Tag: johannesburg | ArchDaily

City-Making Through Participation: Lessons from Utopian Hours 2026

Mohieldin Gamal — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Who has the right to the city? Henri Lefebvre's writings question the structures that control urban space and, instead, put the citizens at the center of decision-making. His ideas have influenced the way architecture and urban design are practiced, bringing about community participation and co-design. These have been some of the most prominent themes at Utopian Hours 2026, the festival of city-making, the first part of which was held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam to mark its tenth anniversary edition.

Unearthing the Ground: Architecture and the Politics of Soil

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

What architecture leaves in the ground outlasts what it puts in the air. A demolished building disappears from the skyline in a matter of days, but its foundations remain embedded in the soil for generations. The contamination caused by an industrial complex does not clear when the complex is torn down. The legal boundaries inscribed across colonial territory do not dissolve when the colonial administration ends. The ground holds what architecture quickly forgets.

House of the Flying Bowtie / Frankie Pappas

Hana Abdel — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Raising private spaces into the sky.

How Public Art Shapes Cities

Ankitha Gattupalli — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 05:30:00 +0000

“Art aims to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”, Greek polymath Aristotle remarked. Public art in cities worldwide seeks to pursue this aim by offering a sense of meaning and identification to its residents. Taking the form of murals, installations, sculptures, and statues, public art engages with audiences outside of museums and in the public realm. This art presents a democratic manner of collectively redefining concepts like community, identity, and social engagement.

House of the Rosebank Health Village / Frankie Pappas

Hana Abdel — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 21:00:00 +0000

Re-imagining community healthcare as an expression of our humanity

Spatial Education and the Future of African Cities: An Interview with Matri-Archi

Romullo Baratto — Wed, 04 May 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Led by architectural designers Khensani de Klerk and Solange Mbanefo, Matri-Archi is a collective based between Switzerland and South Africa that aims to bring African women together for the development of spatial education in African cities. Through design practice, writing, podcasts, and other initiatives, Matri-Archi — one of ArchDaily's Best New Practices of 2021 — focuses on the recognition and empowerment of women in the spatial field and architectural industry.

The Bank, Rosebank / Daffonchio Architects + Imbewu Design

Hana Abdel — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Bank is an exciting new mixed-use development in the hub of Rosebank, Johannesburg within easy walking distance of the Art District. It is an approximately 15,000 sqm, 13 Storey mixed-use building with 3 additional floors of basement parking. The structure of the existing 4 storey building, previously a bank, was retained and added onto.

Urban Sprawl and Ghost Towns: The Impact of Mining on Cities

Matthew Maganga — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 07:30:00 +0000

The urban settlements we inhabit today exist in their present form due to a host of reasons. There are cities that have grown due to their proximity to water – such as the growth of Dar es Salaam to the major port city it is today. There are the planned capital cities scattered around the world, governments of countries such as Brazil and Nigeria building cities from scratch from the input of acclaimed architects. There are also the settlements that exist and grow because of certain industries, such as Silicon Valley in the American state of California being home to giants of the technology industry. There’s an industry, however, that has spawned both pulsating cities and abandoned towns – the mining industry.

Pancho Guedes, Sculpting a New Africa

Hana Abdel — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Amancio d'Alpoim Miranda Guedes, known as Pancho Guedes was an architect, painter, sculptor, and educator that is revered as one of the earliest post-modernist architects in Africa. Throughout his career, he has contributed to more than 500 building designs which were often characterized as eclectic, bringing together Lusophone African influence with his unique surrealist and experimental artistic style. It is said that having worked mainly in Mozambique, Angola, South Africa, and Portugal, Pancho Guedes was less well known than he ought to have been in the rest of the world, as he is a leading figure in modern African architecture.

The 20th Serpentine Pavilion Designed by Counterspace, to Open on June 11th 2021

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The 20th Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Johannesburg-based practice Counterspace, directed by Sumayya Vally, will finally open on 11 June 2021. After its 1-year postponement due to the global pandemic, the temporary pavilion will stay on display until 17 October 2021, on the Serpentine Gallery’s lawn in Kensington Gardens.

Divided: Urban Inequality in South Africa

Matthew Maganga — Sat, 15 May 2021 07:30:00 +0000

South Africa is an ever-evolving, dynamic country – which over the recent years has seen the emergence of landmarks that have achieved global recognition. In Cape Town, there’s the distinctive elevation of Heatherwick Studio’s Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. In South Africa’s Western Cape, there’s the free-flowing concrete roof of the Bosjes Chapel, designed by Steyn Studio. And, in a design only unveiled last year, there’s the granary-inspired Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg, designed by 2021 RIBA Royal Gold Medal winner Sir David Adjaye.

Christophe Hutin Curates France's Pavilion for the 2021 Venice Biennale, Highlighting “Communities at Work” in Europe, Asia, America and Africa

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 14 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The French pavilion at the 2021 Venice Biennale, “aims to reflect on the meeting between architectural know-how and the inhabitants’ own experiences of their living spaces”. Curated by Christophe Hutin, the intervention entitled “Communities at Work” will provide an immersive experience with the help of images in motion. Using five specific case studies on different continents: in Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, the exhibition presents a journey into a world where communities transformations their own living spaces, without following any formal schemes designed by an architect.

Salvazione Christian School / Local Studio

Hana Abdel — Thu, 06 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Funded by a non-profit run by a prominent building-supplies company in South Africa, this four-classroom primary school in Mayfair West serves students from the nearby Slovo Park informal settlement in Johannesburg.

Adjaye Associates Designs the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg, South Africa

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 06:30:00 +0000

Adjaye Associates has unveiled its design for a new historical center for African consciousness, the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg. Named after the previous president of South Africa, the project is an opportunity to realize the dreams of Thabo Mbeki to advance and empower an African renaissance, according to the 2021 RIBA Royal Gold Medal winner Sir David Adjaye.

House Katz / Gregory Katz Architecture

Hana Abdel — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Designed by Johannesburg based architect Gregory Katz for his family, a house and a studio, perch side-by side on the elevated southern edge of this suburban property. The house is a patchwork quilt of patterned red-brick panels, framed in a grid of structural concrete. The studio, the smaller of the two volumes, is a seamless rubber-clad, light-steel framed structure.

99 Juta / Local Studio

Valeria Silva — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 21:00:00 +0000

99 Juta is Local Studio’s most recently completed project, and involves the creation of custom studio and exhibition spaces for some of Johannesburg’s foremost product designers, most notably the firm Dokter and Misses. Apart from studios, the project also included the creation of a bar at ground floor and a flexible event space on the top (third) level.

Brick House / Douglas & Company

Valeria Silva — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The project location, a bland suburban security estate on the outskirts of Johannesburg provided the framework and context for the project. The house directly responds to its physical and climatic environment, with a private, enclosed courtyard garden providing shelter from the relentless visual onslaught of the Tuscan and faux farmyard buildings surrounding it.

Hillbrow Counselling Centre / Local Studio

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 29 May 2020 03:00:00 +0000

Prior to initiation of this project, the Outreach Foundation provided a very impact-full counselling service to trauma victims in Hillbrow, an area rife with crime and violence. In recent years, counselors at the center were trained further in handling unique trauma relating to migrants and refugees.