Architecture Spotlight: Tanzania (The Kunduchie Beach Hotel, David Adjaye)
I love to create things, so naturally I am drawn to other creators and idea generators. One vertical that has no shortage of creative minds is within architecture, and all around the world you will find very interesting structures featuring eye catching aesthetics in many cases designed to defy the laws of physics and nature. If you’ve perused through my blog you probably know that my novel, Eteka: Rise of the Imamba features a few countries around the world, so I thought it would be a great idea to do a series on a few buildings that stand out to me in these regions, and also highlight some architects with ties to these locations. For this post, let’s take a look at two highlights from Tanzania.
Kunduchi Beach Hotel & Resort
Developed by the Wellworth Group, this project began after the original property was purchased from the Tanzanian government in a dire state. After extensive renovations and redesign, today the hotel stands out as a 5-star destination overlooking the white sands of Kunduchi Beach. It’s Afro/Arabic design and plush interior were conceived by architects Sbish Trzebinski (R.I.P) and Tibor Gaal, both of whom have designed some impressive resorts in East Africa. It should also be noted that Sbish’s wife, Errol Trzebinki was originally responsible for the interior design of the hotel.
David Adjaye
David Adjaye is an accomplished architect that’s been the brains behind some of the most innovative structures built in the modern era, and even though he is commonly associated with Ghana, for this post I’ve decided to ‘loan’ this star player to Tanzania. Born in Tanzania to Ghanaian parents, he is the principal architect and owner of Adjaye Associates based in London. Some of his notable accomplishments include designing the Moscow School of Management (Moscow), The Whitechapel Idea Store (London), The Genesis Pavilion (Miami), Roksanda Ilinsic (London) and the Ozwald Boateng flagship store (London), and the Alara concept store in Nigeria which I highlight in my Nigeria architecture spotlight. His work, to me at least, if I was to use musical analogies seems ambient and eclectic; attention grabbing yet subtle at the same time. I have no idea what his design process is like, but I would imagine music and mood play big roles. Check out the video below of Mr. Adjaye speaking on his craft:
Hope you enjoyed this article! Be sure to check out my website to learn about my other projects!
