Mapungubwe

 Last week I mentioned that the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre by Rich and Lerotholi Architects won the World Architectural Festival Building of the Year Award in 2009. I was fortunate to play a role in this prestigious project as the consultant on job creation.

SANParks offices from the main building

For some background: the Mapungubwe National Park is part of a conservation area that stretches over three countries - South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. On the South African side of the Limpopo River, the land for the park was previously used for farming. Many of the farm workers who were displaced have been employed and trained by SANParks, the new site owner, to engage in conservation and tourism jobs. Beyond this, they wanted the construction of the Centre to create more jobs that could later be transferred into the local communities. Apart from the ecological conservation aspect, this is an important archaeological site which housed a settlement that was part of the Stone Age and Iron Age cultures of Great Zimbabwe.

The project for the Interpretation Centre was put out to competition, with the winning design headed up by Peter Rich, who worked in close collaboration with John Ochsendorf from MIT to conceptualise the innovative structural system. Timbrel vaults have been around for over a century, invented by Guastavino in Spain, but here the idea was to use hand-made tiles of stabilised earth with a low carbon footprint and  a great opportunity to create jobs. The roof construction does not need formwork, merely timber guides to achieve the correct profile of the curves. This adds to the sustainability of the construction process, as formwork that is usually needed for curved structures can generate much wasted material.

The timbrel vaults in the main exhibition space

This allowed for a sublime spatial quality in the interiors, with reflecting pools on the north facade to cool the air and create a diffuse light from the high windows directly under the vaulted roofs. The walling is undulating, with dramatic buttresses covered in natural rock on the exterior to support the large structural forces. The curved roofs themselves are also covered in rock from the site to protect the vaults from thermal stresses and to regulate the temperature inside. The structural design was by Michael Ramage, and constructed under the guidance of James Bellamy who also trained the construction team.

The west window has polycarbonate sheeting, with wattle laths to filter the light

On the south facade of the main hall, there are large windows of coloured glass, made by fusing several layers to create an effect similar to the stained glass of medieval cathedrals. This technique was also part of the skills transfer and job creation aspect of the project. 

The fused coloured glass on the south wall

The glazing on the south side as well as exterior lighting is protected by decorative ironwork, done by members of the local community who were trained in this skill by Heinrich Kammeyer. This is inspired by the indigenous trees in the park, which have been planted extensively to replace the agricultural vegetation.

Decorative ironwork on the south side

Outside the main exhibition space are spaces for lectures, both enclosed and open-air, and spaces for catering, including a large shaded space open on all sides on the upper level, which allows spectacular views of the natural landscape. The entire site is arranged as a zigzag processional route, crossing a small rivulet towards a conical cairn-like structure at the entrance. A matching cairn on the west end of the main exhibition space directs the visitor to the exterior, now at much higher elevation, and the route terminates at the top of the ridge with a view north to the mesa, a flat-topped geological formation that was the centre of the site of the Iron Age settlement. 

The outdoor eating area

Less known than the Interpretation Centre is the Day Visitors' Centre, a celebration of the many cultures associated with this rich heritage site. Also designed by a team of architects headed up by Peter Rich, it draws on the architectural language of the indigenous people of this area. It is a subtle play of indoor and outdoor spaces, elevating the vernacular forms in a masterful fusion of the modern and traditional.

One of the enclosed outdoor spaces of the Day Visitors' Centre