Ecosystems

The first book by Senegalese practice Worofila, bringing together projects, ideas, and research processes to suggest an approach to making architecture in contemporary AfricaReflects on the legacy of colonialism in building practices in West Africa, and explores local pre-colonial histories to forge a contemporary bioclimatic and ecological architectural language Worofila are an acclaimed architecture practice based in Dakar whose work has been widely exhibited and discussedThis first book by celebrated Senegalese practice Worofila addresses the challenge facing the African city of today: to build in a way that is adapted to the lives of current inhabitants without compromising those of future generations. Drawing on abundant but often ignored pre-colonial methods and models of building, Worofila create bioclimatic architecture based around local, non-polluting materials, ancestral knowledge, and democratic systems of construction and maintenance. Their work moves beyond the legacy of colonial-era architecture, imposed from other cultures and climates and frequently ill-suited, to recover and develop a sustainable African architectural language that reflects the continent’s climate, ecology, and identity.Ecosystems: A Contemporary African Architecture offers a survey of Worofila’s prolific work to date, with detailed explorations of the research, ideas, and techniques that structure it. Texts on the histories of building in Senegal and the pre- and post-colonial conditions of architecture on the African continent are accompanied by presentations of projects spanning housing, public buildings, infrastructure, landscapes, and experiments with materials. Together these propose a new typology of building in Senegal and inspire approaches to develop local and sustainable architectures across the world.