Umthambo Wamazwi Lenkumbulo

Umthambo Wamazwi Lenkumbulo draws on ukuxhentsa, the Xhosa traditional dance grounded by stomping feet and accompanied by ululating, clapping, singing and drums. Performed in a rondavel, the dance creates a chaotic, staggering feeling, and the design abstracts that form as if the dance were actively taking place.

Stacking the floors and letting them overlap carries the stagger through the building. It creates opportunities for balconies, an overlay on the ground floor announces the entrance, and the projections play with light.

The site analysis maps Newtown through cognitive mapping of its landmarks, alongside sun and wind paths, traffic and vegetation, and takes the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre as a precedent.