mapungubwe interpretation center, south africa by peter rich architects
all images courtesy WAF

south african firm peter rich architects have been named winner for the category
of culture (completed buildings) at the 2009 world architecture festival.

mapungubwe interpretation centre is situated at the confluence of the limpopo
and shashe rivers. the mapungubwe national park celebrates the site of an ancient
civilization linked to the great zimbabwe trading culture in the context of a natural setting
that re-establishes the indigenous fauna and flora of this region. the interpretation centre
is set on the side of a mesa, formed from the dramatic geological events that resulted in
the limpopo river changing its course from flowing into the atlantic ocean to discharging
into the indian ocean. the ceremonial centre of this civilization is located on a sister mesa,
one kilometre away from the site, is the visual climax of the architectural experience
orchestrated in the design of the centre. this is a poverty relief project using ecological methods
and materials.

the complex landscape was both the inspiration for the design and the source of most of
the materials for its construction. this resulted in a composition of structures that are authentically
rooted to their location. the equilateral triangle provides the primary ordering, set out from
a line running parallel to the contours. secondary elements are fixed in position by this
geometrical system, significant because of its reference to triangular motifs etched on stones
uncovered on mapungubwe hill. the heart of the interpretation centre is visually contained
by two hollow cairns that evoke the route-markers found in southern african cultures. timbrel
vaulting is used to construct the billowing forms that expose the arched edges of their thin shells,
an analogy of the archaeological revelation of past cultures.


exterior and interior of the centre

the domical language is contrasted by the delicate walkways that create a zigzagging
ramped route through the complex. the visitor’s first view, across a seasonal stream,
is of the principal vaults springing directly from the land on robust buttresses. volumes
are linked by terraced seating, contrasting the structured horizontality of the contours
with the diaphanous domes and arches. the surfacing of all of the masonry in local rubble
stone creates a timeless quality. it is as if they had erupted from the earth in a geological
event similar to that which created the mesas of the site and mapungubwe hill.

the route provides the visitor with a multiplicity of experiences, evoking the complex
social interactions of the many cultures that have traversed the site. the strong southern
light is tempered by rusted steel screens that echo the network of branches of indigenous
trees; horizontally slatted natural timber evokes traditional shade structures. the arrival point
is marked by the first of the hollow cairns, lit by an oculus that tracks the path of the sun.
the experience of the internal exhibition space is cavernous, articulated by the exposed tiles
made from the local soil. light is filtered through fused coloured glass, with dappled patterns
reflected from the ponds that cool the air that naturally ventilates the buildings. the termination
of this central space is a second cairn, representing the sunset and housing the golden rhinoceros
that has become a southern african icon. visitors have a choice of route: ramp and stair, internal
and external, to move into the upper parts of the vaults and appreciate the privileged view of
the lower volume, as did the ancestors from their elevated position on the plateau of the hill.
the route continues outside the covered spaces, leading to the highest part of the site and affording
a view across a flat expanse to mapungubwe hill in the distance, with its backdrop of
the limpopo.


the dome shaped roof is made from tiles that have been constructed with local soil


view of site


site plan


cross section view




drawing of theatre


cross section view


workers construct the roof using local soil, adding masonry to the surface