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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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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

NEW COURSES: Global Studio for African Centered Architecture

The CPDI Africa Global Studio for African Centered Architecture: an Academic Platform for Teaching a New Pedagogy in African Architecture. The CPDI Africa Global Studio for African Centered Architecture provides architects and designers an African centered academic platform for learning technical solutions for problem solving in their communities, while preserving culture and heritage through design. The global studio is organized by CPDI Africa - the Community Planning and Design Initiative, Africa. Our Global Studio Faculty are leading professors and architects, renowned for their pedagogy in teaching African centered architecture. Tenured at distinguished universities around the globe, our professors understand architecture is not separate from the lexicon of creative arts, but an integral part of the full human experience. CPDI Africa faculty is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and represent a diversity of world cultures, languages and heritage. The CPDI Africa Global Stu

ilé ọrọ ̀- Yoruba Resort & Cultural Center: CPDI 2020 internship Design by Adelaja Fawaz

Ilé ọrọ ̀ is a Yoruba translation for “house of wealth” and in other translations “house of riches”. Every time culture is a subject of discussion, we all try to express how rich our individual culture is. The truth is words alone cant express how rich any culture is. Adelaja Fawaz is an African (Yoruba) architectural designer, he preferred to express the riches of his yoruba culture in this design with a statement noticeable from miles away. One that speaks the native language… a cultural landmark that beats the test of time. The ilé ọrọ ̀ resort. Play video below to watch the design Quick Animation. The resort concept is from a cowrie shell and Yoruba divination tray. Cowries were used as currency for centuries in west Africa, it is viewed as a symbol of wealth and well being and are commonly used in jewelry and other decorative pieces. They are also used during divination by casting them down on a divination tray to reach out to the ancestors. Doing this in this design, Fawaz ide

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.

CPDI Africa Global Studio: The Premiere Academy for Teaching African Centered Design & Architecture!

CPDI Africa Global Studio, the Premiere Academy for Teaching a New Pedagogy in African Centered Architecture. Virtual certificate programs. Culturally diverse curriculum. Distinguished professors. Study abroad in Africa. Scholarship programs. Available now: courses in History & Critical Theory, Design Studio, CAD, BIM, Sustainable Design and Design-Build practicals during our summer Study Abroad sessions in Africa. To learn more visit us online, and do inquire about our Scholarship Programs. CpdiAfrica.Org Global Studio for African Centered Architecture: A CPDI AFRICA INITIATIVE. #AfricanHeritageArchitecture #CPDIAfrica #AfricanArchitecture #CulturalArchitecture #Architecture

How does architecture differ in ethnic groups split by country borders?

Have you heard about Africa before? Not the Africa you see on TV, but the real Africa. Contrary to the conventional view of Africa as a homogeneous entity, it is the continent with the highest number of countries, and it is highly rich in ethnic diversity as shown by the map below. Map of the World’s most and least diverse countries | Source: Washington Post , Data source: Harvard Institute for Economic Research. So what if you found out that most country borders aren’t physical walls but a figment of our imagination? You’d probably look to maps to prove that borders exist. But before maps of Africa with country borders were produced, there were people - people with different languages and cultures. There are about 2,000 languages spoken across more than 3,000 ethnic groups in Africa. Numerous maps have been created to illustrate just how diverse the continent is. If you’d like to explore other facts about Africa’s diversity, this article is for you. Map of ethnic gr

The GIDAN - HAUSA RESORT AND CULTURAL CENTER: CPDI 2020 Internship Design by Hauwa Mahmoud

The Hausa Resort and Cultural Center aims to capture the essence of Hausa culture at a glance given the visitor an immersive experience at one location. Drawing inspiration from the layout of a typical Hausa city, and more specifically inspired by the Emir’s Palace in Kano, the resort has been laid out as a mini gated city that captures various activities that highlight Hausa culture and architecture. Play video below to watch the design Quick Animation. Conceptual Statement The Gidan Hausa Resort and Cultural Center is designed to give the visitor an experience of Hausa culture from the large scale i.e. the city with its robust activities to the small scale of the home with its intimacy and privacy. Play video below to watch the full design Presentation. 15 elements of Hausa architecture incorporated into the design of the resort Illustration of the main entrance Illustration of a villa entrance View from within a courtyard in a private villa Read also some of Hauwa research wor

CPDI AFRICA 2017 COMPETITION WINNERS!

CPDI Africa is PROUD to Announce our 2017 African Architecture Competition Winners: Our Geniuses Have Emerged!! We Celebrate architect Aisha Aminu, 1st place with INARA House; architects Olalekan Afolabi and Olalekan Ileola-Gold 2nd place, with The ITAN Complex; and architects Chitani Ndisale, Kouyate Toure and Muhammad Shehata 3rd place, with The EKYANZ House! Congratulations to all of our Honorable Mention Winners, we look forward to Celebrating your Genius with our Upcoming Awards, Exhibitions, Internships, Consultancies and Publications. Thank You CPDI Africa Distinguished Jury Members, Partners, Sponsors, Team Members, as we continue to Celebrate Africa's' Voice in the Global Built Environment! Nmadili Okwumabua, Founder, CPDI Africa! https://www.cpdiafrica.org

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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