Lubango Centre, Lubango, Angola

A recent mixed-use complex in Africa by Portuguese architects shows it is possible to impact on a chaotic existing fabric with rigorous architecture that forges continuity with public space

- Paulo Martins-Barata

Angola’s pacification after 20 devastating years of conflict and the economic stability that followed allowed for the beginning of urban reconstruction.

At first exclusively focused in Luanda, it has gradually spread to hinterland cities such as Lubango, capital of the Huila province. This small city, founded in the early-20th century, is one of the main examples of Portuguese colonial urbanism in Africa. Located on a plateau surrounded by mountains, the city’s plan is based on an orthogonal grid of infra-structured blocks where all the public and private amenities (city hall, post office, market, school, church, bank etc.) were strategically placed, giving the plan a Sitte-like hierarchy. This mixed-use building is set in the heart of the consolidated fabric, next to the city’s main square and surrounded by remarkable, albeit much-dilapidated, examples of the Modernist colonial legacy.