When Edmonton seeks an Africa Centre new look, an African inspired image instantly conjures in my mind. A nature-inspired building that rises above the landscape, conspicuous in appearance, African in outlook, and of course also solves some of the problems of the people of African descent in Edmonton. A building that speaks and connect to the soul of people of African origin. A building that they will be inspired to call home without being advised to do so. A building that will constitute the fabric of a foundation for a better tomorrow for African immigrants to Edmonton.
As the City of Edmonton finalizes its competitive  bid for the architectural firm to design the new Africa Centre, what type of problems does the community of African descent in Edmonton has that this building can help solve? Desperate need for office spaces for its over 35 communities. A multi-purpose hall to showcase their beautiful culture, present their fantastic arts, craft, cultural performances, and celebrate independence days and other national days. An African-inspired commercial kitchen and restaurant to bring delicious food to the table, as well as, pass on food preparation skills to kids for their cultural preservation and conservation. Open spaces with beautiful African arts, craft, and paintings to bring in some African homely feel into the space and also to spark connections and inspiration in the minds of visitors and users of to the centre. Certainly a new African-inspired destination in Edmonton’s tourism landscape.
Jibril Ibrahim, a Building Committee Member for Africa Centre shares this picture,”An African Centre should reflects African culture. A museum to educate the public. Where you feel in Africa with each culture represented”.  When he puts on his hat as the President of Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton, he added, “A community centre, a place to educate kids, where they feel at home when they come in. A multi-purpose area for worship. For a young community like ours, a place for childcare, educational programs, and a place for socialization”. And when he puts on his Mechanical Engineer hat, he concludes, “Coming from a warm climate, a place with good climate, insulation, and sound controls”.  Jibril Ibrahim, Building Committee Member for Africa,  Mechanical Engineering and President of Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton.

This week, I made a visual tour across the world to find such buildings to share with you. The first that I found was the “Makoko Floating School”, by Nigerian-born founder of NLE Architects, Kunlé Adeyemi. “Makoko Floating School” is an innovative prototype, floating structure located on the lagoon heart of Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. This acclaimed project is part of an extensive research project – “African Water Cities”. Built on top of about 250 empty barrels, the school is designed to avoid many of the problems associated with frequently rising water levels. The structure is also green: it makes use of rainwater collection, and solar panels provide the electricity. Though the school accommodates a mere 100 elementary school children, it has potential to act as a model for water-bound communities across the world. “It didn’t start as a big idea, I was trying to solve a small problem the community had. I realized the problem I was trying to solve was a problem for a larger part of the world,” Adeymi told CNN in 2014. “We’re now seeing people take interest in this across Africa.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from http://www.nleworks.com/case/makoko-floating-school/

Another master piece that brings the beauty of African design to light is the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington D.C. designed by Sir David Adjaye OBE. Born in Tanzania, “starchitect” David Adjaye is the son of a Ghanaian diplomat and spent his childhood traveling the globe before settling in Britain at the age of nine.

The structure, which was completed in 2015, shines an African aesthetic with exterior made up of aluminum panels coated with bronze. It utilized ornamental techniques once used by former slaves developed in African cultures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from http://www.adjaye.com/projects/civic-buildings/smithsonian-national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture-nmaahc/

 

The City of Edmonton is moving forward with plans to build a multi-million dollar facility for the Africa Centre in north of Edmonton. City Council has approved $838,000 from the 2015-2018 capital budget to move the project to the schematic design phase. The project is estimated to cost over $39 million, with $10 million from the City, and the rest from other levels of government.

 

 

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