Christian Benimana: The next generation of African architects and designers
Christian Benimana: La próxima generación de diseñadores y arquitectos africanos
Christian Benimana wants to develop the talent and potential of the next generation of African designers with socially-focused design principles. Full bio
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that I have ever taken.
I had ever been on an airplane
que estaba en un avión
that I had left my country,
ever since I was a child.
at the time in my country.
en mi país en esa época.
to study in China,
para estudiar en China,
a major building boom.
por un gran auge en la construcción.
into a skyscraper city.
en una ciudad de rascacielos.
to convey a new image of development.
para mostrar una imagen de desarrollo.
were going up literally everywhere.
modernas de la ingeniería.
of migrant workers,
de trabajadores inmigrantes,
of thousands of people
de miles de personas
to the pollution
similar to what I saw in China.
similares a los que vi en China.
its own population and economic growth.
un crecimiento económico y poblacional.
infrastructure and buildings
infraestructura y edificios
the entire continent of Africa,
en todo el continente africano,
africana se duplicará,
slightly less than the current population
un poco menos que la población actual
to accommodate this many people
para esta cantidad de personas
in the history of humankind.
en la historia de la humanidad.
700,000,000 more housing units,
700 millones de nuevas casas,
of unsustainable building and construction
de construcción insostenible
que ya lo están haciendo.
Kunlé Adeyemi for instance,
nigeriano Kunlé Adeyemi,
of coastal megacities.
de megaciudades costeras.
live in makeshift structures on stilts
viven en estructuras provisionales
infrastructure or services.
of rising sea levels and climate change.
del nivel del mar y del cambio climático.
are examples of great ingenuity
son ejemplo de ingenio
a prototype school
un prototipo de escuela
that can be adapted to clinics,
que puede ser adaptado a clínicas,
this community needs.
que la comunidad necesita.
lives safely on the waters of Lagos.
sobre las aguas de Lagos.
where he comes from,
that use traditional building techniques.
tradicionales de construcción.
working in the communities
Kéré y su equipo
in the villages of this country,
en las aldeas de este país,
para los cimientos,
for the brick manufacturing,
para producir los ladrillos,
to pound the clay floors.
nivelar los pisos de arcilla.
projects that function better,
proyectos que funcionan mejor,
and adequate ventilation.
for this particular context
este contexto en particular
at MASS Design Group.
en MASS Design Group.
in several countries in Africa,
países de África,
and sustainable model
más equitativo y sostenible
remote landscapes
y remotos,
and fertile valleys.
maternal mortality rates in the world.
tasas de mortalidad materna en el mundo.
either gives birth at home,
da a luz en su casa,
to the nearest clinic.
hasta la clínica más cercana.
dies during childbirth.
mueren durante el parto.
Maternity Waiting Village.
para espera de la maternidad.
six weeks before their due dates.
6 semanas antes de la fecha esperada.
and family planning.
y planificación familiar.
and their families.
y sus familias.
para espera de la maternidad
Maternity Waiting Village
typologies of Malawi villages
de las aldeas Malawi
materials and techniques.
y materiales simples.
were made from the same soil of this site.
fueron hechos con tierra de este lugar.
of this building,
de la construcción
for these expectant mothers.
para las mamás embarazadas.
that architecture and design
que la arquitectura y el diseño
to address complex problems.
de resolver problemas complejos.
a model of effective solutions
de soluciones efectivas
no son suficientes.
of African architects and designers
de arquitectos y diseñadores africanos
on African architecture, in Kigali,
de arquitectura africana, en Kigali,
of the leading African designers
diseñadores africanos
working across the continent.
de todo el continente.
went to school abroad
a una universidad en el exterior
solutions unique to us,
soluciones propias,
Kigali into Beijing,
a Kigali en Beijing,
of the next generation
de la siguiente generación
from across the continent.
de todo el continente.
design-build fellowship program.
en diseño y construcción.
to tackle big challenges
a enfrentar grandes retos
building solutions and processes,
innovadores en construcción,
the health impact of better buildings
en la salud de mejores edificios
have been researching
en el MASS Design Group
that they designed and built.
que diseñan y construyen.
to understand the challenges
para entender los retos
made of local volcanic stone
hecha con piedra volcánica
into a space of play and active learning.
de actividades y juegos de aprendizaje.
the environmental conditions
that maximizes daylight
que maximiza la luz solar
will begin this year.
Ruhehe comenzará este año.
are going to work hand-in-hand
van a trabajar mano a mano
para construirlo.
their African Design Centre fellowship,
of building into his country,
de construir en su país,
a private practice in Johannesburg.
en Johannesburgo.
for women to become engineers.
para que más mujeres estudien ingeniería.
al Centro de Diseño Africano,
for women in engineering fields,
la diferencia de género en ingeniería,
this movement across Africa,
a toda África,
escuela politécnica
using local materials from his country.
usando materiales locales.
to become an architect.
se convirtió en arquitecto.
interrupted his architectural education.
frecuentemente su educación.
to join the African Design Centre,
al Centro de Diseño Africano,
in the background of his interview call.
escuchamos disparos de fondo.
de esta guerra civil,
to bridge communities back together.
de unir comunidades nuevamente.
by this fellow's belief
por la creencia de este becario
can make a difference
puede marcar una diferencia
el futuro de África.
cannot be ignored.
de África no puede ser ignorado.
del futuro en África
places on earth.
to make it a reality.
para hacerlo realidad.
for the task ahead,
el talento del futuro,
of African creative leaders,
de líderes creativos africanos,
and streamline that journey.
y simplificar ese camino.
su confianza en el diseño
that are truly African
que sean realmente africanas
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Christian Benimana - ArchitectChristian Benimana wants to develop the talent and potential of the next generation of African designers with socially-focused design principles.
Why you should listen
Christian Benimana is co-founder of the African Design Centre, a field-based apprenticeship that is set to be the BAUHAUS of Africa with the mission to empower the leaders who will design a more equitable, just, and sustainable world.
Benimana is currently leading the implementation of the African Design Centre. He dreamed of becoming an architect, but there were no design schools in his home country of Rwanda, so he applied and was accepted to Tongji University in Shanghai, China. Not letting his inability to speak Mandarin stand in his way, he spent a year gaining fluency before pursuing his degree in architecture. Upon returning to Rwanda, he joined MASS Design Group as a Design Fellow in 2010 and today directs the firm's Rwanda Programs and the ADC. He has taught at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology and chairs the Education Boards of the Rwandan Institute of Architects and the East African Institute of Architects. His goal is to develop the talent and potential of the next generation of African designers with socially-focused design principles. He announced the plans for the African Design Centre at the UN Solutions Summit in New York in 2015.
Christian Benimana | Speaker | TED.com