"The Zando Central Market redevelopment in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, designed by THINK TANK architecture, has been selected among the 20 winning projects of the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards in the Middle East and Africa region. Originally designed for 3,500 traders and now accommodating more than 20,000 vendors, the market has long operated under conditions of severe overcrowding and infrastructural strain."
"Patterned brick façades, inspired by Congolese textiles, function as moucharabieh screens that provide ventilation and shading, while "mushroom"-shaped concrete slabs reference the historic market structure and enhance stack ventilation. The Holcim Awards jury praised the project's structural clarity and contextual sensitivity, highlighting the expressive concrete system and terracotta façades, as well as the project's material restraint, using only two primary materials to achieve what the jury described as a brutalist yet emotionally resonant architecture suited to Kinshasa."
The Zando Central Market redevelopment addresses extreme overcrowding by reimagining the market as climate-responsive civic infrastructure that accommodates tens of thousands of vendors. The design pairs open concrete structures with locally produced terracotta bricks to reduce dependence on imported systems and to rely on local skills. Patterned terracotta façades modeled on Congolese textiles act as moucharabieh screens for shading and cross-ventilation, while mushroom-shaped concrete slabs reference historic forms and promote stack ventilation. The project was developed through extensive dialogue with authorities, vendors, and stakeholders and was recognized for structural clarity, contextual sensitivity, and material restraint.
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