Africa is planning for the future. Some projects, like the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, affect the entire world, others, like the works of Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, Doual’art, or the team of Takako Tajima and Aziza Chaouni, are locally focused.

(photo Afrika Museum)

The competition Blueprints of Paradise invited architects, artists and visionaries of African descent to send in their ideas for the built future of Africa. For African Architecture Matters and the Afrika Museum Architectureplus developed the exhibition Blueprints of Paradise based upon the selected entries.

Many entries addressed the city and more precisely the multi-layered way public space is used in African cities. The jury concluded that some of the solutions brought forward in the entries could provide fruitful inspiration for addressing planning challenges in western cities. A surprising statement, since in many western eyes African cities are synonymous for poverty and problems. Read more on the exhibition and the entries via the dedicated site.

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2010 – 2011 // Client: Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, Netherlands // Concept, coordination competition: Berend van der Lans // Assistance competition: Rachel Stella Jenkins, Astrid Aarsen // Co-curator, design exhibition: Berend van der Lans // Interactive media, visuals: Infofilm, Robert Busschots // Execution: technical team Afrika Museum

For African Architecture Matters

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