Kenya to Host First Pan-African Architecture Biennale to Launch Next September

The inaugural event aims to reposition African architecture at the center of global discourse, emphasizing resilience, local knowledge, and future-oriented design.

Key points

• First Pan-African Architecture Biennale to launch in Nairobi on September 7, 2026
• Event will bring together architects and studios from all 54 African countries
• Program to focus on climate change, vernacular intelligence, and African futures

The inaugural Pan-African Architecture Biennale (PAB) will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, starting September 7, 2026, marking the first continent-wide platform dedicated to architectural dialogue and exchange.

Curated by Omar Degan, the one-week event will feature exhibitions, installations, keynote dialogues, and public programs across the city and satellite locations. It aims to bring together contributions from studios representing all 54 African nations, with a focus on work rooted in local contexts, materials, and cultural narratives.

Reframing African Architecture Through Local Knowledge

Organized under the theme “Shifting the Center: From Fragility to Resilience,” the biennale seeks to challenge longstanding narratives that position African architecture as peripheral or derivative.

Instead, the platform emphasizes the continent’s role as a source of spatial intelligence, cultural memory, and ecological knowledge. Participants are invited to explore how architecture can address issues such as colonization, infrastructural inequality, and climate pressure, while drawing on historical and contemporary practices of adaptation and repair.

The program will be structured around three main strands: climate change, vernacular intelligence, and African futures—each examining how built environments respond to environmental, cultural, and political realities.

A Platform for Continental and Global Engagement

The biennale will include a wide range of participants from across the continent, spanning countries such as Angola, Benin, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia, among others. Through exhibitions, installations, and public encounters, the event aims to explore architecture’s role in broader conversations around justice, continuity, and transformation.

Beyond the inaugural edition, organizers envision the Pan-African Architecture Biennale as both a recurring event and a long-term platform. It is expected to take place every two years in different African countries, expanding its reach and reinforcing its objective of positioning African cultural production at the center of global conversations.

The initiative also aligns with broader efforts to elevate African creative industries. Figures such as Lesley Lokko have recently been recognized for advancing African cultural influence globally, reflecting growing momentum across the continent’s design and architecture sectors.