Namibia bags architecture award

By: SHINOVENE IMMANUEL

NAMIBIA was awarded with a Silver Pigeon Award for the best national contribution at this year’s London Festival of Architecture.

The awards ceremony took place at the at the University of Westminster on July 5.
As part of the London Architecture festival, the British Council annually invites the London embassies of more than 30 countries to produce projects, events and talks based on the theme of the festival.
Namibia’s exhibition was a timeline collage of historical images, maps and drawings  juxtaposed with contemporary aspects of Windhoek’s architecture.
The Namibian exhibition was divided into five parts named Definitions of Space, Desert Landscape, Babylon Katutura, Men are Working in Town and Story Unbolted.
The exhibition spearheaded by Phillip Lühl also focused on the evolution of   institutions such as the the Katutura Community Arts Centre (KCAC)  and the National Theatre of Namibia.
The KCAC, which is now home to the College of Arts, used to be a kitchen that served food for the 6 000 men who were housed in the old migrant workers’ compound.
The building was converted to an arts centre and theatre in 2001.
Lühl, an architecture lecturer at the Polytechnic of Namibia, said the response was overwhelming.
The exhibition included input from Tomoko Kono and Retha-Louise Hofmeyr of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, as well as Dr Thomas Fox, a sociologist at the University of Namibia.
The award was designed by Japan since they won the same prize in 2010. Namibia will design the award for the next winner in 2014.
Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Kazenambo Kazenambo yesterday officially handed over the award to Tjama Tjivikua, the Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia, and Lühl.

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