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.

Dakar

Nzinga Mboup, co-founder of the Dakar-based architecture firm Vorofila, is at the forefront of sustainable architecture in West Africa. Drawing on traditional building materials such as raw earth and timber, she integrates climate-conscious design into major projects, including the Rainforest Gallery for the Museum of West African Art and a residential building in Dakar.

Mboup's influence extends internationally through collaborations, exhibitions, and her role as a curator for the Canadian Centre for Architecture. She also co-founded Female Black Architects, a network supporting African women in the field, and continues to promote the use of local, low-tech materials to address cultural, climatic, and economic needs in architecture.

How Senegal's Nzinga Mboup is building the future

Dakar, Senegal, in the historic neighbourhood of Vanhoek. The architectural firm Vorofila has its headquarters. Co-founder Nzinga Mbub was born in Mozambique to a Cameroonian mother and a Senegalese father. After studying in London, she returned to West Africa to realise her vision of sustainable architecture. I feel very blessed and very lucky. Here I feel total freedom to be able to invest myself in the conversations of architecture but then use that in order to inform the practice and build it. Together with co-founder Nicolas Rondet, she is working on Vorofila's current project, the Rainforest Gallery for the Museum of West African Art, MOVA. This prestigious project blends functional design with traditional building materials. The Rainforest Gallery sits within the MOA campus in Benin City. We use natural materials such as timber which is going to be used for the roof or raw earth which is used in the walls. It has a great capacity to absorb humidity in the air. So that's a great way to also, you know, reduce the humidity level which is important for the artwork that is going to be there. In 2019, at age 30, she founded her architecture firm. Two years later, her team was already tackling one of its first major projects, a residential building in Dakar's Angor district. The concept? Climate-conscious design. A shaded facade of cooling clay bricks and natural ventilation. Smart design with attitude. I do feel that as an African we need a bit more of a radical approach. A radical approach that is sort of anchored in our traditional knowledges to really make buildings and cities that sort of work better for us from a climatic point of view, from a cultural point of view, from an economical point of view. And I do believe that the use of locally sourced material, low-tech materials, is going to enable us to do that. Her favourite building material is raw red earth, abundant across Africa. Mixed with about 7% cement and a touch of lime, it's pressed into shape and sun-dried. A climate-friendly method that doesn't require firing. This is how buildings were traditionally made, and what the future could look like, entirely without concrete. Today, modern earth architecture is still a niche, but Nzinga is proving its value with this residential project in southern Dakar. There's sometimes a lot of scepticism when it comes to what can be done. People have a lot of constructs that have developed over time and that we need to deconstruct by actually doing. So it helps that we have clients that are willing to go for it. That we have architects, engineers, contractors that are all participants in this revolution. And one building at a time, we're showing that it's possible. And more people are adhering to it. Change of scene to Francise Corre's studio in Berlin, Germany. The architect from Burkina Faso, winner of the Pritzker Prize, is a pioneer in sustainable earth-based construction. One of his most renowned projects is the new Goethe-Institut in Dakar, Senegal. And Nzinga's Vorafila team is managing on-site construction in collaboration with the German planning office Rebuilding. For Nzinga, the project is more than just work. It's a statement. We knew that this project has the capacity to really shift the perspective on urban architecture because it's a cultural institution, because it's going to be a public building. And we were just excited and wanted to make sure that we participate in the success of the project. And having, obviously, Francise Corre being chosen, I think having a West African architect operating and doing this building in Dakar, also based in Germany, so obviously being this kind of like cultural bridge, you know, was a golden opportunity. Nzinga's next opportunity arises in Venice in 2023, when Lesley Locco, curator of the Architecture Biennale, invites the most exciting African architects, including Nzinga, to showcase their work. While still in Venice, Nzinga is also honoured by the Canadian Centre for Architecture, CCA, by naming her one of its curators in Dakar. She's a voice of a new sustainable architectural movement. I 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 and 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. So I'm a lot more emboldened to be able to go back and kind of continue in the multidisciplinary approach that I have to my practice, and connect more as well with the others, because there's been a lot of exchanges, of contacts, of emails, and with the true will to collaborate. Back in Dakar, the newly appointed CCA curator immediately sets her mandate in motion. She organises panels, researches Senegal's modern architectural history, and gives a stage to forgotten architects. While giving others visibility, she is also becoming more prominent herself. Nzinga has long been a role model for a new generation of African architects, a role she embraces with poise, curiosity and responsibility. Her latest challenge? Building a network. Together with colleagues, she founded Female Black Architects, a space for exchange and mutual empowerment. Here women architects from across Africa connect, share experiences, ideas and strategies. Nzinga is a unifying figure whose influence extends far beyond Dakar, and even beyond Africa.

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