African architecture designs 2023, Building architects, New construction design, Property images

African Architecture Designs 2023

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

post updated 12 May 2025

African Architecture News – current updates

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African Architecture News 2023

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.

27 September 2023
FBW Group Delivers Four Points by Sheraton Kampala

The first Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Uganda, delivered by leading African planning, design, architecture and engineering team FBW Group, has opened its door to guests.

Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Uganda:

image courtesy of FBW Group

The new Four Points by Sheraton Kampala is set to play its part in the continuing post pandemic recovery of Uganda’s visitor economy.
FBW has led on the multi-million-dollar hotel development in the Ugandan capital providing its architecture, structural and civil and MEP engineering expertise.

The hotel offers 142 guest rooms and suites, restaurants, bars and a ballroom as well as meeting rooms, swimming pool and fitness centre.

The official opening earlier this month came as Uganda looks to attract more visitors from across the world with a new marketing initiative.

The ‘Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa’ brand promises to provide visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, according to the Uganda Tourism Board, which is behind the plan.

Recent figures also show Uganda’s tourism trade continuing to rebound post-pandemic with visitor numbers rising 59 per cent in 2022. Last year the country welcomed around 814,508 international visitors.

Sitting at the foot of Kololo Hill, an upscale residential area, and near to Nakasero, Kampala’s central business district, the new Four Points by Sheraton Kampala is around 40km from Entebbe International Airport.

FBW, which has operations in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, delivered a full design and construction service on the project, covering project management, architecture, structural and civil engineering as well as MEP engineering.

King Standard Room at Four Points by Sheraton hotel, Uganda:

image courtesy of FBW Group

Nigel Tilling, project director at FBW Group, said: “We’re delighted that this fantastic addition to Kampala’s visitor and hospitality offering is now complete and is opening to guests.

“The whole construction and design team had to cope with the extra pressures brought by the pandemic in the middle of the project.
“The newly delivered hotel stands as testament to the professionalism and determination of everyone involved, from the client team and construction crews to the engineers and architects.

“Four Points by Sheraton Kampala is part of the 31 Marriott International brands and one of the fastest-growing hospitality brands in the world and is sure to make a big impact on business and leisure travellers. It is an impressive sight.”

Four Points by Sheraton is a multinational hotel brand operated by Marriott International Inc that targets business travellers and conventions.
As of June 30, 2020, Marriott operated 291 properties worldwide under the Four Points by Sheraton brand, with 53,054 rooms. In addition, Marriott had 130 planned hotels with 27,342 additional rooms.

FBW has played its part in the development of the visitor economy in Uganda. It delivered Kampala’s first boutique hotel The Emin Pasha is set in two acres of tropical gardens in the centre of the city.

FBW was the architect, project manager and engineer on the luxury 20-room hotel development, which remains a popular destination.
The group’s architects and engineers have also worked on a number of high-profile signature hotel and leisure projects across East Africa.
These include the multi-million refurbishment of the Hotel Umubano in the Rwandan capital Kigali, several bespoke boutique lodges in Rwanda and Kenya and the design of a major international branded hotel in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Stuart Harley, the group’s chief operating officer, said: “The growth in hotel investment in Kampala and other cities in East Africa has mirrored the development of the visitor economy and we’re proud of the part we’ve played in some key developments, including this latest Four Points by Sheraton development.

“The hotel projects we have been involved in have played their part in raising standards and delivering quality experiences for visitors to Uganda as well as helping the growth of the tourism sector, which is now beginning to bounce back from the impact of Covid.”

FBW is a major player in the region’s construction and development sector, working on high-profile infrastructure projects.

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

Its services 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

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

photo : Bruce Engel
Komera Leadership Center, Rwanda

15 September 2023
Sustainable Cities Are Vital In Meeting Africa’s Climate Challenges

Leading planning, design, architecture and engineering practice FBW Group says the inaugural Africa Climate Summit has highlighted the pressing need to deliver liveable cities with sustainability at their heart.

The role sustainable cities can play in becoming the centre of Africa’s “resilient future” was highlighted at the Africa Climate Summit, hosted by the government of Kenya in Nairobi, and during Africa Climate Week, which ran alongside the summit.

Following the gathering, African leaders committed to implementing policies, regulations and incentives aimed at attracting local, regional and global investment in green growth and inclusive economies.

Their calls to action include “leapfrogging” traditional industrial development and fostering green production and supply chains on a global scale.

The leaders’ statement also declared that investment into carbon credits should place Africa on the receiving side for green finance and spur sustainable transformations in fast growing African cities, in line with the UN development goals.

Welcoming the commitments to green growth, East African based FBW Group, part of the team tasked with delivering the trailblazing Kigali Green City project in the Rwandan capital, believes integrated climate solutions at a local level need to be accelerated.

These include scaling up the production and use of sustainable building materials, nature-based solutions, renewable energy and better transport solutions.

FBW also believes more global investment is needed to develop the local manufacturing of specialised products, to create African supply chains based on a circular economy rather than imports and to deliver more local jobs.

The Kigali Green City project FBW is involved in is looking to demonstrate that building green is “a necessity, not a luxury”.

It will feature a range of initiatives, including the use renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, wastewater management, recycling and reuse of water and sustainable transport solutions. All have a part to play in delivering a sustainable future.

The development will also deliver much needed quality homes for people in the lower-to-middle-income brackets.

FBW Group, which has offices in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, has been appointed to be the local team on the ground, delivering the key services of architecture, structural and civil engineering and mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering (MEP).

The firm’s initial roles in the Green City project include suggestions on local material supply, environmental standards and stakeholder engagement and submissions.

Antje Eckoldt, FBW Group director, says: “One of the aims of the project is to combine appropriate technologies, progressive thinking and the use of local skills and materials to show that this urban environment has everything it needs to sustain its community and for people to live green.”

As part of its work towards creating a circular economy to unlock green growth, FBW has been exploring local low-carbon construction methods and materials and how they can be used to their maximum affect.

That work includes collaborating with sustainable building material innovators such as Oxara on the use of new products to create stabilised earth blocks and other building material applications without the use of cement. It is an ongoing project.

Antje says: “If we are to reduce construction carbon impacts, including the reduction in the carbon impact of transporting materials over long distances, we need to deliver local solutions using local materials found on site for the majority of construction.

“Materials such as earth and stone were traditionally used in most cultures and they can be easily re-used and recycled as buildings come to the end of their life.

“We also need to scale-up production of these materials and create strong local supply chains that in turn deliver much needed employment.”
The mayors and governors of 12 African cities and metropolitan areas used the climate summit to call on national and international leaders to support them in creating “good, green jobs” and accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy.

FBW Group believes a strong and sustainable economic strategy has the potential to create tens of thousands of those jobs across Africa, in construction, green energy and other sectors.

FBW Group has been at the cutting edge of sustainable design and construction in Africa for more than two decades.

During that time it has gained a wealth of practical experience in the design and delivery of sustainable building solutions and green principles form an integral part of the design thinking that underlies all its work.

As part of its continuing commitment to ‘build green’ and to advocate for green buildings it is also a member of the Kenyan Green Building Society, part of the World Green Building Council. It is also a champion of the EDGE green building certification system.

Its team has been working with the International School of Kigali (ISK) to create a 21st Century ‘green’ campus. All its buildings have been designed to be constructed using locally made, eco-friendly brickwork, fired through a low embodied carbon technique.

Sustainability was another large consideration in its delivery of a masterplan for the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) campus expansion project in Rwanda.

FBW also designed the campus in response to the distinctive climate that its highland forest setting brings, creating a pedestrian-friendly environment focusing on the natural landscape to provide external spaces for studying, physical activity and social interaction.

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

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

16 Jan 2023
Key Kenya Promotions as FBW Group Continues to Develop Talent

Leading African planning, design, architecture and engineering team FBW Group has announced two senior promotions as it looks to further develop its presence in Kenya over the next 12 months.

Charles Nganga and MaryRose Akii have been promoted to Associate level. They are both based in FBW’s office in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Charles has been working as a senior consultant and department head and MaryRose is also a department head and senior architect. They have played major roles on a wide range of high-profile projects led by the Nairobi office.

Their promotions come as FBW sees continuing post-pandemic growth, with a pipeline of work across its operations and opportunities throughout the continent.

The group is also looking to further grow its presence in Kenya as the tenth anniversary of the opening of its Nairobi operation approaches.

FBW, which has offices in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, also continues to invest in the development of the architects and engineers who will deliver Africa’s vision of green, sustainable urban growth. Its Kenyan office has played a key part in work towards the creation of a low-cost, affordable housing strategy for the country.

FBW Group Managing Director Paul Moores said: “We’re delighted to announce these promotions which highlight the strength-in-depth we have in all our disciplines and across the business.

“They further strengthen our management team as we look to increase our presence in Kenya and continue to expand into other parts of Africa as our pipeline of work in all sectors grows.

“Our people have a wealth of experience, and their range of knowledge ensures that we consistently deliver projects efficiently and cost-effectively, with our Nairobi operation playing a central role in work we are involved in across the continent.

“These well-deserved promotions are also recognition of the commitment MaryRose and Charles have shown, their importance to the group and the contribution they are making to FBW’s success.”

He added: “Talented people like these are our most precious asset. We work hard to grow and develop our young talent so they can play key roles in our portfolio of work and, beyond that, play their part in Africa’s development.”

MaryRose joined FBW in 2010 and became part of its Kenya team in 2019, arriving in Nairobi from the group’s Kampala head office in Uganda.
Her portfolio of work includes an ongoing health design project at a leading medical research centre in The Gambia.

She said: “One of the strengths of FBW is the way all its offices across East Africa work together to deliver projects and the interesting and varied work you are involved in as a result. The group is also heavily focused on sustainability and green design.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to develop and progress both professionally and within the business, playing my part in its continued growth.”

Charles joined FBW in 2018. Previously he had worked in the UK for more than a decade and studied at the University of Manchester.

During his time at FBW, he has worked on a range of high-profile projects, including several for Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), the continent’s largest soft drinks bottler. He has also been part of the FBW teams delivering health and education projects in Rwanda and The Gambia.

Charles said: “The variety of projects you are involved in is one of the reasons that FBW such an enjoyable place to work.

“Career development is also important to the business and there are clear paths you can pursue. We’ve also got a strong supportive team at all levels of the business. People are here to see you succeed.”

FBW, which has worked for more than 25 years in Africa, is playing its part in growing its skills base and is also actively nurturing the development of young professionals in all its offices.

As well as an in-house intern programme and links with educational establishments, FBW’s commitment to professional development sees its young talent encouraged as they gain knowledge and experience on their career journeys.

FBW 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.

FBW has also built a strong track record in supporting British-based organisations to deliver international standards.

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

More African Architecture News online soon.

African architectural news Archive for 2014 – 2022

Location: Africa.

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