ABOUT US: MANIFESTO

The Community Planning & Design Initiative Africa (CPDI Africa) is a culture-inspired, research-based, design-build competition, created to inspire the development of successful neighborhoods and communities on the continent, with modern African architecture that is both culturally and environmentally sustainable. Believing that the redevelopment of Africa’s built environment should be as it has always been, built as a collaborative effort between the community members and designated master builders, CDPI Africa engages participation from the design community in Africa and the Diaspora at large, for the accomplishment of its vision.

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25 ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL XHOSA (NGUNI) ARCHITECTURE. SOUTH AFRICA

Image:tony gum (https://www.instagram.com/tony_gum/) The Xhosa, also often called the “Red Blanket People”, are of Nguni stock, like the Zulu. The name Xhosa is a generalised term for a diversity of proud clans, the Pondo , Bomvana , Thembu and the Xhosa tribe itself. Red and the orange of ochre were the traditional colours of the Xhosa, Tembu and Bomvana (“the red ones”). There are approximately 8 million Xhosa people in South Africa, and the Xhosa language is the countries second most-populous language in the country, after Zulu.

Mai Deribe's Palace - A hidden gem in Borno state, Nigeria

Little is known of the hidden gem in North-eastern Nigeria that attracted kings, princes, prime ministers and heads of state back in its heyday. While the media talks about insurgency and terrorism in North-eastern Nigeria and discourages people from visiting for security reasons, let's shine a light on the more appealing aspects of the region by looking at its not-so widely portrayed architecture. Late Alhaji Mai Deribe's palace in Maiduguri city was constructed in the early 1980s and is said to have been built over a period of 10 years with parts of it constructed with liquid gold. During its prime, it was known as the most expensive dwelling in West Africa. It is expansive and a sight to behold with four apartments for his three wives and his mother. While the building's architectural influences are clear to see, the architect behind the palace remains unknown. Its simple and geometrically etched courtyards, fenestrations, exterior wall embellishments, as well as its ri

25 ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL YORÙBÁ ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of the ancient Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria was a communal endeavor and the house was a statement of ideological, economic and social position in the larger urban context. Below is a list of 25 elements of traditional Yoruba architecture, as I cannot detail all about the Yoruba people in this documentation due to how lengthy I would need to write, the brief bio of the Yoruba people samples the Ijebu kingdom. Read also: - The Most Interesting Facts I Learnt Researching Yoruba Architecture - 5 Proposed Standard Elements of Yoruba architecture: Inspiring a Modern Language! - About the Author

NOW OPEN: CPDI Africa Heritage Architecture Competition 2021

Introduction: Have you ever imagined what the architecture of Africa would look like today, if the great civilizations of Egypt, Timbuktu, Mali, the Dogon, Zulu, Yoruba, and thousands of other African empires had continued to develop and evolve in their own unique identity? Imagine the transformation of the African landscape into sprawling metropolises filled with architectural masterpieces celebrating new interpretations of traditional design elements, portrayed with all the comfort of modern innovations and technique. The Community Planning & Design Initiative Africa (CPDI Africa) 2021 culture-inspired, research-based design competition aims to promote the development of new architectural languages for the African Diaspora that are culturally and environmentally sustainable. What Africa would you build if given the opportunity to develop African skylines in her own image? Eligibility: The CPDI Africa 2021 competition is open to both students and practitioners of architecture and

5 PROPOSED STANDARD ELEMENTS OF YORUBA ARCHITECTURE: Inspiring a Modern Language!

Today at CPDI Africa we continue our journey into the exploration of YORUBA Architecture, through its dynamic traditional languages, aesthetics, spirituality and technology. Selecting KEY elements from traditional Yoruba Design, what 5 Modern Elements can we propose for Creating a Recognizable Modern Language for Yoruba Architecture!? I've summarized this KEY QUESTION for our summer Cohort of architects, as I progresses on this journey to creating a modern Masterpiece of YORUBA Design for the Internship. Follow my full research on Traditional Yoruba design on this BLOG, and glean the 25 Traditional Elements that Inspired this PROPOSED 5 Standards for Designing Modern Yoruba or 'Afrofuturistic' Architecture. Enjoy!!! Read also: - The Most Interesting Facts I Learnt Researching Yoruba Architecture - 25 Elements of Traditional Yoruba Architecture - About the Author

Elements of Traditional Hausa Architecture

Emir's Palace Kano. Image: ⓒ Hauwa Mahmoud Hausa architecture, as dictated by culture, is traditionally designed to be inward-looking in order to maximize privacy. Residential architecture is characterized by high walls with openings few and small, large courtyards, and entrance porches meant to welcome but keep out strange male visitors from the inner private quarters. These features usually have the double function of ensuring privacy, which is an important consideration in Hausa architecture. They also aid temperature regulation which is vital in the hot and arid regions of the West African Sahel where the Hausas are predominantly located. Plan and layout of Emir's Palace, Kano Dmochowski 1990 The layout of a traditional Hausa residence rarely takes a defined shape. This flexibility allows for expansion as needed as most households tend to be polygamous. However, there are certain features that are consistent in any layout no matter how big or small.

The Most Interesting Fact I Learnt Researching YORUBA Architecture

The architecture of the ancient Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria was a communal endeavor and the house was a statement of individuals social status and position.... A quick slide. The courtyard design is the root architecture of the Yoruba people, inspired by a culture of honoring family unity. The open spaces or courtyards are designed to be much larger so as to encourage communication between family members, it serves as the point of social contact, cooking and craft making, family meetings, political gatherings, social gatherings like ceremonies and wedding, food processing, worshipping and also used as a court to settle disputes. In the courtyard was where the ancient Yoruba people lived most of their daily lives. There are several other interesting facts about Yoruba architecture, the few mentioned where my most interest. I hope you find them interesting. Feel free to mention those you find int

Identity Formation in America

Author My name is Lorin Jackson. You may have met me during the launch of the inaugural CPDI Africa Internship in the summer of 2020. I was thrilled to be awarded the internship, but struggled to meet the expectations, and coupled with the uprising and turmoil that America faced the summer of 2020, I couldn’t maintain what was necessary to successfully matriculate. Recently someone commented on my initial Instagram post announcing my involvement in the internship, and it inspired me to complete the coursework on my own time. To be honest, I was challenged by the first research assignment that asked us to identify elements of our architecture. I was stumped at identifying “our,” let alone “architecture.” I initially identified as a “Black American,” but in light of the recent atrocities enacted by the state at the time, to call myself American felt disingenuous and incriminating. To be Black in America is to be in direct opposition to everything America was really created for, so there

THE EVOLUTION AND TRANSFORMATION OF AN AFRICAN DESIGN LANGUAGE - Igbo Architecture by Ikechukwu Godspower

The language of our Continent is Beautiful and Spiritual. Africa is connected to the realm of Her Ancestors, for the cycle of Life is never broken in the Motherland! On the way to Mastering the architectural language of his culture, the IGBO of Nigeria, Ikechukwu Godspower, better known as 'Zhinche' unearthed the building blocks upon which technology, aesthetics, spirituality, materials and design philosophies were transferred into architecture and community building of the Igbo Nation. His goal was to specialize in speaking the architectural language of his Culture, a skill he intends to Master in his professional journey to becoming a Master in Igbo Modern Vernacular Architecture. Play video below to watch the design Quick Animation. Nnukwu Nmanwu was targeted at restoring the traditions of igboland gradually fading away. The mmanwu were effective in keeping/restoring traditional norms and values in the communities. They are performed only by males in exclusive secret societi

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