WF Hill. Does Malawi Need Architecture

7/21/2019 WF Hill. Does Malawi Need Architecture

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DOES MALAWI NEED ARCHITECTURE?

Inaugural Lecture

by

Professor William Frank Hill

THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI,

THE POLYTECHNIC

Private Bag 303,

Chichiri,Blantyre 3,

Malawi.


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THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI,

THE POLYTECHNICPrivate Bag 303,

Chichiri,Blantyre 3,

Malawi.

Inaugural Lecture

by

Professor William Frank Hill,

Head, Architecture Section,

Department of Civil Engineering,

Faculty of Engineering.

DOES MALAWI NEED ARCHITECTURE?

In 1995 I presented the Curriculum for a

Degree course in Architecture, to the

Faculty of Engineering at the Polytechnic.

An engineer supported the submission

with the comment: Architecture is all

Greek to me.

This may have shown deep

understanding, since the word Architect

is derived from the Greek, meaning Chief

Builder. Conversely, the comment may

have been an expression of ignorance of

the subject. I rather fear that the latter is

the more likely case.

Given this public forum, I thought it

opportune to try to define what architects

do. In this I do not intend to be

condescending; for it is clear that many -

including architects themselves are not

always certain of the role of the architect

in the 21st Century. And as architecture

has changed greatly over the centuries,

and varies from country to country, one

may see that a clear definition is not easy

to arrive at.

You may find this situation strange: here

we have someone who has been

honoured with the title Professor

apparently telling you that, perhaps he

doesnt really know what the profession

that he is a professor of actually does! In

the 20th Century, particularly, writers on

architecture - some of them practising

architects, have tended to become very

obscure in their use of the English

language, creating a sort of mysticism -

giving the impression that architects are,

somehow, high priests of Design with a

capital D. This elitism exists still today

among the more exotic - and very well

paid architects. There is a sort of prestige

in employing one of the great names,

regardless of cost, and regardless of

whether the result is really what one asked

for. Architects are even prone to inflict this

elitist attitude on themselves. An architect

recently designed his own, very


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expensive, high-tech house in London. A

minimalist design, beautiful in its plain

white walls, polished hardwood floors,

huge glass windows, no furniture: and it

looked very good in the Journals. But his

wife had to rent a flat next door for them to

actually live in!

Architecture is therefore a profession that

enjoys many views and opinions: Ludwig

Mies van der Rohe told us that less is

more; Robert Venturi riposted with Less

is a bore.i

Some insist that the modern architect is a

manager first, bringing all the variety of

skills and trades together to put up

buildings in the most efficient way and for

the least cost; design is incidental to this

process. Others tell us that the modern

architect is but one of a team, not even

primus inter pares (first among equals),

but someone who, perhaps tries to ensure

that the building under consideration is not

too offensive to the eye. Some architects

believe that the best designers are in fact

the clients or the users, and the architects

role is to preside over community

brainstorming sessions and draw up the

results afterwards. But why bother to

undergo an expensive training if one lacks

faith in ones own expertise?

So what do we mean by architecture?

The noted architectural commentator, Sir

Nikolaus Pevsner, tried to define

architecture in his Outline of European

Architecture. His much-quoted definition

was A bicycle shed is a building; Lincoln

Cathedral is a piece of architecture.ii

But

unless you are familiar with Lincoln

Cathedral - and, possibly, bicycle sheds,

this is not very helpful.

The Roman architect and writer Vitruviusiii

and his successors of the Renaissance

Alberti and Palladio seem to have arrived

at a definition which can be distilled into

three words: firmness, commodity,

delight.iv

I find that much writing on

architectural theory seems to be an

elaboration of these three qualities.

Firmness: we very much hope and

expect that any structural engineer will

design his works for firmness. Soundness

of construction is what we may expect in

any building.

Commodity: this one is not quite so

straightforward: but basically it means that

the building should be fit for the purpose.

The arrangement and sizes of its internal

spaces should suit the functions; it has

good lighting and ventilation, and the

services - water, electricity etc. are

conveniently arranged. Any designer will

spend much time satisfying the quality of

commodity. Those who think this is easy

are liable to make horrible errors.

Consider the complexity of organisation in

the layout for a hospital, for example. Toget this right requires serious study, and

deep understanding. But both firmness

and commodity can be achieved on the

basis of good engineering, good

construction, a diligent study of practical

needs and common sense. Very many

buildings are constructed from the

application of these qualities.


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'Delight' as an English word is inadequate

to encompass all that is meant, when it

comes to good architecture. Vitruvius'

original word was 'venustas', sometimes

translated as 'beauty'; but Vitruvius goes

on to expand on this under six more

concepts, so it is not easy to find a

succinct definition. The cliche 'beauty is in

the eye of the beholder' ignores thousands

of years of study in the subject. I avoid the

word 'aesthetics' as this makes people

frown and scratch their heads - and the

Americans have trouble spelling it! It was

Sir Henry Wotton in the 16

th

Century whosuggested that 'delight' might answer the

case. Perhaps Professor Mtenje can

provide a more appropriate Chichewa

word! Much of the five or more years it

takes to educate an architect is spent in

attempting to refine one's design abilities.

Students study form, proportion and scale,

symbolism, light, colour, texture, context

and architectural history, all with the aim

of achieving beauty in their designs. In the

course of this lecture, I hope that the

deeper meaning of 'delight', or 'beauty' will

emerge from the examples I will mention.

Suffice to say here that without it, a

building is a building; but with it, a building

may be called 'architecture'.

Allow me to take a brief look at some of

the buildings in Malawi. This review must

be highly selective and fairly superficial - I

will not attempt to take you on a landmark

tour of the country. My purpose here is

simply to draw attention to the fact that we

are indeed surrounded by the efforts of

architects.

Although Lilongwe is termed the Capital

City of Malawi, it has a curiously

amorphous character. Its buildings of

distinction stand alone, and there is no

urban context to identify. The tallest

building, the ultra-modern-looking

Kang'ombe House is further isolated from

the community as it proudly stands alone

on its green platform.

By contrast, Blantyre is densely built, so

that the interrelationships of all buildings

make up the built environment. The hilly

terrain, the Mudi river, the fine views from

various parts of the city and the

surrounding vegetation provide a splendid

setting for any designer of worth to

demonstrate his or her abilities. Therefore,

for the purpose of this discussion, I have

concentrated upon the City of Blantyre.

Standing clear against the sky, Chayamba

Building is perhaps the most distinguished

of a series of tall buildings lining Victoria

Avenue. They all have a distinctive

character and one may even recognise a

defining style, showing the pervasive

influence of the Modern Movement or

International style. Dark recessed ribbon

windows contrast with the white horizontal

spandrels between. At the top of Victoria

is Mount Soche Hotel. Until recently the

horizontal form of this building was

Chayamba Building,Clinton & Evans


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deliberately emphasised by the careful

choice of dark brickwork, lining in with the

windows. By this means the building

appeared to be a handsome conclusion to

the sequence of buildings. This

horizontality also presented a fine

appearance when seen approaching

Blantyre along the Zalewa Road, as if the

natural strata of rock had been interpreted

in built form. Unfortunately, in recent days

an utterly insensitive painting scheme has

given a temporary smartness, but has

destroyed the formal qualities of the

building; and over time this paintwork willdeteriorate, unlike the expensive

brickwork it now covers.

Nearby we see the influence of Post-

modernism in the Air Malawi building, the

adjacent M.D.C. House and the Ryall's

Hotel Annex. This style borrows

superficially from classical architecture,

but adds whimsy in its childish simplicity,whereas the classic forms are rich in their

details.

The Post-Modern fashion was hesitantly

adopted for the Finance Bank Arcade.

This uncertainty was well demonstrated by

the several colour schemes that the

arcade entrance went through before the

present bland result was obtained. I recall

that several bold colours where tried,

including I think, purple and green. The

present maroon and beige is much less

striking. I suspect that the architect

preferred one of the bolder alternatives,

but weaker hearts prevailed.

To some, delight is an added-on

element, after the basics of firmness and

commodity have been satisfied. It is not

uncommon for a speculative developer to

pay someone to produce a cheap plan,

and then approach an architect to add on

the extras without which the local

planning authority would turn the scheme

down. This unfortunate attitude - that one

can add a bit of architecture to a banal

design seems to be quite widely held, but

does a grave disservice to the profession

of architecture.

The qualities that good architecture can

bring to a community go far beyond

superficial pleasure. They are the

essence to a Nations character.

Frank Lloyd Wright, who was anything but

modest about his works, claimed that the

staff in his newly opened Johnsons Wax

Building loved their working environment

so much that at the end of the day they

were reluctant to go home!

This inspiring building was not without its

faults: the story goes that, soon after

completion, the Director telephoned

Wright to complain: Mr. Wright: its

raining outside, and theres water dripping

on to my desk. What should I do?

Wright replied: Move your desk!

Finance Bank,

Clinton & Evans


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A pleasant environment, not merely

properly lighted and providing shelter, but

with fine qualities of space, well

considered colours and variety must have

a positive psychological and physiological

effect. An economic gain comes through

less absenteeism, and improved

efficiency. The famous Willis Faber

Dumas building (1976) by Norman Foster

shows this quality - and the architect

included a swimming pool in the

basement for staff to enjoy. There is a

restaurant on the roof, opening onto a

generous lawn from where to have ones

lunch in sunshine, raised up from the

noise of the city. In Germany, it is now a

requirement that new offices are designed

so that desks must all receive a good

amount of natural light. In the

Commerzbank, Frankfurt, Norman Foster

ingeniously includes three-storey high

voids at intervals up this tall building.These contain abundant vegetation, so

that one may be in an office on the 20th

floor and be able to look out on to a little

park complete with trees!

Good design can contribute to healing. It

is now well recognised that a positive

mental outlook will speed physical

recuperation. It follows that a pleasant

environment in health centres, clinics and

hospitals, all too often absent in such

places, should be part of the prescription

to promote recovery.

Must public architecture be such as to

appeal to peoples traditional concepts of

design? The Pompidou Centre, Paris, by

Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, is an

art gallery. Paris is renown for its Late

Renaissance and Empire style, as seen

in the Louvre for example. But with

Pompidou, the designers produced a

startling design we now recognise by the

term hi-tech (high technology). This

expressed the steel structure, service

pipes, and escalators on the outside. The

building caused immense controversy. It

was designed for a calculated 5,000

visitors per day. Did people shun this

alien in the midst of the city? In fact, since

it opened in 1977 it has received a steady

average of 25,000 visitors per day, and

three years ago had to be refurbished

throughout due to the excessive wear and

tear from so many!

The Sydney Opera House by Joern Utzon,

took 20 years to build and cost more than

10 times the original estimate. Its form,

Piano & Rogers, 1997

Centre Pompidou


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which does not easily fall into any category

or style, is unique and well known around

the world. It is now the symbol of

Australia, much loved, much admired,

much visited, and tremendously enjoyed.

Incidentally, the high cost was not met

from the public purse. The money was

raised over the years through a series of

State lotteries.

All of these examples clearly have

qualities which go far beyond the basic

needs of firmness and commodity. This

brings us to the touchy subject of 'style'.

Just as there are many views on what

architects in the 21st century should be

doing, and many architectural theories,

there are many views about what

constitutes good and bad architecture.

Prince Charles believed, or believes he

knows what is good architecture, and let

his opinions be so well known that many

have jumped on his coattails.

Unfortunately, his understanding tends to

the superficial. By some ill-considered

remarks, he ensured the rejection of the

winner of the National Gallery Extension

competition, in London. The replacement

scheme was designed by one of the

founders of the short-lived post-modern

style, Robert Venturi. In my view and in

that of many who have been there, that

building is stultifyingly banal. No delight

there.

No particular architectural style can be

called bad or good. We are fortunate

today to be able to enjoy a wonderful

historical inheritance of a multitude of

styles. Curiously, following Prince Charles

attack on contemporary architecture,

British architects, far from being cowed,

have exhibited a surge of imaginative and

innovative design approaches. Two of the

leading lights are Richard Rogers and

Norman Foster. Both have been made

Lords, which has not suppressed their

exuberance a jot!

Does this mean that only well trained

architects have this special ability - to

design in a manner that encompasses

many complex concepts? If we lookaround the world at examples of

delightful buildings, the answer is clearly

no. Like Robert Maillert in the early 20th

Century, the Spanish engineer Santiago

Calatrava shows that it is possible to

create structures of great beauty.

Unfortunately, many engineers seem to be

jealous of his versatility, and architects are

also jealous that an engineer can beat

them at their own game! When architects,

engineers and sculptors collaborate

closely, wonderful things can happen, as

with the Millenium Bridge, London, by

Foster, Arup and Caro. Bernard Rudolfsky

demonstrated in his book Architecture

without Architectsvthat there are many

non-architect-designed works of

architecture. In Africa alone, especially in

the traditional forms which have evolved in

many societies, notable buildings, and

indeed towns and cities exist which,

unarchitected are very fine in their

architectural qualities.vi


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One may note particularly the traditional

buildings of Saharan West Africa. The

use of the natural material - soil, and the

way the city has grown, as in the ancient

city of Zaria, has produced an

environment of harmony with nature, of

dignity and beauty, whilst well satisfying

the traditional lifestyles of centuries. The

buildings take their form because of the

structural and the plastic properties of the

material. These forms are often called

organic -associated with nature. Thus

firmness is satisfied. The appearance is in

harmony with the natural landscape

around - delight is there already.

Regarding commodity: the walls are thick -

a structural requirement, but they also

provide good protection from the Saharan

heat, whilst radiating warmth in the cold

nights. The material also allows for

flexibility of design - rooms and courtyards

of the same materials can be added with

no fear of disharmony - the building can

grow, the organic form is carried through

over time.

The City of Barcelona, in Spain, was

awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in 1999.

The award was in recognition of the long

term policies of the local authorities in

preserving and honouring its older

buildings, and in being both sensitive and

forward-looking in its development

policies, so that Barcelona is nowadays

one of the few beautiful cities in the world.

Needless to say, it is also a very popular

tourist attraction, so delight is translated

into very positive commercial and social

benefits for the whole population. And the

population, justifiably, are very proud of

their city. The one architect that everyone

there knows about is Antone Gaudi. Over

a lifetime, he designed and supervised the

construction of some of the most amazing

buildings in the world. The style is Art

Nouveau. The form is organic. The

material is stone laid at angles and carvedto follow the structural lines of force. Does

this sound familiar? Compare some of

Gaudis works with the traditional works of

north west Africa. The similarity of form is

striking. Gaudi has been honoured since

his death in 1934. In 2000, the Pope

agreed to his Beatification, the first step

towards sainthood!

Plan, Village of Seripe, Ghana

1969

Bandiagara, Mali House


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Organic forms, as well as a lightness of

spirit are to be seen in the recent work of

Frank Gehry. Most notable are the famous

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the

Music Experience in Seattle. Bilbao is now

very much on the map.

These forms contrast with what we may

call the Classical style, and its

derivatives. If one had to distil all of

architectural design into two categories,

the terms Classical and Organic may

well serve the purpose. The Classical

would cover Greek and Roman of course,

but also Renaissance, almost up to the

20th century.

The Modern Movement or International

Style intended to reject precedent. Yet,

soon after its invention in the 1920s, its

most dedicated adherents, such as Le

Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe were

applying the fundamentals of classicism,such as the Golden Section

viiin their

attempts to arrive at ideal proportions.

This style continues today. Perhaps the

most noted exponent is the architect

Richard Meier. The proportions of his

crisp white architecture are arrived at

through a rigorous application of

geometry, based upon the circle, the

square and derivative dimensions from

the square, such as the double square, its

diagonal, and the Golden Section.

Post Modernism acknowledges the

elements of classical architecture,

stripped of elaboration. Some architectural

theorists maintain that the Renaissance

as a basic style is still with us in these

modern interpretations.

R.Meier, 1892

Royal Dutch Paper Miels H.Q.

Hilversum.

Frank Gehry

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, 1997

Casa Mila Barcelona, 1905-10

Antoni Gaudi

Antoni Gaudi, Casa Mila

Barcelona, 1910Ictinus & Callicrates

Parthenon, Athens, 432 BC


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Frank Lloyd Wright commented that the

Renaissance was the sunset that

everyone mistook for the dawn.

The Organic would include the

Romanesque and Gothic, Art Nouveau

especially Gaudi, the so-called

metabolists and much of the work of

Wright, Soleri, Scharoun, and now Gehry.

One might stretch the term a bit to include

Richard Buckminster Fuller, and from him

the exponents of High Tech. From these

specific examples you may be forgiven for

thinking that 'organic' must mean thatcurves are of the essence. 'Nature abhors

a straight line' it's said. But the term

'organic' applied to architecture has a

deeper implication. Fuller's domes are

made up of short straight members,

connected and related to each other in an

'organic' way. This can be seen in the

dramatic construction of the Eden Project,

in Cornwall, by Nicholas Grimshaw.

Wright's 'Fallingwater', sometimes called

the most beautiful house in the world, is

wonderfully integrated with its

surroundings, but is all straight lines.

In Africa, the term Organic must apply to

most of traditional architecture. But with

the advent of colonialism followed by

increasingly rapid travel and

communication, the Modern Movement

and Postmodernism - that is the classical

influence - seems to have been the

fashion for the last 30 years, as I have

noted in Blantyre.

In many discussions I have had with

students of architecture in Africa, the

question often arises: what would

constitute modern, African architecture?

Nowadays we are being urged to consider

the natural environment and its protection

- or restoration, in much of what we do.

We are being asked to produce low-

energy-consuming designs - in terms of

the materials and the use of the building -and its afterlife. Materials that can be

recycled are preferred. This approach

may be called an ethical approach, which

as Allsopp pointed out, is not the same as

aestheticsviii

. However, such an ethical

design philosophy must surely harmonise

better with the organic aesthetic than with

the classical.

Hexagon 11 m diameter,

on Eden Project,

Under construction

Eden Project, U.K.

Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners

Falling WaterU.S.A.

Frank Lloyd Wright

1936


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The traditional construction materials and

methods of Africa meet these

requirements very well. Locally available

materials demand no consumption of

fossil fuel energy for their transport and

processing. In their appearance they

harmonise with the natural surroundings.

They insulate against the heat, and

protect against the cold. They may not be

as durable as modern materials such as

concrete and steel, but community action

for maintenance is a socially benevolent

feature. In this it may be noted that the

mud Mosques of north west Africa havelasted many years - in some cases

hundreds of years; and this is possible

because of an annual ritual of communal

repair and resurfacing, which is akin to a

festival. In a way these materials are

recyclable inasmuch as that they will be

absorbed into the landscape leaving little

or no trace, if abandoned.

Furthermore, the climate of much of Africa

including Malawi lends itself to an

architecture which is inclusive, rather than

exclusive of the landscape. It is ironic that

in the so-called temperate climates,

many exciting modern works of

architecture attempt to include within their

skin atria, lush with tropical plants on a

large scale. But in some modern offices in

Malawi, the only acknowledgement of

nature takes the form of rather feeble

philodendrons in pots on secretaries

desks.

I am not advocating a return to some

imagined idyll. On the contrary, modern

materials and computer aided design

techniques offer us design possibilities

unimaginable twenty years ago. But I am

pointing out that the modern desire for

sustainability has long been a feature of

traditional architecture in Africa. The

award-winning timber museum and

workshop by Edward Cullinan could be in

Africa. It is in fact in Southern England

and was completed in 2001.

In the first of these inaugural lectures,

Professor Kings Phiri observed that

democratic governments in Africa could

make reference to African tradition if they

are to evolve into a form most suited to

the community. This finds an echo in my

views on architecture in Africa.

Almost accidentally, Blantyre has

accumulated an interesting mixture of the

traditional and the colonial, Modern

Movement and Post-Modern, as well as

the mundane. The facelift to receive

SADC did refresh existing buildings, and

the Local Authority is to be commended

for this.

However, one might wish for a more

sensitive treatment of the street

environment - including the pavements,

seating and signage, for the majority of

the public - who are non-car owning

pedestrians, children and mini-bus

passengers. It is also distressing to note

that some prime sites have given way to a

form of development that disregards the

Downland Gridshell

Workshop, U.K. 2002.E. Cullinan, Architects


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general public, and is designed with

commercial gain only in mind. Instead of

an uplifting experience we have a right to

expect of public buildings continually in the

public eye, we are offered the cheap and

the banal. Large advertising hoardings -

billboards are destroying those aspects of

the city which once made it pleasant.

A poem (Ogden Nash):

I think that I will never see

A billboard lovely as a tree.

Perhaps unless the billboards fall

Ill never see a tree at all.

The landscape designer, Lancelot Brown,

otherwise known as Capability Brown,

acquired the nickname from his habit of

reassuring clients on viewing a site, with

the comment: it has capabilities. It is my

view that the capabilities of Blantyre as a

fine city are being squandered by the rapid

encroachment of inappropriate structures.I am saddened to see structures put up in

public places that the powers that be

would never dream of allowing in their own

back garden.

Bruce Allsopp in A Modern Theory of

Architectureixwrote: If architecture is to

be humane rather than doctrinaire

sympathetic common sense should

replace functionalism... There are those

who think that the cheapest solution is the

best. This is a perverted kind of

functionalism which gives top priority to

saving money

The apparent conflict between design that

respects the needs of the community and

building for personal gain is not new.

Let me quote again:

We see the greatest danger for our

artistic life... in the unscrupulous

speculators, who without ideals, swayed

by greed, exploit the otherwise beneficial

freedom of enterprise. In the extensive

new suburbs of our cities we meet

everywhere the cold commercial spirit, the

blunt spiritual poverty of the building

bunglers...The artistically creative

architect has long ago lost his influence on

the construction of the streets in our new

suburbs... Here is a wide field of

endeavours for our association: what

matters now is to gain influence on the

customs in building and on the building

codes, by industrious activity, also by the

local groups, by enlightened lectures, by

the press, and in particular by the

delegations of representatives... to the

municipal committees...

That was a translation from the German ofparts of the Manifesto of Bund Deutscher

Architekta, the German equivalent of the

Malawi Institute for Architects. It was

written in 1903!

The quality of the public environment in a

democratic society should be the concern

of everyone. I have been gratified to note

that the Minister for Lands, Survey,

Honourable Thengo Maloya has spoken

out against ill-scaled development in

Lilongwe. But such comments are rare in

the public domain. Blantyre could benefit

from a more critical scrutiny of proposals

for the erection of buildings, advertising

hoardings and other elements, which have

such a powerful impact on the

environment. The City would also greatly


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benefit from a strong sense of civil

responsibility in those who have influence

over the decision-making process. Here

may I suggest that, in pursuance of this

objective, each building developer be

required, as part of the planning

application, to agree to rehabilitate and

maintain one of the public parks which

once graced Blantyre and Limbe.

The evolution of a truly civilized built

environment is not a matter to be left to

the personal whims of a few individuals.

The provision of courses in the design of

the built environment is not a luxury, but a

necessity in any developing nation.

Here I turn to the Architecture Degree

course we have recently started at the

Polytechnic. Central to the third and

fourth years of study is the consideration

of the modern society in Malawi. The third

year students have made a detailed study

of Nancholi - better known to some as

Manase. As well as recording the

interesting topography and built

environment, these students looked into

the many lifestyles of the inhabitants of

this rapidly growing informal

development.

It may be thought that such studies aresuperfluous, as the students, being

Malawian, should know about such things.

But we all come from our own limited

backgrounds. An architect must

recognise that the world around us is full

of variety, and that includes how people

live. Only by understanding this, can one

hope to design appropriately for such

neighbourhoods.

This does not mean that all we need to

know is how people provide shelter with

limited means in a traditional way, and

then merely copy them. Changing

lifestyles, and new materials and devices

require a design response that can adapt

the existing to suit the present and the

future. Moreover, some traditional habits

of life are frankly dangerous. For

example: mothers cooking on large pots

balanced on three stones or a small

charcoal burner should not be surprised if

their children end up in hospital with

serious burns and scalds. And how many

people are injured or killed from falling

down unprotected wells, or unsafe pit

latrines? Visits to clinics or hospitals in

many countries will reveal how very

frequent these sorts of accidents are.

Cheaper photovoltaic cells are coming on

to the market, so that many who now use

dangerous candles and paraffin lamps willbe able to use solar powered electricity.

But the design of buildings should

accommodate these as an integral part,

not as an add-on which in itself can be

dangerous. Diseases such as T.B., and

malaria, major killers in Africa, can be

reduced by careful design.

Innovative approaches to design of

environments for people of limited

resources and income can bring

increased safety and improved health, as

well as pride and pleasure - an

enhancement of life.


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If you need a slogan to sum all of this up,

it could be: 'Good design saves lives'.

Perhaps it should be put on a billboard!

In the fourth year, we study the urban

situation - such as is found in Blantyre and

Limbe.

The students have attempted to identity

the positive and the negative aspects of

the city, and have been encouraged to

propose imaginative and far-reaching

development proposals. The overall

concepts are largely based on the needsof the pedestrian, with provision for

vehicular traffic by way of one-way street

systems and good parking. Notable in the

proposals are the identified needs for a

welcoming, striking entry to the city, a

building of grace and invitation. The need

for a centre of focus in the town has also

been identified, possibly in the form of a

city square.

So our students make proposals not just

for individual buildings, but for a built and

landscaped environment that integrates

the many needs of a developing

community. We hope that by our teaching

programmes we may inculcate a feeling of

civic responsibility.

How far do these ideas match with the

broad definitions of architecture I have

been discussing? Firmness will be

addressed in the detailed consideration of

structure and construction. Commodity:

the redefinition of space usage - traffic

control, easing pedestrian circulation; the

appropriate locations of additional shops,

offices, flats, public amenities are all

addressed. And 'delight' by making the

city really enjoyable to be in; ease of

access to amenities; pocket parks and

vegetation in abundance with tree-lined

pedestrian malls and well designed and

located seating. All these and more are

well within the possibility of an imaginative

group of urban designers.

To quote Allsopp againx: Architecture is

often said to reflect society. It does, and

there is nothing architects can do about it,

as architects, except to offer the best of

which they are capable. The responsibilityfor architecture rests upon the people in a

society who commission buildings.

I have tried to show that architecture must

satisfy more than the basic needs of

shelter in a soundly constructed building. I

have also suggested that Africa, and

Malawi in particular, can evolve a

distinctive, modern architecture, referringto tradition, but addressing the needs of

the society in the 21st Century. And I have

indicated how we at the Polytechnic are

addressing architectural education.

The quality of the built environment can

make a very positive contribution to the

health, wealth and well-being of the whole

population, whether people live in humble

circumstances or in palaces. The quality

of urban development as a whole, and not

just the quality of individual buildings,

should be beneficial to everyone - an

environment we can all be proud of and

look after accordingly.

Does Malawi need architecture? Most

definitely!


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W. F. Hill. 2002.


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Venturi, Robert. Complexity and

Contradiction in Architecture. MOMA. New

York, 1966.iiPevsner, Nikolaus. An Outline of European

Architecture. Harmondsworth - Penguin,London. 1943.iii

Vitruvius, Marcus Pollio. De Architectura.

C40 BC.iv

Hanno-Walter Kruft, 'A History of

Architectural Theory'

Princeton Architectural Press New

York 1994.vRudolfsky, Bernard. Architecture Without

Architects. Museum of Modern Art. New

York. 1964.vi

see: Gardi, Ren. Indigenous African

Architecture. Van Nostrand Reinhold. New

York. 1973.Oliver, Paul (ed.) Shelter and Society.

Barrie & Jenkins. London. 1969.

Oliver, Paul (ed.) Shelter in Africa.

Barrie & Jenkins. London. 1970.

Guidoni, Enrico. Primitive

Architecture. Faber & Faber. London. 1987.vii

Golden Section: the division of a length into

two unequal lengths, so that the ratio of the

shorter to the longer is the same as the longer

to the total length. The ratio is: 1: 1.61803....viii

Allsopp, Bruce. A Modern Theory of

Architecture. Routeledge & Kegan Paul,

London 1977.

7ix

Ibid.xIbid.

Buildings mentioned and architects:

Kang'ombe House. Norman & Dawbarn.

Chayamba House. Clinton & Evans.

Mt. Soche Hotel.

MDC House. Montgomerie, Oldfield & Denn.

Ryall's Hotel Annex. Clinton & Evans.

Finance Bank Arcade. Clinton & Evans.Johnsons Wax. Frank Lloyd Wright.

Willis Faber. Norman Foster.

Commerzbank, Frankfurt. Norman Foster.

Pompidou Centre. Piano & Rogers.

Sydney Opera House. Jorn Utzon.

British National Gallery Extension. Robert

Venturi.

Alamillo Bridge. Santiago Calatrava.

Lyon-Satolas Airport Railway Station.

Santiago Calatrava.

Millennium Bridge. Norman Foster.

Casa Mila. Antone Gaudi.Sagrada Familia.Antone Gaudi.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. Frank Gehry.

Parthenon. Ictinus & Callicrates.

House. Richard Meier.

Berlin Philharmonic. Hans Scharoun.

U. S Pavilion, Montreal. R. B. Fuller.

Blantyre Proposals.Polytechnic Architecture

Students.

WF Hill. Does Malawi Need Architecture

Documents