Throughout the world, the Space Age was known for its beautiful, bold architecture, full of swooshy curves and spaceship-shaped buildings. But some of the most vibrant and retro-futuristic buildings of the Space Age can be found in Africa. Here are the most amazing architectural achievements from Space-Age Africa.
Mausoleum of Agostinho Neto, the first president of independent Angola in Luanda, Angola
(via Erik Cleves Kristensen and Fir Z)
Memorial to the Martyrs in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso
(via Isuru Senevi)
Bujumbura International Airport, Bujumbura, Burundi
(via Dave Proffer and dmitri_66)
St. Paul's Cathedral in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), designed by Aldo Spirito, consecrated in 1980
(via Wikimedia Commons and Felix Krohn)
This building in Warri, Nigeria
(via Emiel Jegen)
Kariakoo Market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
(via Architecture In Development and Emil Sjöblöm)
Yaoundé, Cameroon
The National Assembly, the parliament of Cameroon:
The CNPS building (The National Social Insurance Fund):
The Unity Palace:
The Reunification Monument:
(via CIFOR, Mark Fisher, SToto98, bitin.fr, jbdodane, Pinterest and architectureofdoom)
Centre International des Civilisations Bantu, Libreville, Gabon, established in 1983, abandoned in 1988. In 2012 it was announced that the centre will be rehabilitated.
(via Carlos Reis and steephane)
Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, the largest church ever, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), designed by Pierre Fakhoury, built between 1985 and 1990. It has an area of 322,917 sq ft (30,000 sqm) and is 518 ft (158 m) high.
(via Felix Krohn and jbdodane)
The Parliament and the Palace of Congress of Cotonou, Benin
(via François Porcheron and Mayeul Akpovi)
The Great Mosque of Djenné, with 15-24 in (40-60 cm) thick walls, built on a platform measuring 245x245 ft (75x75 m) in 1907
(via Mission de l'ONU au Mali, ILRI and Carsten ten Brink)
The 54-story (567.6 ft or 173 m) high Ponte City Apartments, Johannesburg, South Africa, designed by Manfred Hermer, opened in 1975.
During the late 1980s, gang activity had caused the crime rate to soar at the tower and the surrounding neighbourhood. By the 1990s, after the end of apartheid, many gangs moved into the building and it became extremely unsafe. Ponte City became symbolic of the crime and urban decay gripping the once cosmopolitan Hillbrow neighborhood. The core filled with debris five stories high as the owners left the building to decay. – according to Wikipedia.
In 2007 Ponte changed ownership and totally revitalized the building.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ekDvK…
(via Architecture of Doom, messynessychic, AnswersAfrica and Hidekazu Tsutsui)
Nabemba Tower (or Elf Tower), a 348 ft (106 m) tall office skyscraper in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, built between 1983 and 1986
(via Wikimedia Commons and Maggie Janik)
Hotel President, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
(via jbdodane)