The Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) opened in 1973 in the heart of Nairobi, a decade after Kenya achieved independence from the British. It’s named after Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first president, and symbolizes the country’s ascent into a bold, post-colonial, pan-African future.
Architects Karl Henrik Nøstvik and David Mutiso combined Indigenous Kenyan design with Brutalism at KICC: A 3-story concrete plinth supports a futuristic tower topped with a disc for natural shading and a plenary amphitheater, inspired by the conical thatched homes of rural Kenya. Both the amphitheater and tower are clad with light terracotta.
In 2026, KICC will host the inaugural Pan-African Architecture Biennale, a fitting venue for such an event. The biennale is curated by Omar Degan, the Italian-born Somali founding architect of DO Architecture Group. Degan’s book, Mogadishu through the eyes of an architect, was published in 2020, not long after he proposed Somalia’s first civil war memorial.
The Pan-African Architecture Biennale will be the first of its kind on the African continent, Degan said. Its theme will be Shifting the Center: From Fragility to Resilience.
The fully African-led biennale seeks to “shift the center of architectural discourse by foregrounding African cities, cultural memory, and design agency on a global stage,” Degan told AN.
“At a time when the politics of space, identity, and climate are reshaping our world, this event will bring together architects and thinkers from all 54 African nations, alongside voices from the diaspora and the West, to engage in urgent conversations around decolonization, urban transformation, and the future of global architecture,” Degan added.
Citing Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta’s contemporary in Ghana, the curators declare that African unity is necessary for advancing into the future.
“From Fragility to Resilience is not a linear path but a dialectic between memory and innovation, repair and speculation, survival and imagination,” the statement says. “This Biennale becomes a platform for African architects, thinkers, and communities to not only reclaim authorship over their built environments but to shape global conversations on sustainability, identity, and the futures of urban life.”
The curatorial statement continues:
“The biennale will shift the center by showcasing African-led solutions and reaffirming that Africa does not need Western validation. The West, with its colonial legacy, has often positioned itself as the arbiter of what is modern, sustainable, and civilized. This biennale rejects those frameworks and places Africa at the center of the global architectural discourse. It will highlight African innovation in sustainable design, resilient cities, and cultural preservation, offering the world a new model for urbanism.”
September 1, 2026, will be the Pan-African Architecture Biennale’s opening date.
More information about the biennale will be made available in the coming months.
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