Abattoir Casablanca
As part of a common programme between the cities of Casablanca – Morocco – and Amsterdam, a book was published that highlights the Casablanca Abattoir’s architecture and the socio-cultural programme that was developed since the factory was closed in 2002...
ArchiAfrika Newsletters
In the transition period between 2010 and 2012 – when the shift of the ArchiAfrika secretariat to Accra – Ghana was prepared, AAmatters took care of the editing, compiling and distribution of the then bi-monthly magazine...
Art and Architecture at Work
In the context of the UN Habitat Governing Council Meeting that took place that took place in Nairobi, 15-18 April 2013, a workshop was organised on inclusive urban development in the African urban realm. This workshop was organised in collaboration with the European Commission, the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR - Brussels) as well as GoDown Arts Centre, ArchiAfrika and Wolff Architects...
Coen Beeker
Coen Beeker is an unsung pioneer in bottom-up and participatory approach to urban planning with over 40 years of experience in Africa. During an international seminar on 23 March 2017, organized in partnership with the African Studies Centre Leiden, the work and thought of Beeker was celebrated. A retrospective glance at his achievements and their benefits for contemporary and future urban planners was taken. The seminar featured speakers from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Zanzibar & the Netherlands.
Modern Architecture in Africa
Inspired by this experiences as an architect and researcher as well as activist in a variety of locations in Africa since 1985, Antoni Folkers published Modern Architecture in Africa in 2010.The book sets out to link the worlds of traditional site-specific architecture with the Modernist project in Africa which have been considered in isolation to date.
Mtoni Palace
On the western beach of Zanzibar stand the impressive ruins of a palace. It was the seat of power of Seyyid Said, sultan of East Africa and Oman and it was here that the famous Princess Salme was born. Its name is Mtoni Palace. It was a major building complex on Zanzibar and it stands at the basis of the much admired Zanzibar building tradition.
Ng’ambo Atlas
After the completion of the Ng’ambo Tuitakayo project, the collected material during the mapping phase appeared so rich, that together with the Government of Zanzibar it was decided to make it available for a wider audience.
Show More
 
 
The Ng’ambo Atlas @ the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism
In 2019, Zanzibar and the City of Amsterdam were asked to participate in the Seoul Biennale and present their collaborative project on Ng’ambo, well suited for the theme ‘Collective Cities’. The Ng’ambo Atlas that was produced by the Department of Urban and Rural Planning and AAmatters present the outcomes of the research process in this collaboration with both organisations at the centre.
Uganda Museum ‘Keeping It Modern’
AAmatters forms part of the project team of the Uganda Museum ‘Keeping It Modern’ project aiming at developing a conservation management plan for the building. Uganda Museum, designed by the German architect Ernst May and built in 1954, is one of the first purpose-built museums in Africa and one of the first modernist buildings in Kampala. The museum is a popular landmark for local residents and international tourists, but its prime location, coupled with real estate development pressures in...
BLUEPRINT FOR MAJESTIC CINEMA CULTURE HUB
The history of cinema in Zanzibar goes back to the early 20th century. In its heydays the island was home to three permanent movie theatres visited weekly by hundreds of people hungry for entertainment and curious about the wider world. For a long time, cinemas were one of the few social and cultural venues in town that brought together people from various social backgrounds, ethnicities and genders. Today, of the three purpose-built cinemas only the Majestic Cinema in Vuga, built in 1954...
Bayimba Cultural Centre
Assessment of a proposed project for a cultural centre on Lubiri, one of the royal hills of Kampala, with a rich and also tragic history.
The Bayimba Cultural Centre is a combined music-dance-performing arts initiative, already active for a number of years in Kampala and beyond.
Fanjove Lighthouse
Fanjove Lighthouse is situated on Fanjove, the outermost island of the Mafia Archipelago, on the southern shores of Tanzania.The lighthouse was built in 1893 by the German colonial authorities, but abandoned at Independence in 1961. Subsequent decay and vandalization led to the building to become seriously endangered in 2013.
Institut fur Tropenbau
The Institut fur Tropenbau (Institute for Building in the Tropics) was a knowledge centre on building in the tropic, set up by Georg Lippsmeier in the 1960’s. In the 22 years of its active existence, an extensive and valuable library has been built up. This library was inherited by AAmatters and is now being make accessible worldwide in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Architecture.
Learning from Casablanca
Casablanca served as laboratory for European architects to experiment with modernist mass housing in the 40’s and 50’s. The visions of modernist architecture spread all over the world, suggesting new structures in housing, work, transport, and leisure.
Mtoni Palace
On the western beach of Zanzibar stand the impressive ruins of a palace. It was the seat of power of Seyyid Said, sultan of East Africa and Oman and it was here that the famous Princess Salme was born. Its name is Mtoni Palace. It was a major building complex on Zanzibar and it stands at the basis of the much admired Zanzibar building tradition.
Ng’ambo Atlas
After the completion of the Ng’ambo Tuitakayo project, the collected material during the mapping phase appeared so rich, that together with the Government of Zanzibar it was decided to make it available for a wider audience.
Ng’ambo Housing Research
Since 2013, the Department of Urban and Rural Planning (DoURP) of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, together with African Architecture Matters and other partners, is advancing on the heritage-based regeneration of Ng’ambo following the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach.
Ng’ambo Tuitakayo
The Government of Zanzibar has recently developed National Spatial Planning Strategies and is in the process of implementing them. One of the key focuses is to develop specific policy and instruments for urban planning and maintenance based on heritage, since Zanzibar has a rich history that is still clearly demonstrated in tangible and intangible forms.
ProCredit Ghana
ProCredit Ghana is a micro finance bank, supporting many small and medium size businesses and in that sense contributing to the sustainable development of one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Show More
 
The Ng’ambo Atlas @ the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism
In 2019, Zanzibar and the City of Amsterdam were asked to participate in the Seoul Biennale and present their collaborative project on Ng’ambo, well suited for the theme ‘Collective Cities’. The Ng’ambo Atlas that was produced by the Department of Urban and Rural Planning and AAmatters present the outcomes of the research process in this collaboration with both organisations at the centre.
Kigali International Forum on Cultur
The city of Kigali is growing as a business, convention, tourism and investment destination. Its national, regional and international capital status deserves a cultural offer on par with its economic achievements and ambitions. Adequate central cultural infrastructure for cultural expression and creativity, accessible to creative industries professionals and consumers, can reinforce Rwandan cultural identity and allow Kigali to become a vibrant cultural capital.
Accra Revisited
The ‘Urban Design Conference on Accra: Accra Revisited’ was organised by ArchiAfrika and DASUDA (Dutch Alliance for Sustainable Urban Development in Africa) together in February 2015. This conference was seeking to build upon existing development plans and initiatives in Accra and Ghana in order to initiate outcomes that can be built upon and executed in the medium to long term...
African Architecture Education Netwo
Among the involved architecture schools in the ArchiAfrika network, it was felt that a pan African collaboration among schools would be beneficial for both education and research. Together with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture – the organisation behind one of the largest architecture awards in the world, a meeting was organised in Accra, bringing 14 schools together from across the continent, to discuss common grounds and challenges.
Art and Architecture at Work
In the context of the UN Habitat Governing Council Meeting that took place that took place in Nairobi, 15-18 April 2013, a workshop was organised on inclusive urban development in the African urban realm. This workshop was organised in collaboration with the European Commission, the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR - Brussels) as well as GoDown Arts Centre, ArchiAfrika and Wolff Architects...
Coen Beeker
Coen Beeker is an unsung pioneer in bottom-up and participatory approach to urban planning with over 40 years of experience in Africa. During an international seminar on 23 March 2017, organized in partnership with the African Studies Centre Leiden, the work and thought of Beeker was celebrated.
Finding Stories
Within this collaboration the focus was on the heritage based regeneration of Ng’ambo, a less known area just outside of the world famous Stone Town, but equally interesting in historic sense. Next to mapping of the tangible component, it was essential to uncover the cultural and socio-economic framework in the area.
Ng’ambo Tuitakayo
The Government of Zanzibar has recently developed National Spatial Planning Strategies and is in the process of implementing them. One of the key focuses is to develop specific policy and instruments for urban planning and maintenance based on heritage, since Zanzibar has a rich history that is still clearly demonstrated in tangible and intangible forms
Power of Spontaneity
Our cities are planned to detail. Urban plans foresee an end product, a final stage. The reality is different, causing friction. Everything changes over time, and so do the demands on the built environment. We need to address this and incorporate flexibility to allow for spontaneous developments.
Visionary Urban Africa
In the context of the 4th EU-Africa Summit that took place in Brussels on 2 and 3 April 2014, a group of around 40 leading specialists and thinkers from international organisations, pan-African organisations, academia, civil society and the private and public sector gathered in the BOZAR building in the afternoon of 3 April, to discuss what route the EU-Africa collaboration could follow to stimulate inclusive development in the African urban reality.
Show More
 
Uganda Museum ‘Keeping It Modern’
AAmatters forms part of the project team of the Uganda Museum ‘Keeping It Modern’ project aiming at developing a conservation management plan for the building. Uganda Museum, designed by the German architect Ernst May and built in 1954, is one of the first purpose-built museums in Africa and one of the first modernist buildings in Kampala. The museum is a popular landmark for...
BLUEPRINT FOR MAJESTIC CINEMA CULTURE HUB
The history of cinema in Zanzibar goes back to the early 20th century. In its heydays the island was home to three permanent movie theatres visited weekly by hundreds of people hungry for entertainment and curious about the wider world. For a long time, cinemas were one of the few social and cultural venues in town that brought together people from various social backgrounds, ethnicities and genders. Today, of the three purpose-built cinemas only the Majestic Cinema in Vuga, built in 1954...
Bayimba Cultural Centre
Assessment of a proposed project for a cultural centre on Lubiri, one of the royal hills of Kampala, with a rich and also tragic history.
The Bayimba Cultural Centre is a combined music-dance-performing arts initiative, already active for a number of years in Kampala and beyond.
Hifadhi Zanzibar
Hifadhi Zanzibar is a company that acquires, restores, rents out and manages monumental property in Zanzibar in a sustainable way. The shareholders – all from the local private sector in Zanzibar – receive a modest dividend while the majority of the profits will be used to reinvest in new property.
Fanjove Lighthouse
Fanjove Lighthouse is situated on Fanjove, the outermost island of the Mafia Archipelago, on the southern shores of Tanzania.The lighthouse was built in 1893 by the German colonial authorities, but abandoned at Independence in 1961
Michenzani Green Corridors
During the process of the Ng’ambo Tuitakayo project in Zanzibar it became apparent that the development of the Karume and Mlandege Road form a key step into the redevelopment of Ng’ambo – an area that is also designated as the new city centre in the new metropolitan structure plan.
Ng’ambo Housing Research
Since 2013, the Department of Urban and Rural Planning (DoURP) of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, together with African Architecture Matters and other partners, is advancing on the heritage-based regeneration of Ng’ambo following the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach.
North East Unguja Special Area Plan
Consultancy to the Department of Urban and Rural Planning in Zanzibar for the production of a Special Area Plan for the noertheastern coastal strip and facing marine area on Unguja Island. It is the first time that marine and land planning are being combined in one policy and strategy document.
ProCredit Ghana
ProCredit Ghana is a micro finance bank, supporting many small and medium size businesses and in that sense contributing to the sustainable development of one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Zanzibar Local Area Plans
The Department of Urban and Rural Planning in Zanzibar has taken up the task of producing Local Area Plans for specific areas on Pemba and Unguja islands. This is the first time in history that these areas have become subject of any planning activity.
Show More
 
Dak’art Workshop and Exhibition
African public space may well provide successful solutions for public space challenges in the West – was the conclusion of the jury of the Blueprints of Paradise competition, developed by the Afrika Museum and AAmatters in 2010.
Michenzani Green Corridors
During the process of the Ng’ambo Tuitakayo project in Zanzibar it became apparent that the development of the Karume and Mlandege Road form a key step into the redevelopment of Ng’ambo – an area that is also designated as the new city centre in the new metropolitan structure plan.
North East Unguja Special Area Plan
Consultancy to the Department of Urban and Rural Planning in Zanzibar for the production of a Special Area Plan for the noertheastern coastal strip and facing marine area on Unguja Island. It is the first time that marine and land planning are being combined in one policy and strategy document.
Ng’ambo Tuitakayo
The Government of Zanzibar has recently developed National Spatial Planning Strategies and is in the process of implementing them. One of the key focuses is to develop specific policy and instruments for urban planning and maintenance based on heritage, since Zanzibar has a rich history that is still clearly demonstrated in tangible and intangible forms.
Zanzibar Local Area Plans
The Department of Urban and Rural Planning in Zanzibar has taken up the task of producing Local Area Plans for specific areas on Pemba and Unguja islands. This is the first time in history that these areas have become subject of any planning activity.
Show More
 
The Ng’ambo Atlas @ the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism
In 2019, Zanzibar and the City of Amsterdam were asked to participate in the Seoul Biennale and present their collaborative project on Ng’ambo, well suited for the theme ‘Collective Cities’. The Ng’ambo Atlas that was produced by the Department of Urban and Rural Planning and AAmatters present the outcomes of the research process in this collaboration with both organisations at the centre.
Blueprints of Paradise
Together with the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal in the Netherlands, AAmatters organised an international design contest for African architects and designers. They were asked to produce a blueprint for the Africa of the future.
Coen Beeker
Coen Beeker is an unsung pioneer in bottom-up and participatory approach to urban planning with over 40 years of experience in Africa. During an international seminar on 23 March 2017, organized in partnership with the African Studies Centre Leiden, the work and thought of Beeker was celebrated.
Dak’art Workshop and Exhibition
African public space may well provide successful solutions for public space challenges in the West – was the conclusion of the jury of the Blueprints of Paradise competition, developed by the Afrika Museum and AAmatters in 2010.
Learning from Casablanca
Casablanca served as laboratory for European architects to experiment with modernist mass housing in the 40’s and 50’s. The visions of modernist architecture spread all over the world, suggesting new structures in housing, work, transport, and leisure.
Maputopia
Maputo is close to being an architectural and urban utopia. Maputo as Utopia. MAPUTOPIA celebrates Maputo’s wonderful architectural qualities through a mapping exercise of its past, present and its possible future: another 125 years of architectural pride.
Stars of Dar
Stars of Dar projects an inventory of buildings and public spaces which play an important role in the city and represent what Dar es Salaam stands for. The presented buildings and spaces have been selected through interviews with key members and architects of Dar’s society.
Show More
 
Dak’art Workshop and Exhibition
African public space may well provide successful solutions for public space challenges in the West – was the conclusion of the jury of the Blueprints of Paradise competition, developed by the Afrika Museum and AAmatters in 2010.
Learning from Casablanca
Casablanca served as laboratory for European architects to experiment with modernist mass housing in the 40’s and 50’s. The visions of modernist architecture spread all over the world, suggesting new structures in housing, work, transport, and leisure.
Maputopia
Maputo is close to being an architectural and urban utopia. Maputo as Utopia. MAPUTOPIA celebrates Maputo’s wonderful architectural qualities through a mapping exercise of its past, present and its possible future: another 125 years of architectural pride.
Stars of Dar
Stars of Dar projects an inventory of buildings and public spaces which play an important role in the city and represent what Dar es Salaam stands for. The presented buildings and spaces have been selected through interviews with key members and architects of Dar’s society.
Show More
 
Michenzani Green Corridors
During the process of the Ng’ambo Tuitakayo project in Zanzibar it became apparent that the development of the Karume and Mlandege Road form a key step into the redevelopment of Ng’ambo – an area that is also designated as the new city centre in the new metropolitan structure plan.
Ng’ambo Housing Research
Since 2013, the Department of Urban and Rural Planning (DoURP) of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, together with African Architecture Matters and other partners, is advancing on the heritage-based regeneration of Ng’ambo following the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach.
Ng’ambo Tuitakayo
The Government of Zanzibar has recently developed National Spatial Planning Strategies and is in the process of implementing them. One of the key focuses is to develop specific policy and instruments for urban planning and maintenance based on heritage, since Zanzibar has a rich history that is still clearly demonstrated in tangible and intangible forms.
Show More
Kigali International Forum on Cultur
The city of Kigali is growing as a business, convention, tourism and investment destination. Its national, regional and international capital status deserves a cultural offer on par with its economic achievements and ambitions. Adequate central cultural infrastructure for cultural expression and creativity, accessible to creative industries professionals and consumers, can reinforce Rwandan cultural identity and allow Kigali to become a vibrant cultural capital.
Ng’ambo Housing Research
Since 2013, the Department of Urban and Rural Planning (DoURP) of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, together with African Architecture Matters and other partners, is advancing on the heritage-based regeneration of Ng’ambo following the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach.
Ng’ambo Tuitakayo
The Government of Zanzibar has recently developed National Spatial Planning Strategies and is in the process of implementing them. One of the key focuses is to develop specific policy and instruments for urban planning and maintenance based on heritage, since Zanzibar has a rich history that is still clearly demonstrated in tangible and intangible forms.
Stars of Dar
Stars of Dar projects an inventory of buildings and public spaces which play an important role in the city and represent what Dar es Salaam stands for. The presented buildings and spaces have been selected through interviews with key members and architects of Dar’s society.
Show More

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