultants, project owners, sustainability experts and solution providers to exchange ideas and explore the future of architecture and urban development across Africa.

As African cities continue to grow and evolve, the Forum will examine how architecture can respond to the continent’s diverse climates, cultures and development priorities while supporting more sustainable, resilient and liveable communities. Discussions will explore how African identity, local knowledge and modern innovation can come together to shape buildings and cities designed for the continent’s future.

The two day conference will address key themes including sustainable architecture, climate responsive design, urban resilience, cultural identity and heritage, innovative building materials, smart technologies, energy efficiency and future city development. Expert presentations, panel discussions and project case studies will provide practical insights into the ideas, projects and solutions transforming Africa’s built environment.

The Africa Architecture Forum 2026 will also provide a dedicated platform for government stakeholders, architects, developers, consultants and industry leaders to connect, exchange knowledge and build partnerships across Africa’s architecture and construction community.

Alongside the conference, the exhibition will showcase innovative products, technologies and solutions across building materials, façades, glass, lighting, cooling, smart building technologies, sustainable construction, landscaping, energy efficiency and other solutions supporting the future of African architecture.

Registration is now open for architects, developers, government organisations, urban planners, consultants, contractors, engineers, academics, solution providers, sponsors, exhibitors and built environment professionals.

For more information, agenda updates, speakers and registration, visit: africaarchitectureforum.com

About Great Minds Event Management

Great Minds Event Management (GM Events) organises high level conferences and exhibitions across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, bringing together senior decision makers, technical experts, policymakers and solution providers to address critical industry challenges, facilitate knowledge exchange and accelerate business growth.

7 August 2026
Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal
Project Consultancy: Hardel Le Bihan Architectes

photo : Schnepp Renou
A leading centre of higher education in West Africa, Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar has long been recognised for its academic excellence and regional influence. Building on this legacy, a major campus expansion introduces 16 new buildings designed to accommodate approximately 10,000 students, significantly enhancing the university’s teaching, research and student facilities.
The development is distributed across two complementary sites, with ten buildings integrated into the existing UCAD campus and a further six located at Cité Claudel. Together, the projects create a cohesive academic environment that responds to growing enrolment while reinforcing connections between learning, student life and the wider urban context.

27 July 2026
HEI Schools Forbach Mauritius
Design: Architects’ Studio Ltd

photo : Eric Lee
HEI Schools Mauritius, designed by Architects Studio, was named the Popular Choice Winner in the Kindergarten category at the 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards. Located within the historic Forbach Sugar Estate in northern Mauritius, the project transforms a former residential labourers’ camp into a contemporary early childhood education centre serving 120 children aged from birth to five years.

2 July 2026
Céline & Lolo Nairobi Boutique Hotel, Kenya
Architect: Powerhouse Company

photo : Amy May Roux
Powerhouse Company has transformed a 1970s Brutalist villa into Céline & Lolo, a boutique hotel in Nairobi’s Lavington neighbourhood that blurs the boundaries between hospitality venue, private retreat and local social destination. Conceived as a place that evokes the familiarity and nostalgia of returning to a beloved holiday home, the project cultivates an atmosphere that is intimate, sun-filled and rich in character.

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.

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.

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

photo © Adrià Goula

25 June 2025
Virunga Mountain Spirits, Musanze, Rwanda, East Africa
Architects: BE_Design

photo : Bruce Engel

20 May 2025
Thomas Sankara Mausoleum, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Design: Francis Kéré of Kéré Architecture

photo © Kéré Architecture

More African Architecture News online soon.

+++

African Building News 2025 + 2024

post updated 26 May 2026

African Architecture Designs – chronological list

25 March 2025
Waldorf Astoria Seychelles, Félicité Island, The Seychelles
Architects: Eco-id Architects

photo : Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island

+++

Africa Architectural Design Updates in 2024

10 December 2024
Masai Mara Conservation Centre Kenya Building News, Kenya, East Africa

image © Void Studios
VOID Studios, a UK-based architectural practice, has been awarded the commission to design a new Conservation Centre at Oloololo Gate in Kenya’s Masai Mara, on behalf of Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy.

10 December 2024
Kaira Looro 2025 Competition for Nursery School Buildings

18 November 2024
Noom Hotel Abidjan Plateau, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Architects: SAOTA

image courtesy of architects practice
In the vibrant heart of Abidjan, where the Plateau region meets the languid sweep of the Ébrié Lagoon, a striking new silhouette has emerged against the skyline. The luxury Noom Hotel Abidjan Plateau, designed by architects SAOTA, continues Abidjan’s modernist legacy, reinterpreted for the present.

3 September 2024
Giraffe Water Towers, Serengeti, Tanzania, Africa
Concept Design: ZOO Architects

image courtesy of architects practice
In Laozi’s classic text the Tao Te Ching, it is written that the quality of existence for all things in nature are determined by the relationship between yin and yang (the aspects of polar opposites) within the “Tao”. The Tao “gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.

13 August 2024
Abusera Airport Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Design: Zaha Hadid Architects

photo © Alamy
Ethiopian Airlines Group to build Africa’s largest airport to meet the airlines’ growth forecasts. Design consultancy contract for new airport awarded to the consortium led by DAR and Zaha Hadid Architects.

16 April 2024
Masai Mara Conservation Centre, Kenya, East Africa
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) launched an international open design competition for a new Conservation Centre at the Oloololo Gate, Masai Mara, Kenya, on behalf of Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy, the philanthropic arm of travel company Abercrombie & Kent.

30 March 2024
The Seasons Villa Guinea, West Africa

+++

African Architecture Designs 2023

Contemporary Africa Building Designs – modern Built Environment & Architects Updates.

21 Oct 2023
Solar Link, Murzuq District, Sahara Desert
Architectural design: Elija Halil

render : Joseph Christopher Seaward
Solar Link, Murzuq District, Sahara Desert
Architectural designer Elija Halil has unveiled a revolutionary solar-powered architectural project in the Sahara Desert that presents a remarkable solution to our global energy problems.

11 July 2023
Komera Leadership Center, Rwanda, East Africa
Architects: BE_Design

photo : Bruce Engel
Komera Leadership Center, Rwanda

29 + 28 June 2023
Berhan Bank Headquarter, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, northeast Africa
Design: Söhne & Partners

image courtesy of architects office
Berhan Bank Headquarter Addis Ababa
Söhne & Partners present their design for the new headquarters of Berhan Bank, developed as part of an architecture competition.

15 June 2023
Pure Power/Daily Combat Strategy for Water Collection, Rujewa, Tanzania, eastern Africa
Design: Hong-En,Lin

render : Hong-En,Lin
Pure Power, Tanzania, Eastern Africa
Hong-En, Lin introduces a Pure Power/Daily Combat Strategy for Water Collection in Africa, where water resources are often polluted or hard to reach.

6 June 2023
Bidi Bidi Refugee Music & Arts Centre, northern Uganda
Design: Hassell with LocalWorks

image courtesy of architects office
Bidi Bidi Pavilion at London Design Biennale

More African Architecture News online soon.

+++

African Architectural News 2022

24 Nov 2022
Kigali Green City Project, Rwanda
Design: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios + regional architects Light Earth Designs, A Studio Space and Studio FH Architects

image : FCBS
Leading East African planning, design, architecture and engineering firm FBW Group has been appointed to the international team tasked with delivering the trailblazing Kigali Green City project in the Rwandan capital. The transformational development is being hailed as is an important milestone on the road to creating more sustainable green cities in the region and worldwide.

17 Nov 2022
Langue de Barbarie resort, Senegal
Design: Cosmos Architecture, of CosmosIvicsa

image courtesy of architects practice
The new resort in Langue de Barbarie located in Saint Louis, Senegal, is currently the biggest development in West Africa. This unique project has been designed by Cosmos Architecture, the design department of CosmosIvicsa, to make living in paradise a reality for those who want it.

23 July 2022
National Teachers Colleges, Mubende Uganda
Design: Oubuntu-DASUDA & BKVV Architects

photo : Eppo Karsijn
This building consists of a large-scale campus renovation and new build facilities at two educational locations near the towns of Kaliro and Mubende, both in Uganda. The build project for approximately 2,000 students, featuring 24 renovated buildings and eight new buildings, encompasses student and teacher housing, classroom buildings, energy-efficient kitchens, sports facilities, sustainable energy facilities, waste recycling systems, and food production facilities.

24 June 2022
CEM Kamanar Secondary School Senegal
Design: Dawoffice / David Garcia, Aina Tugores

photo : Amir Anoushfar
When architects from Dawoffice saw the overcrowding at Thionck Essyl’s only secondary school, they resolved to build a new one through their charitable foundation, Foundawtion.

24 June 2022
Niamey 2000
Design: united4design / Yasaman Esmaili, Elizabeth Golden, Mariam Kamara, Philip Straeter

photo : Aboubacar Magagi
Living spaces open out onto self-shading courtyards, which are cooled by both cross and stack ventilation, each family unit contains two floors. The buildings are a direct response to the current housing and socio-economic conditions found in the city of Niamey.

3 June 2022
Outros Bairros Rehabilitation Programme in Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde
Architect: OUTROS BAIRROS / Nuno Flores

photo : Nuno Flores
Growing out of a design initiative at the local Institute of Art, Technology and Culture, this rehabilitation of the Alto de Bomba district of the port city of Mindelo is rooted in the day-to-day life of the population.

19 May 2022
Nairobi Central Railway Station, Kenya
Architects: Atkins

image courtesy of architects practice
As part of the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership, the UK and Kenyan governments have today launched the final design of Nairobi’s new Central Railway Station and public realm. The new design, which was completed by Atkins UK and handed over to Kenya Railways and the Ministry of Transport, is part of the wider Nairobi Railway City redevelopment programme, championed by President Kenyatta and supported by the UK government.

21 Apr 2022
Abidjan Tower, Ivory Coast Building, West Africa
Architecture: Paulo Merlini Architects

image : SA Digital Technology Co., Ltd
The Abidjan Tower is a building of sculptural character that dances on itself, taking advantage of the views of the surrounding lagoon. With two apartments per floor and surrounding balconies, the building developed for the upper class is a milestone that defines the start of the masterplan development for this part of the city.

15 Mar 2022
Focus on sustainability grows in East Africa
Focus on sustainability grows in East Africa
The focus on sustainability in building design and construction is set to become even sharper over the next 12 months, according to leading East African architecture and engineering practice FBW group. The group, which is helping deliver large-scale development projects across the region, believes a continuing focus on sustainable design and the increased use of locally sourced African materials is vital moving forward.

27 Jan 2022
Clinical Research Excellence And Training Open Resource Malawi Building, east Africa
Design: FBW Group

image courtesy of architects practice
The new Clinical Research Excellence and Training Open Resource (CREATOR) will provide the most sophisticated clinical research training environment in the region. It has been described as “paradigm shifting”, meaning a whole new way of thinking and doing business.

More African Architecture News on e-architect soon.

+++

African Architecture News 2021

Contemporary Africa Building Designs – modern Built Environment & Architects Updates

14 Dec 2021
International School of Kigali Building, Rwanda

image courtesy of architecture office
Leading architecture and engineering firm FBW Group is working with the International School of Kigali (ISK) to create a 21st Century ‘green’ campus in the Rwandan capital. The ambitious $5m project will deliver a centre of learning for 500 students, with modern classrooms, state-of-the-art laboratories, a ‘maker space’ and first-class sports facilities on a 2.3 hectares site in Kibagabaga.

8 Dec 2021
Kao La Amani Children’s Village, Northern Tanzania, eastern Africa

image courtesy of architecture office
In the town of Boma Ng’ombe in the Hai district of Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, a single-storey orphanage is home to 60 children between the ages of 3 to 18. In an overcrowded rented building where 3-4 children can share a bed, rooms are dark, and the grounds offer little space for outside play.

2 Dec 2021
Dakar Skyscraper Building: Johannes Baar-Baarenfels, Senegal, West Africa
Design: Architect Johannes Baar-Baarenfels, Vienna

image courtesy of architecture office
The Miami Center for Architecture & Design pays tribute to the latest work of Viennese architect Johannes Baar-Baarenfels – a skyscraper in the West African megacity Dakar.

9 Nov 2021
Earth Pyramid Senegal Building Design, West Africa

image courtesy of architecture office
An exciting project offering the earth’s population opportunity to record their hopes, dreams and opinions – digitally preserved into securely sealed time capsule.

22 Sep 2021
Building growth in Rwanda
A decade of building growth in Rwanda

14 Sep 2021
New Social Housing in Cameroon
Design: TAMassociati with Arup

image courtesy of architectural practice
TAMassociati, Impact Design experts and the former curatorial team of the Italian pavilion in 2016, in Venice, and Arup, the planning, design and consultancy company promotor of a single multidisciplinary approach to the “Total Design” project, present a world preview of a new masterplan: 10,000 new units of Social Housing in Cameroon. A pilot project for future planning throughout the African continent.

6 July 2021
Emergency Treatment Centre Farato, Gambia, West Africa
Design: IDOM

image courtesy of architects practice
The Government of Gambia has developed a National Plan for Preparedness and Response to COVID19. The COVID-19 Plan focuses on scaling up and strengthening all aspects of preparedness and response, including coordination, surveillance, case management, communication, and social, psychosocial mobilization, as well as logistics and safety.

19 May 2021
Senegal Technology Park Building, Diamniadio, near Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Design: IDOM

image courtesy of architects practice

14 Jan 2021
Circular Economy Article
Circular Economy in Africa : FBW Group news

More African Architecture News online here soon.

+++

African Architecture News in 2020

24 Nov 2020
Mauritius Golf Estate Buildings, Abuja, Nigeria, western Africa
Design: Rodriguez Pons / Architects

image courtesy of architects

Mauritius Golf Estate is located on a green and scenic landscape, a development of 30 houses with a small golf course, which invites you to live a sustainable lifestyle. There are 4.3 hectares that include large recreational areas promoting a calm and elegant environment, which aims at an emotional well-being.

7 Oct 2020
Kingsway Tower, Ikoyi, Lagos, western Africa
Architects: SAOTA

image courtesy of architects
A landmark mixed-use building set on a prominent corner on Alfred Rewane Road, an arterial road that bisects the city leading north towards the airport and south to the Victoria Island. The building designed by South African architects SAOTA is 15-storeys high. It has a basement, a two-level retail podium, a parking podium and 12 office floor levels.

6 Aug 2020
US Investment Programme Is An African ‘game-changer’
Leading East African planning, design, architecture and engineering team FBW Group has welcomed the launch of the USA’s Africa Investment Advisor Programme as a potential “game-changer” for the region:
USA Africa Investment Advisor Programme

15 July 2020
University of Bambey Building, Diourbel, Senegal, West Africa
Design: IDOM

image from architects
In Senegal, shade and water are everything. This lecture-room block project, a close relative of another in Gaston Berger, San Luis, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Education and the World Bank, is set in the city of Bambey, located 120 km west of Dakar. With a population of 20,000, Bambey stands out for its peanut and cattle farming, its scarce urban infrastructures and the surrounding harsh life conditions.

7 Mar 2020
Mercury House on Island of Mahe, Seychelles

28 Jan 2020
Building Green Cities
Building Green Cities across Africa

3 Jan 2020
The Whale Bar, St Regis Hotel, The Maldives Resort

More African Architecture News is welcome.

+++

African Architecture News in 2019

21 Dec 2019
Malawi Creator Centre, Medical Training Building

14 Oct 2019
Keta Sandlanders Football Club, Ghana
Design: Inter Urban Studios

image from architects
Keta Sandlanders Football Club in Ghana
As part of volunteer work for Architecture for Humanity London, Inter Urban Studios are delivering a new football pitch and community centre for this sports co-op in Keta, coastal Ghana, that provides local youth a place to foster sporting skills, a place for community activities, as well as guidance on sustainable farming techniques.

14 May 2019
Ngaren: The Museum of Humankind, Kenya, East Africa
Design: Studio Libeskind

image from architects
Ngaren: The Museum of Humankind in The Great Rift Valley
Campaign for a new museum dedicated to the story of humans, Ngaren: The Museum of Humankind: the unprecedented project located in Kenya’s Rift Valley is designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, Studio Libeskind, the master plan architect of the World Trade Center site.

21 Mar 2019
Dakar Railway Station, Senegal, western Africa
Design: Iglo Architects

image from architects
Dakar Railway Station Building
Iglo Architects have undertaken the consultancy of Dakar Railway Station Project, which is the first one of the railway station projects to be implemented in total 21 different locations in Senegal. Accomplished by the joint works of France, Senegal and Turkey, the opening of the railway station will be held within this month.

19 Mar 2019
Joali Resort, Muravandhoo Island, North Maldives
Interior design: Autoban

photo from Guralla
Joali Resort on The Maldives
This new resort focuses on “creating a unique story that joins the flora of a natural wonder of the island”. As another showcase of the studio’s multi-layered design approach, it gives a new meaning to the island life through an unlimited and dynamic experience, with an integral and a unique understanding between interior and exterior spaces, and architecture.

7 Jan 2019
Solar Well, Sambacounda village, Senegal
Design: Raoul Vecchio Architect

image from architects
Solar Well in West Africa
The architecture surrounds the well to protect and give value to the water resource. The design is light and delicate, in strong relation with the natural context. Walls don’t create a closed space, but they include the context in the interior space. A system of wooden beams obtained with a local essence, is achieved by overlapping elements bolted to reach the necessary light (6 meters).

More Contemporary African Architecture News will be online soon.

+++

African Architecture News 2018

23 Nov 2018
Oceans Paradise, Hulhumale, the Maldives
Design: CAA (Core of Architecture & Art) Architects

image Courtesy architecture office
Maldives Airport Economic Zone Mixed-use Development
Architectural competition winning design, utilising rainwater and solar energy harvesting, plus passive cross ventilation and tidal power.

13 Sep 2018
A Blueprint for Africa’s Future Cities

A Blueprint for Africa’s Future Cities
image Courtesy architecture office
Archasm Wilderness Pavilion Kenya Competition
Firmly established as Africa’s most progressive business orientated jurisdiction, Mauritius’ forward-thinking and nimble policies have resulted in the island nation riding the wave to the centre of investment and development in Africa.

Archasm Wilderness Pavilion Kenya Competition

26 Jan 2018
Lagos’s Wooden Tower, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria
Architects: Hermann Kamte & Associates (HKA)

image Courtesy architecture office
Originally designed as a submission for Metsä Wood’s City Above the City competition, Kamte’s design looks to tackle the problem of poorly planned construction in many African cities by pushing the boundaries of contemporary architecture.