Connecting-Africa | Find publications

Advanced search

Find:


Title Shifting conditions, frameworks and approaches: the work of KPDV in postcolonial Africa
Full text https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/5674300; http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-5674300; https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/5674300/file/5674301
Date 2013
Author(s) De Raedt, Kim
Abstract This paper discusses the trajectory and production of the French architecture firm Kalt ' Pouradier-Duteil ' Vignal. This firm was very prolific in Africa from the late colonial period right up to the 1980s, I argue, because of its flexibility towards the constantly changing political, economic and socio-cultural context in which it operated. It was first active in the colonial context of mise-en-valeur du territoire, refashioned itself in the post-independence era to become a major consultant to the European Union's development aid agency and ultimately realised various types of projects throughout West Africa for a wide range of clients, both African and foreign. While throughout this period, commissions for foreign architects in Africa were generally tied to a particular company, international (aid) organisation or (colonial) state agency -which meant that work opportunities ceased if the institutional framework disintegrated- KPDV managed to stay on the African scene for almost thirty years. By discussing a select number of projects designed by KPDV, I will show that the office accomplished this by constantly reformulating its modes of design, research, building practices and project management in response to the quickly changing context in which it operated.
Subject(s) Arts and Architecture; postcolonial; global consultant; architecture; European Development Fund; Africa
Language eng
Type of publication journalArticle; info:eu-repo/semantics/article; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Format text/html
Source ABE JOURNAL; ISSN: 1079-7750
Rights I have retained and own the full copyright for this publication; info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Repository Gent - University of Gent
Added to C-A: 2019-01-18;10:24:36