Abstract
Tropicalizing a building might seem like the best option for a young architect who lands in the tropics, but this is an approach contrary to sustainability. Claude Laurens, through one of his first projects in Congo, understood that it was better to deal with the place from the start. His project became one of the best examples of tropical modernism. The article attempts to contrast an import approach with a more sustainable one, to deal with the present and future context. The research method adopted for this study was a mixed method approach where data was sourced from literature as secondary source and compared with direct observation of the selected case study (The Sabena Towers). The results are presented as figures which were used to further illustrate findings. The result showed that the architect, with little information, did his utmost to offer Congo a new architecture that fitted with the objectives of sustainable development. The study concluded that the architect chose not to adopt the foreign architecture as a solution for the sustainability issues he encountered in the design, rather he evolved solutions that were Congolese based and therefore responded adequately to the challenges of sustainability in Congo and created an architecture for Congo.
Highlights
The capital of the Belgian Congo was transferred from Boma to Léopoldville (Kinshasa)
Tropicalizing a building might seem like the best option for a young architect who lands in the tropics, but this is an approach contrary to sustainability
The research method adopted for this study was a mixed method approach where data was sourced from literature as secondary source and compared with direct observation of the selected case study (The Sabena Towers)
Summary
The capital of the Belgian Congo was transferred from Boma to Léopoldville (Kinshasa). The growing population as a result of migration, the attendant increase in business growth of the city and its strategic position have ended up making the city of Kinshasa an essential point in transportation discuss in Congo. An examination of the development pattern along the river showed that the first institutions based along the river had taken all the places and the new ones were starting to move towards this boulevard to set up offices, agencies and housing. A common challenge with population increase in any city or urban is the demand for housing and this was the case with Kinshasa. It was based on this desire that the first ten-year plan for the economic and social development of the Belgian Congo was designed in 1949. The challenge for architects is to participate in sustainable development without losing the overall aim of the city development and growth
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