an impact on the politics and economic reality
of a place, as well as on the social environment.
I think there’s a lot to do in Africa
from an architectural point of view. Primarily,
African countries rarely have the economic
power to create – materially – the kind
of architecture that is carried out in many
Western countries. It is not sustainable in the
sense that it’s not tenable; you cannot main-
tain it in the long term for reasons of cost and
access. I am interested in figuring out how to
create architecture that is contextual, lasting
and focused on the people at its core.
Why contextual? Many African architects
copy Western architecture as a way of
manifesting modernity. For me, modernity
has nothing to do with Western sensibilities.
It has to do with creating an environment
that is contemporary to you and to your
identity. It’s about acknowledging the present
and manifesting a future, factors that are not
necessarily tied to the aesthetic and technol-
ogy of another place.
So what should African architecture be
like? My aim is architecture that makes
sense for where it is, that respects and man-
ifests the narrative of a place, all the while
allowing its users to dream their futures.
Architecture is one of the most powerful
conduits of culture and self-representation.
Many African cities were built during Euro-
pean colonization and are based, therefore,
on somebody else’s thinking of what a city
is like, of what a home should look like
and how it should function. The amazing
economic boost that Africa is experiencing
now is a great opportunity to start rethinking
these typologies and to reflect on the actual
needs, the climate and other evolving aspects
of a place.In what way does your housing project,
Niamey 2000, reflect on the evolving
aspects of its location? Niamey 2000 is
a housing development that takes inspira-
tion from precolonial cities of the region,
like Timbuktu in Mali, Kano in Nigeria
and Zinder in Niger. These cities were all
dense urban centres in their day. They were
organically configured of intricately inter-
twined homes that were often two or three
storeys tall, but they also managed to main-
tain a sense of privacy and intimacy. Nia-
mey 2000 takes a firm position on material
selection with its use of unfired earth
masonry and passive cooling techniques
that protect against high temperatures. In
urban centres in many parts of the world,
local materials have been increasingly aban-
doned in favour of concrete. With Niamey
2000, we are reintroducing locally derived
resources to the construction industry and,
at the same time, offering affordable homes
to the city’s growing population.In Niger, the fastest growing sector of the
population comprises the youth. How can
cities further adapt to accommodate the
needs of this group? Indeed. Niger’s growth
comes with a youth explosion: 75 per cent
of the population is below 25 years old.
Something that might be different from
other countries is the lack of activities for
young people. Aside from education and
other pressing challenges, the country has
little money to invest in social and cultural
projects. As architects and urban thinkers, »‘If I choose
to design a
space in such
a way as to
make it more
inclusive,
that decision
might even
be political’
Atelier Masōmī joined forces with Yasaman Esmaili in
designing a religious and secular complex in Dandaji.
Apart from a literacy centre and a mosque, the building
contains a library that attracts and serves the town’s
growing youth population.JamesWangWHAT I’VE LEARNED 59