Latitude

Pemba, Mozambique

2018–2013

Formerly known as Port Amelia, Pemba is the northernmost coastal city of Mozambique, 300 km from the border with Tanzania. Capital of the Province of Cabo Delgado, this city (pop. 200,000) draws most of its economic activity from the logistic services connected with the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) facility being built in the nearby municipality of Palma with its deep-water port.

The project is an ensemble of three single-use nine-storey buildings, with mixed residential and office uses, located at the busy intersection of Xai Avenue, connecting to the beaches and to the city centre, and the EN10 national highway, connecting to the airport and the port. Given the prominence of the corner site and the height of the buildings — making them easily identifiable anywhere in the city, even from afar — the design strives to achieve a certain landmark
status through its abstract composition.

The three buildings — one with a longer rectangular plan and the two others with square plans — are positioned to form an inward square, sheltered from the surrounding air and noise pollution, with services and convenience retail.  The buildings are sequentially perched on a podium at different heights, following the slope of the terrain and the adjoining street.

The construction system is devised to be mainly erected using a simple assembly method with minimal maintenance. A reiterative shading system of vertical precast concrete fins is layered over a solid brick wall and held floor-to-floor by a concrete slab protruding 25 to 45 cm according to sun exposure. This creates a powerful presence, capable of absorbing defects, errors and potential alterations, including any later add-ons or fixtures, which are common to this type of development in the region. The identity of each block is given by the lightly coloured pigment of the fins, executed, respectively, in green, salmon and beige.

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Pemba, Mozambique

Axonometric perspective

Location: Pemba (Port Amelia), Mozambique
Client: Entreposto Group
Scope of services: Architecture and landscape architecture
Project brief: Ensemble of three 9-storey buildings (two residential and one office)
Gross floor area: 16,237 sq. m
(6,087 sq. m block I – 38 residential units, 4,570 sq. m block II – offices, 5,580 sq. m block III – 29 residential units, plus underground parking)
Construction cost: USD 11m (block I)
Project status: 2013 (concept design) – 2018 (block I built, blocks II and III on hold)
Illustration and photography: Promontorio