The 1960s and 70s were an explosive period for experimental architecture in Africa – from vast Toblerone-shaped exhibition centres to giant lily-bud auditoriums. Swiss architect Manuel Herz has tracked down 80 of these lost monuments of African independence for a new book, African Modernism
Sun 1 Mar 2015 18.39 GMT First published on Sun 1 Mar 2015 18.37 GMT
Some of the many triangular prisms that form the FIDAK exhibition centre, which was built in 1975 in the Senegalese capital Dakar to host the country’s biennial international trade fair. Designed by French architects Jean Francois Lamoureux and Jean-Louis Marin
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Designed by British architect James Cubitt in 1956 Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
A line of Toblerone-shaped pavilions of the KNUST stadium in Kumasi, Ghana. By KNUST Development Office, 1964-67
The Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, which was initiated by independent Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, as a luxury HQ for the ruling Kanu party. Designed by Norwegian architect Karl Henrik Nøstvik, 1967-73
The lily-bud shaped auditorium of the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The 32-storey venue was tripled in height after the World Bank decided to host its annual meeting in Nairobi in 1973
One of the open galleries at the University of Zambia in Lusaka. Arranged along an axial spine, the faculty buildings have exposed staircases with kiosks and seating areas built in to create a street-like bustle. By South African architect Julian Elliott, 1965-70
The great concrete La Pyramide, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, was a brave attempt to reinvent the city’s covered market. However, it failed due to its high maintenance costs and inefficient design, and has been empty since the 1980s. By Italian architect Rinaldo Olivieri, 1973
