Stefan+Antoni+Olmesdahl+Truen Architects

Stefan+Antoni+Olmesdahl+Truen are a team of architects whose style consists of a fusion of vernacular and contemporary design with a tint of minimalist architecture.

HABITAT Magazine says "..The Architectural and design team responsible for this exemplary residence were appointed by their client to create a double dwelling development in Greenpoint..."


Photos courtesy of Stefan+Antoni+Olmesdahl+Truen website.

Abu Ishaq al-Sahili, the architect of the Great Timbuktu Mosque

Standing like a majestic termite mound in the city of Timbuktu, the Timbuktu Mosque stands out as one of the most sophisticated ancient mud structures in the world.

A report in the Guardian says"...The mosque is built on a platform of regular sun-dried mud bricks. The walls are between 16 and 24 inches thick. These allow the interior of the mosque, the world's biggest mud building, to stay cool throughout the day, which is some achievement considering that, outdoors, summer temperatures reach 50C. The palm beams sticking out from the walls serve as structural supports and as permanent scaffolding to bear timber platforms used for repairing and replastering the building with a mix of mud and rice husks each year.”

“What these magnificent mosques prove is that mud buildings can be far more sophisticated than many people living in a world of concrete and steel might want to believe. Mud is not just a material for shaping pots, but for temples, palaces and even, as so many west African towns demonstrate, the framing of entire communities. The very fluidity, or viscosity, of the material allows the architects who use it to create dynamic and sensual forms..."

These buildings are not only technological marvels when it comes to their thermal properties but are also very eco friendly because they are made from mud, straw and cow dung biodegradable and recyclable materials.

The renaissance of sustainable, affordable eco friendly building materials like mud, clay and rammed earth manifests itself in companies like Terra Firma and the South West Solar Adobe School a school that offers hands-on training on Adobe brick Manufacturing and construction.

Pierre Atepa Goudiaby,leading the Renaissance of Modern African Architecture

"...African textiles are one of his inspirations. " My mother used to sell handmade cloth and I reflect those patterns in all my buildings." But he does not glorify African traditions. " We try to keep a balance. It's about using what's best in whatever happened before. But never going backwards...""...The ATEPA group , which saw the light of day through the relentless efforts of Pierre GOUDIABY, is also the fruit of his rich and resourceful career. A career which was masterfully piloted by the man designated as the best Senegalese architect of the 20th century..."

Demas Nwoko, an influence to Modern African Architecture

"...The Priory is an architectural landmark, designed and constructed by Demas Nwoko, who is acclaimed far and wide for his artistic and architectural productions..." "....The motifs which Nwoko chooses for his pictures are often taken from the Bible, and his commitment to the Christian religion is also shown by his architecture. In the course of his career he has designed several buildings, mostly for the catholic church, like one of his main works, the Dominican Abbey in Ibadan (1966-70). Here, too, he has been concerned to bring design up to date, trying on the one hand to show traditional roots and on the other hand to show a new identity. For this abbey and the church beside it, Nwoko used burnt tiles and a wedge-shaped almost expressionistic bell-tower rising to a point, and decked the whole with large-scale abstract mosaics in full colour. The result is an architectural masterpiece whose meaning and rank are much more than national..."