An emerging architect with a wealth of accolades under her belt, Mariam Kamara heads Atelier Masōmī, a boutique architecture practice in Niamey, Niger. The architect gained global recognition in 2018 when she was chosen for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé scheme and mentored by Sir David Adjaye over the course of two years. She was also shortlisted for the prestigious 2019 Royal Academy Dorfman Award and has been announced a 2020 Honorary Fellow at The Royal Institute of Canada. She was also part of the 2019 Wallpaper* Architects Directory.
Her studio was set up in 2014 and has been going from strength to strength. Kamara considers collaboration a crucial part of her work. ‘With each collaboration we push the needle further but also learn so much from the people we collaborate with,’ she explains. ‘The Hikma Religious and Secular Complex allowed us to work with local masons to reinterpret traditional Hausa architecture.‘
Dandaji Market.
‘The same is true for our Niamey 2000 housing project,’ she continues, ‘where our inspiration came from pre-colonial cities in the region such as Timbuktu in Mali, Kano in Nigeria, or Zinder in Niger. [With] the Dandaji Regional Market, we managed to achieve our goal to create a space that projects a sense of confidence and aspiration for the current and future users of the market.’
Kamara’s design for the Niamey Cultural Center is currently in construction, while also being exhibited at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, where the architect is additionally showing an installation responding to the theme ‘How Will We Live Together?’, created in collaboration with the Tuareg Sculptors Collective in her home country.
Despite undeniable challenges ahead, the future feels exciting for Kamara. ‘What’s exciting about the future of architecture is the chance to tackle some of our biggest challenges at the moment. The demographic explosion in the Global South is one such challenge. How do we think about building capacity and infrastructure to meet this challenge while also trying not to exacerbate the climate crisis?’
Niamey 2000.
Niamey 2000.
INFORMATION
A version of this article appears in Wallpaper’s October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue (W*270), on newsstands now and available to subscribers – 12 digital issues for $12/£12/€12.
Meet more creative leaders of the future nominated by architect Frida Escobedo here.
-
Pierre Yovanovitch’s set and costumes bring a contemporary edge to Korea National Opera in SeoulFrench interior architect Pierre Yovanovitch makes his second operatic design foray, for The Marriage of Figaro in Seoul
-
The best hotels in Hong KongFrom sky-high glamour to intimate design sanctuaries, here's our pick of Hong Kong's finest stays
-
Stay in a Parisian apartment which artfully balances minimalism and warmthTour this pied-a-terre in the 7th arrondissement, designed by Valeriane Lazard
-
The 10 emerging West African architects changing the worldWe found the most exciting emerging West African architects and spatial designers; here are the top ten studios from the region revolutionising the spatial design field
-
The World Monuments Fund has announced its 2025 Watch – here are some of the endangered sites on the listEvery two years, the World Monuments Fund creates a list of 25 monuments of global significance deemed most in need of restoration. From a modernist icon in Angola to the cultural wreckage of Gaza, these are the heritage sites highlighted
-
‘Architecture Encounters’ traces period-defining built environment stories in Togo and West Africa‘Architecture Encounters’ (Les Rencontres Architecturales de Lomé) in Togo celebrates and explores West Africa’s rich heritage through the prism of conservation and transformation, kicking off with two days of talks, workshops, exhibitions and tours at Palais de Lomé
-
A Somali café by Omar Degan supports community in MogadishuArbe, a Somali café by Omar Degan, offers a gathering hub for the community in Mogadishu
-
130 William by Adjaye Associates’ holistic vision is unveiled in New YorkWe unveil the holistic design of Adjaye Associates’ 130 William, the residential scheme that has just completed in New York
-
Venice turns into ‘laboratory of the future’ with 18th Architecture Biennale openingCurator Lelsey Lokko’s theme, ‘The Laboratory of the Future’, brings passion, intensity and imagination to the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, while placing Africa at its heart
-
Venice Architecture Biennale 2023: the ultimate guideAs the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 opens, we explore the offerings at the world’s famous celebration of building design
-
Kéré Architecture’s Uganda community centre provides safety and opportunityA Uganda community centre created by Kéré Architecture was designed with development in mind
