Review | Luyanda Mpahlwa concludes 2017 November Talks in Stuttgart

South African architect Luyanda Mpahlwa gave the final lecture of the 12th November Talks in Stuttgart. Speaking German, he thanked the faculty and the Sto Foundation for the invitation – and then he used the Swabian dialect to greet his relatives in the audience. Luyanda Mpahlwa's wife and office partner Ulrike hails from Sigmaringen, and the couple met during their studies in Berlin. The casual tone of the introduction continued throughout the lecture. Because for Mpahlwa, it's about people and genuine exchanges. And it's about an understanding of architecture and design that is fuelled by an eventful life.

Luyanda Mpahlwa grew up in South Africa during the era of apartheid. In 1980, he became one of the first black people to study architecture in Durban. However, unlike the white students, he was not allowed to reside on campus. Instead, he lived in a neighbouring township. After only his first year, he was handed a five-year prison sentence as an anti-apartheid activist. That's where he met Nelson Mandela, who strongly influenced his world view. In 1986, Mpahlwa emigrated to Germany and, in a home for refugees, he quickly learned German and then continued his architecture studies at TU Berlin. In 2000, he moved back to Cape Town, where he founded the office DesignSpaceAfrica and participated in his native country's "Project Democracy".

Mpahlwa is convinced that good architecture has to reflect a cultural identity. During the construction of the South African embassy in Berlin, he first grappled with the question of what is typical for his country. He has been thinking about it ever since. Whether that was during the construction of a luxury hotel in Cape Town's emerging trendy district or the different social projects in townships and informal settlements.

Mpahlwa has identified differently coloured clay and paints, an effect achieved by mixing in oxides, as typical elements of South African construction. He also likes to work with traditional methods and artisanal practices that create characteristic shapes and a very specific plasticity. During the design phase, his office is not just asking what a building will eventually look like but also how it was made.

He does not just deal with aesthetics but also with the adoption process. His famous 10x10 sandbag house project is a series of two-storey houses that cost €4,000 each and are built using a simple wood construction and bags filled with sand. Mpahlwa told stories of how future residents lent a hand and the entire construction process became an experience in which self-confidence, pride and friendship were created in addition to houses. DesignSpaceAfrica concerns itself with this "social dimension of architecture" and the difficult legacy of still strongly segregated quarters. Whether that's during the construction of 50 primary schools within two years – a project that was exhibited at the Venice Biennale – or the careful upgrading of "Kosovo", a settlement with a population of 15,000 at the outskirts of Cape Town.

Luyanda Mpahlwa is willing to personally deal with people, realities and needs. With a delicate touch, he helps improve living conditions. That is apparent, and was rewarded by the young audience at the University of Stuttgart with a lengthy ovation.

Interview with Luyanda Mpahlwa

The Video can be found on our YouTube-Channel.

November Talks

The successful “November Reihen”, a lecture series on contemporary architecture, has been funded by the non-profit Sto Foundation since its launch in 2006. Stuttgart, Graz, Milan, Paris, Prague and London are the six venues . Exciting work reports by renowned architects can be experienced there.