Inspiring Living African ‘Female’ Architects, biography and ground-breaking achievements.
1. Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo
Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo, Nigerian (born 16 October 1968) is an architect by profession. She is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist, a public speaker, radio host and author. CNN described her as “Africa’s Starchitect” and The Guardian (Nigeria) has described her as “the face of Architecture in Nigeria”. In 2018 she was recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as one of the inspirational women in architecture today.
Adenowo has been featured in the architectural journal Architectural Record and has spoken at summits and conferences including the Global Women’s Forum and Harvard Business School (African Business Club). She hosts a syndicated radio show on leadership “Voice of Change”.
As an architect Adenowo’s portfolio includes a host of multi-national and Nigerian clients including Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Access Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank.
As a public speaker, Adenowo has lectured on the arts, architecture, gender issues, women’s empowerment and entrepreneurial activities in Africa. She has been featured by the international media such as CNN and Fortune.
- She started her own architecture and interior design firm AD Consulting in 1994. The firm is based in Lagos, Nigeria. At 14 she enrolled in Obafemi Awolowo University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Architecture at age 19. As an undergraduate she won the prize for Best Student Design. She obtained her Master’s of Science in Architecture, with distinction, from the same university in 1991.
She is also an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School (2019), the Yale School of Management (2016), Lagos Business School Chief Executive Programme (2002) and The IESE Business School at the University of Navarra in Barcelona, Spain (2005).
Adenowo has stated that her interest in architecture was ignited by visits to Paris and the Palais de Versailles as a young child, as well as living on the Obafemi Awolowo University campus. These inspired her design philosophy — the core lesson being that in its functionality, architecture must be sensitive to its climatic, technological, infrastructural and physical contexts.
For more info, visit www.adconsultinglimited.com
2. Shahira Fahmy
Shahira Fahmy of Shahira Fahmy Architects — Fahmy was born in Egypt. She holds a master’s degree in Architecture from Cairo University (2004). In 2003 Received her Ph.D., from the Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia University, USA and She obtained her MA in Architecture from Cairo University in 2002–2003. In 2012, with London-based Delfina Foundation, Fahmy won an architecture competition and as a result worked on the architectural expansion of the Delfina Foundation headquarters near Buckingham Palace in London. which was completed in 2014. Fahmy also designed the modern Block 36 in Westown, Cairo. Fahmy has participated in various architectural exhibitions, including the Atlas of The Unbuilt World, The Home in the Arab world, Andermatt Swiss Alps AG, Green Good Design Exhibition, Cityscape Abu Dhabi, +20 Egypt Design, Cairo, Egypt, World Architecture Festival, Cityscape Dubai, MIPIM, Traffic, Furnex, LEAF Award, 100% Design/ 100% Futures, Salone Internationale del Mobile Salone Satellite, and Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
3. Sarah Calburn
Sarah Calburn was born in Johannesburg where she attended Roedean School, matriculating in 1981. She studied architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand, graduating in 1987, and in 1996 was awarded a master’s degree for her research at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. The same year she set up an architecture practice in Johannesburg.
Calburn has also worked as an architect in Paris, Hong Kong, Sydney and Melbourne. In addition to many housing projects, she designed Johannesburg’s Momo art gallery. She also serves on the committee of the Gauteng Institute for Architecture and was programme director of ArchitectureZA 2010, the first South African Architectural Biennale. aimed at creative urban development in Johannesburg. Calburn has also taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Cape Town and RMIT Melbourne.
For more info visit sarahcalburn.co.za
4. Anya Van der Merwe
Anya Van der Merwe completed the Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) with Distinction in 1984 before moving to London, England, to further her studies at the Architectural Association, from where she graduated with an Architectural Association Graduate Diploma in History and Theory (AAGradDip)in 1987.
Van der Merwe Miszewski Architects is an award winning architectural practice based in Cape Town, South Africa. The company was founded in 1991 by directors Anya Van der Merwe and Macio Miszewski.Anya Van der Merwe and Macio Miszewski met at the University of Cape Town School of Architecture in the early 1980s. Anya left VDMMA as director in 2016.
For more Info, visit www.vdmma.com
5. Linda Mvusi
Linda Mvusi (c. 1955 in Bloemfontein- ) is an actress and architect. Mvusi took an award for best actress at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival for her role in the film A World Apart which was directed by Chris Menges. Mvusi was the first South African to get a best Actress award at Cannes.
Mvusi also shared in an award for excellence for her architecture on the Apartheid Museum. She practices with her own company in South Africa.
6. Katherine Maree Otten
Katherine Maree Otten, usually known as Kate Otten, (born 28 March 1964, Durban) is a South African architect, who has won numerous awards for her South African traditional work. Born in Durban, Kate Otten attended Roedean School in Johannesburg, matriculating in 1981. She then studied architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand, graduating in 1987. After working for a number of other practices, Otten established her own firm in 1989 in Johannesburg, just after one year of her graduation. She has designed community libraries, the waterfront development at Tzaneen, an art therapy centre in Soweto and the museum exhibition space at the former Women’s Jail at Constitution Hill which received a commendation from the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA). Kate has won many awards including the SAIA Award of Merit House Staude in 1998 to the Mbokodo Awards Architecture and Creative Design in 2013. In 2020, She became the President of the South African Institute of Architects.
Co-Arc International Architects director Catharine Atkins and architect Malika Walele are the leading women behind the 55-story building on Maude Street, which was designed by Co-Arc’s emeritus partner, Francois Pienaar. — TimesLIVE — 2019
Malika Walele, 1990, South African, Master’s Degree in Architecture in 2015 at the University of the Witwatersrand. currently working as a full-time architect in Johannesburg, Co-Arc International architects.
Co-Arc International Architects director Catharine Atkins and architect Malika Walele are the leading women behind the 55-story building on Maude Street, which was designed by Co-Arc’s emeritus partner, Francois Pienaar. — TimesLIVE — 2019
The Leonardo in the heart of Sandton, Johannesburg, not only owns the bragging rights to the title of Africa’s tallest building but also boasts a 9–out of-11 women leading designer team.
For more info, visit www.co-arc.com
8. Tosin Oshinowo
Tosin Oshinowo is a Nigerian architect, creative entrepreneur, public speaker and author.
Known for her works on the design of Maryland Mall in Lagos, Tosin is a graduate of Architecture from Kingston College London and had her master’s degree in Urban designs from Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Having worked on a number of projects in various Architectural firms in Europe and Africa, Tosin incorporated her own Architectural Design Consultancy firm, CmDesign Atelier in 2012.
Tosin Oshinowo is also the Founder and Chief Executive of Lifestyle furniture line, Ile ila (House of Lines). Tosin is a member of Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and also a registered architect with Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON). In 2019, Oshinowo was featured in the Polaris catalogue produced by Visual Collaborative, she was interviewed alongside other practitioners from around the world.
For more visit www.cmdesign-atelier.com/
9. Emma Miloyo
Emma Miloyo is a Kenyan architect, She served as the first female President of the Architectural Association of Kenya since 2017–2019. In October 2016, Archinect.com listed her among the five Emerging Female Architects of East Africa, in African Great Lakes region countries.
In June 2015, she was elected as Vice President of the Architectural Association of Kenya, serving in that capacity until February 2017. She became the first female president of the Architectural Association of Kenya in March 2017.
Emma grew up in Nairobi, the single daughter of a mathematics lecturer at the Kenya Science Teachers College, going on to attend Loreto Msongari primary and then Kenya High School. Emma did her architectural training at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, graduating in 2006.
Emma is interested in inspiring young women to see architecture as a viable career option. In order to support young people, she volunteers her time to help girls in poverty attend school through the Ex-Bomarian Education Trust Fund and is a founding Board Member of WIRE (Women in Real Estate)
Emma’s firm sets itself the mission of designing livable spaces by providing creative solutions and order for communities. Indeed, order is something central in her life. Their projects are corporate, hospitality, residential, institutional, retail and energy.
Miloyo and Chris Naicca (also, husband) are partners in Design Source Limited, the architectural firm they founded in 2007. The firm has offices in Nairobi and Mombasa.
For more, visit designsource.co.ke/
10. Shamla Fernandez
Shamla Fernandez, was born in Kisumu, her family moved to Nairobi when Shamla was still a child. She attended Kilimani primary school and later the Kenya High School for her secondary education. Despite being in a class with only two women and over thirty men, Shamla coped well at the university and she enjoyed studying architecture. She completed her studies in 1988 and landed her first job at Planning Systems Services Ltd two months after graduating. After working at PSS for two years, Shamla moved to BeglinWoods Architects where she worked for eight years before starting her own firm — Shamla Fernandes Architects, where she has worked for the last 21 years. According to Arch. Shamla, the success of SFA is attributed to the 10 years of experience she and her husband gathered while working at Planning systems and Beglinwoods Architects.
It is the need to raise her young children that led Arch. Shamla to opt for resignation from Beglinwoods to start up her own firm. “Motherhood had a huge impact in the progression of my career. I had to actively and intentionally create time for my family and the most sensible decision was to start my own practice which would allow me to work and at the same time take care of my young family. It was easy to do both once I took control of my time,” Shamla remarks.
Together with her husband, who is also her partner at SFA, Shamla has handled multiple impressive projects since establishing the firm in 1999. A typical Mathematician, Shamla works with logic. She is largely disposed towards concepts and functionality of a space. On the other hand, her husband, is gifted where form detailing and aesthetics of a building are concerned. —
by Brian Munene — Original Article about Shamla Fernandez here.
For more info visit www.sfarchitects-ke.com/
11. Dr. Victoria Marwa Heilman
Victoria Marwa Heilman is passionate about incorporating innovative technology into buildings and creating environmentally friendly spaces. She is working on mainstreaming sustainable design and construction into Ardhi University’s architecture curriculum. In addition to her academic work, Heilman founded and leads the Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH) which has had success in rebuilding houses after natural disasters using low-cost, locally available materials and involving the affected community. She used her fellowship to expand TAWAH’s work building more affordable housing in Tanzania, to enhance the architecture curriculum at her university, and to encourage more women to enter the field
Dr. Victoria Marwa Heilman Holds A Doctorate Degree In Architecture From The University Of Stuttgart In Germany, A Master Degree In Architecture From The Catholic University Of America (CUA), Washington, DC, And A Bachelor Of Architecture From The University Of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Victoria Is A Registered Practicing Architect In Tanzania And She Is A Member Of The Architects Association Of Tanzania (AAT). Victoria Is A Strong Advocate Of Sustainable Design And Construction And This Can Be Seen In Her Teaching, Research And Designs. She Is Also A Board Member Of The Tanzania Green Building Council (TZGBC). In Addition To Her Professional Activities At Alama (VK Green Architects Ltd). Victoria Is Passionate About Helping Communities In Need Through Her Knowledge And Expertise In Architecture. In 2011 She Co — Foundered An NGO Known As Tanzania Women Architects For Humanity (TAWAH) And She Serves As The Chairperson. She Has Volunteered With Habitat For Humanity Tanzania For A Number Of Projects In Rural Tanzania As A Coordinator And A Construction Supervisor. Victoria Was An Eisenhower Fellow In 2016 And Used Her Fellowship In The USA To Learn Different Ways To Expand Alama (formerly known as VK Green Architects LTD) Work Promoting Sustainable Design And Construction And TAWAH’s Work Building Decent Shelters For Marginalized Communities In Tanzania.
Visit alamaarchitecture.co.tz/ for more
12. Mariam Kamara
Mariam Kamara is a founder and principal of atelier masomi, in Niamey Niger, an architecture firm whose interests lie in designing culturally, historically and climatically relevant solutions to spatial problems inherent to the developing world.
Mariam holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology from Purdue University (2001) and a Master of Science in Computer Science from New York University (2004). She joined our Master of Architecture program in the autumn of 2010. Her thesis project, Mobile Loitering (2013), focused on issues of gender and public space in Niger, West Africa. Her research-based design was awarded a thesis prize in the Department of Architecture and special mention in the 2014 Young Architects in Africa Competition. Her thesis was also exhibited in the 2014 Milan Triennale in the exhibit Africa Big Chance Big Change.
Following her graduation she worked with united4design on the UNHabitat project that aimed to rehabilitate an urban village in Niamey, Niger’s capital. This project led to the firm’s first built project, the Niamey 2000 affordable middle class housing pilot project that uses appropriate materials and passive techniques to decrease energy consumption. This sustainable project won an AIA Seattle Merit Award in 2016.
In her current work with atelier masomi, she seeks to develop innovative ways of using local, renewable, and low-cost materials, while exploring new adaptations of local architectural techniques.
For more visit, atelier masomi.
13. Valérie Mavoungou
Valérie Mavoungou is the founder of l’Atelier tropical.
She graduated from Paris Belleville National School of Architecture (ENSAPB) in 2012 with a master in Architecture. ( Mastership DE HMONP )
She did her first steps by collaborating alternatively with her studies in the seraglio of well-known Parisian architecture and landscaping agencies, with mentors, such as Christian Devillers and Michel Desvigne both Awarded Architects and Urbanists. In addition to this European training she attended several Asian institutions, to learn more about sustainable design and construction processes suitable to tropical climates like the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo, Japan, the French Institute of Far East in Cambodia, and the School of Architecture at Kyung Hee Dae University in South Korea .
From Congolese origins, born and raised in Africa , she kept in mind the objective to work on sustainable projects amid the continent and global south and in 2016, l’Atelier tropical was created in order to propose a tailor-made and qualitative services with a modern African aesthetic, inscribed in their environment.
Since then she has been working with the support of locally skilled technical consultants and partners on various projects in West, East, Central and today Austral Africa, in rewarding local building methods and juggling between missions of a traditional architect and construction project manager : from conception, to specifications, coordination , site controlling, trading and purchasing structural and finishing materials locally made or internationally imported.
14. Akosua Obeng
Akosua studied Architecture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and graduated in 2005.
After University she relocated to the UK where she worked with
Bovis Lend Lease on the construction of the Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton. On her return to Accra, she worked with RhayCAD and moved to Environ4 before joining OOA in June 2009.
Born and raised in Ghana and educated in the international school system, Akosua has a connection to and understanding of both Ghanaian and foreign cultures, which makes her able to easily cooperate with local and international partners on OOA’s various projects.
She became a partner in OOA , Orthner Orthner & associates in 2016.
Akosua is specialized in Project Management and Coordination, Contract Administration, Programming / Planning and Specifications. She also has a passion for sustainable architecture and makes presentations on behalf of OOA, in workshops and conferences inside and outside Ghana. She was a rapporteur at the ECREE conference in Dakar that finalized the ECOWAS contribution to the Paris Climate change agreement.
She also writes essays and articles on sustainable architecture and on OOA’s various projects. Her writing play a part in keeping OOA in the media and educating readers about architecture and sustainability.
Other Partners at OOA.
Rosemary studied Architecture at the University of Technology in Graz, Austria and at the University of Bath, UK and graduated in 2000 with distinction.
After University, she co-founded OOA Austria in 2003 and OOA Ghana in 2006 together with Martin.
Rosemary is specialised in Project Management and Coordination, Contract Administration, Programming / Planning and Food Services Design.
Her knowledge and understanding of both cultures, being born and raised in Ghana in her family’s Construction Company and her education and architectural practice in Austria, are key factors for her successful collaboration with both international and local clients and partners.
Rosemary is also the “Honorary Consul of Austria” and the “Austrian Foreign Trade Representative” to Ghana.
Martin studied Architecture at the University of Technology in Graz, Austria and at the University of Bath, UK and graduated in 2000 with distinction.
After University, he co- founded OOA Austria in 2003 and OOA Ghana in 2006, with Rosemary.
Before his architectural degree, Martin studied Civil Engineering at the Federal Higher Technical Institute for Civil Engineering in Salzburg where he graduated in 1991 with distinction.
His sphere of competencies include designing, 3D modeling, and quantity surveying, which involves draft construction cost estimates, establishing bill of quantities, value engineering and cost control.
Martin’s passion are Residential Developments, Hotel Resort Projects and Corporate Office Designs. In every design, he takes on the challenge to integrate state of the art technology to the diverse social and cultural environment in Ghana.
Martin is also the “Honorary Vice Consul of Austria”.
15. Mélissa Kacoutié
Melissa Kacoutie graduated from Ecole D’Architecture Speciale de Paris
She worked in several architectural agencies from Abidjan and in 2016,
she decided to set up her architecture firm. She always liked to draw when she was very young; reason why she oriented herself towards studies that allowed her to combine her passion with her job.
Her greatest pride since she started, is to have began this agency which has been around for four years to have been able and to hire different people from
young women who prove in fact that it is possible for women to work in a sector considered as male-dominated.
For more visit https://www.jsarchis.com/
16. Nadia Tromp
Nadia Tromp (born 31 January 1977) is a South African architect, known for her work with social and public architecture, particularly healthcare within the context of South Africa. In 2017 she was the world architecture festival winner in the category of health for her Westbury clinic. She later received the 2017 award of excellence from GIFA (Gauteng Institute for Architecture) and the 2018 award of merit from SAIA (South African Institute of Architects). In 2019 her firm won the architecture Masterprize in the category of mixed use.
Tromp was born in Fishhoek, South Africa. She studied her undergraduate degree at the University of Cape Town, and then her master’s degree at Harvard University. After graduating and working at Noero Wolff architects under Jo Noero, she went on to become a director at Paragon Habitat Architects. In 2008 she founded her firm “Ntsika Architects”, meaning pillar of strength or home pillar.
In her career, spanning over 19 years, Nadia has worked at some of the most prestigious firms in South Africa and has completed a wide variety of projects. Ntsika Architects is one of the few female owned practices in South Africa. Nadia’s contribution to architecture has been widely recognized and she has been acknowledged as a dynamic and innovative designer, with her projects receiving national and international awards. In 2017, she became the first African architect to win a World Architecture Festival Award (WAF) for a completed project, for her design of the Westbury Clinic. She is the recipient of the Mbokodo South African Women in the Arts — Architecture Award (2015). In the same year she also won an international design award by the 19millionproject, for her design of the Museum of Human Migration (MoHM) — Ultimum Refugium, focussing on the European Migrant Crisis. She has exhibited her work at the Venice Biennale and her sculpture “refuge” in the Garden of the Palazzo Mora, Venice, Italy, 2018.
Her passion for human-centered design and the environment sets her apart from her peers, with her work crossing the boundaries of sector definitions through her depth and breadth of experience in many different areas. Her practice is engaged in research and design which tackles issues of social and spatial injustice. Her particular interest is in the spatial fragmentation of South African cities. She served as the President of the Gauteng Institute of Architecture (GIFA) in 2019, a region of The South African Institute of Architects (SAIA). Nadia is the director of the International Union of Architects (UIA) Work Program — Community Architecture + Human Rights |CA + HR. She is frequently invited to speak at influential conferences and at universities both locally and internationally. Additionally, she has served on and chaired numerous architectural jury committees internationally and her work has been published in a variety of local and international publications.
