Architecture Decolonised | Creating Spatial Inclusion
Colonial histories shape many cities worldwide, reflecting a perspective promoting domination, segregation, and exclusion, i.e., spatial injustice. Decolonising architecture takes on this complex topic, requiring the skills to disrupt and intervene in the debate on architectural heritage and urban design, which is often associated with painful and violent memories.
Architects and historians are working to reimagine and redesign places and spaces to reflect histories told from one perspective, seeking greater diversity, inclusion, and equity. Their work draws on the research and the testimony of those often unheard and the lived experience of Black, Indigenous, and Mixed Heritage peoples of Colour to challenge and reclaim narratives which do not amplify the voices of those impacted by colonial thinking. Here are a few examples of projects that exemplify this movement:
Mabel O. Wilson
Focus: African American History and Memorialization
Mabel O. Wilson is a researcher,, architect, and designer whose work focuses on racial identity, memory, and the decolonisation of public spaces. She is known for her critical writing on how monuments and buildings uphold colonial and racist histories. She has co-authored the book Race and Modern Architecture and co-curated architectural exhibitions that question and deconstruct the Western dominance of architectural history.
Project: Memorial to Enslaved Laborers – University of Virginia, USA
Wilson helped design the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, a poignant space commemorating the enslaved African Americans who built and maintained the university’s grounds. This project directly confronts the legacy of colonialism and slavery embedded in historic American institutions. The memorial acknowledges the contributions of marginalised people, rewriting the narrative of who has shaped iconic American spaces.
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Nmadili Okwumabua – Afromodernism
Nmadili Okwumabua advocates for the "Afro-Modernism" movement, which centres African art, culture, and history in contemporary architectural practice. She founded The Community Planning and Design Initiative Africa (CPDI Africa), which aims to create modern African architectural forms inspired by Indigenous African concepts and break away from Western models imposed during colonisation.
Projects | CPDI Africa's Architectural Design Competition
Through CPDI, Okwumabua has curated competitions and initiatives to promote Afrocentric designs. This initiative encourages African architects to infuse their projects with cultural heritage and reimagine spaces free from colonial influence. It offers a platform for African architects to "reclaim" architecture as a practice that reflects the continent’s diverse cultures and traditions.
Francis Kéré – Kéré Architecture
Burkina Faso-born architect Francis Kéré uses locally sourced materials and traditional construction methods in his projects, blending them with innovative designs to create sustainable, community-centred spaces. His work challenges the colonial importation of Western architectural models into Africa by rooting his designs in local environments, materials, and needs.
Projects | The StartUp Lions Campus
The Startup Lions Campus in Kenya uses local stone and employs passive cooling systems inspired by traditional architecture, promoting sustainability while respecting the local context.
Serpentine Pavilion – London, UK
Kéré’s 2017 Serpentine Pavilion in London featured a design that merged African communal gathering spaces with modern architectural techniques, challenging Western norms of "public space" design. It invited people to engage with the environment in ways that highlight openness, dialogue, and community—a subtle critique of colonial architecture's isolationist tendencies.
Elsie Owusu OBE
Focus: Public space, heritage, and identity
Elsie Owusu, Elsie Owusu Architects, is a pioneering Ghanaian-British architect known for her public architecture and heritage work. She advocates addressing the racial and gender inequalities in the architecture industry and broader society. Owusu emphasises decolonising architecture by confronting the lack of diversity in architectural history and promoting designs that celebrate cultural heritage.
Projects | Greenwich Cultural Quarter (London)
Owusu worked on the master planning and urban design of this area, focusing on bringing cultural diversity into a historic London neighbourhood.
Restoration of Supreme Court and Green Park Tube Station (London): While these projects are primarily conservation-focused, Owusu’s approach includes advocating for greater inclusivity in British architectural heritage.
Check out this interview by Black Females in Architecture’s Neba Sere with Elsie Owusu for the Architecture Foundation.
Sumayya Vally – Counterspace Studio
Projects | 2020 Serpentine Pavilion – London, UK
South African architect Sumayya Vally, founder of Counterspace Studio, designed the 2020 Serpentine Pavilion with a solid decolonial lens. The pavilion was conceived as a fragmented structure incorporating elements from various migrant and marginalised communities around London. This project reflects Vally's commitment to reclaiming architecture as a storytelling tool for diverse and historically excluded communities.
Vally’s work highlights the decolonisation of architecture by honouring and amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities. It breaks away from the monolithic, colonial style that has long defined global capitals like London.
Check out her live talk with Dezeen on the Serpentine Pavilion via this YouTube clip
Studio Nzinga – Mpho Matsipa
Focus: Architecture and Decolonial Urbanism
Dr Mpho Matsipa, a South African architect and urbanist, is deeply involved in research and projects that interrogate the colonial legacy of urban planning in African cities—her work advocates for more inclusive, participatory, and equitable urban spaces in postcolonial Africa. Through Studio Nzinga, Matsipa addresses spatial inequalities, often remnants of colonial urban design.
Projects | Exhibitions on Postcolonial African Cities
Matsipa has curated exhibitions like African Mobilities that explore how migration, displacement, and mobility in African cities intersect with decolonial urban planning. These exhibitions challenge colonial legacies by offering new visions for how African cities can be designed to reflect Indigenous knowledge and practices rather than imposed Western urban models.
Check out her interview in the podcast below entitled A Moment of True Decolonisation.
Conclusion
This small selection of built environment practitioners at the forefront of decolonising architecture, challenging the historical and colonial frameworks that have shaped cities and spaces globally.
By incorporating Afrocentric design principles, community-based approaches, and sustainable practices, they are reclaiming narratives and reshaping the future of architecture to be more inclusive, just, and representative of diverse histories and cultures.
These architects' work is pivotal in ensuring that the built environment reflects a diversity of voices. Their contributions continue to challenge perceptions in architectural history and create exciting futures.