A farmer living in a remote part of Africa, where no land lines exist, gets a mobile phone, and suddenly he can negotiate prices for his goods based on market value, or access a bank account. Across the continent, the lives of Africans are changing with rapid economic expansion, urbanization, and
globalization. Huge obstacles still remain, but architects from the U.S. and around the world are seizing opportunities to design universities, cultural complexes, business centers, transit facilities, and entire new towns. In the process, they are helping to shape a new Africa.

Photo © Emre Dörter

Continental Shift
With the economies of many African countries growing rapidly, the continent's cities are beginning to reflect the enormous potential for creating a new urban realm.

Photo © Damon Winter/The New York Times

Forward Thinking
Western trained architects are designing housing, schools, and buildings for social services in Africa’s expanding cities and its rural areas. Here’s a look at a number of projects currently on the boards.

Image courtesy SHoP architects

Interview: David Adjaye Revisits Africa
The architect spent 11 years traversing the continent, working on a book and reconnecting with his past.

Photo courtesy Adjaye Associates

Sipopo Congress Center
Diplomatic Maneuver: A Turkish firm combines natural forms and rich materials in a meeting hall for the African Union.

Photo © Emre Dörter

Taxi Rank No. 2
Roadside attraction: A revamped station serves more than just minibus taxis. It engages the entrepreneurial spirit and social vitality of a settlement outside of Johannesburg.

Photo © Iwan Baan

Universidade Agostinho Neto
Under African Skies: The first phase of an ambitious national university creates a community of buildings and outdoor spaces adapted to a hot, dry climate.

Photo © James Steinkamp

Red Location Cultural Precinct
Where Defiance Began: A cultural complex honors the legacy of the fight against apartheid, while bringing it alive for a new generation of South Africans.

Photo © Rob Duker

The Big Picture
Architects tackle larger development considerations alongside building design in Africa.

Pictured: Kenya Women and Children's Wellness Centre; Image courtesy Perkins+Will

Review: African Metropolitan Architecture
By David Adjaye. New York: Rizzoli, 2011, 568 pages, boxed set, $100.

Editorial: Africa Today and Tomorrow
Western architects are beginning to design all over the swiftly urbanizing continent.

Photo © Michel Arnaud

Timbuktu Library by dhk Architects Looted
The Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Islamic Studies and Research in Timbuktu, designed by South African firm dhk Architects and completed in 2009, was reportedly looted during the political turmoil that took hold in northern Mali last spring.

Photo © Iwan Baan

Louise Braverman to Build Health Facilities in Burundi, Africa
In Kigutu, Burundi, New York architect Louise Braverman is helping bring modern health services to an impoverished area.

Image courtesy Louise Braverman