Kéré Architecture’s Uganda community centre provides safety and opportunity
A Uganda community centre created by Kéré Architecture, in collaboration with a local NGO and an international foundation, was designed with development in mind

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Kéré Architecture is an established name in the global architecture scene for work that elegantly balances quality design and social commitment. A Uganda community centre, its latest project, is a case in point, showcasing once more founder Francis Kéré’s attention towards education and sustainable architecture, an approach he displayed in recent work such as the SLAK campus in Kenya, and which won him the 2022 Pritzker Prize.
The Kamwokya Community Centre in Uganda was designed to enable the provision of sports, leisure and creativity in an open-air space in Kampala. The project uses a raised platform with embedded drainage to prevent it from being flooded – an issue the site had in previous years. The raised playground space is divided into adjacent courts, each at slightly different heights, which creates a natural division between different areas for seating, sports, education and community activities.
Kamwokya Community Centre in Kampala, Uganda
Making the new Uganda community centre
The community centre is the result of a collaboration between the Kamwokya Christian Caring Community (KCCC), a local non-profit NGO (it has worked since 1987 to improve access to basic social, psychological and economic services in Uganda) and the Ameropa Foundation, a Switzerland-based international charity. The foundation provides local services with the structure and management to implement projects, and its collaboration with KCCC and Kéré Architecture aims to inspire the community and provide them with a central and safe hub.
Francis Kéré describes how the centre ‘will provide inspiration and a public space for the community, improving the quality of life’. Founder of Ameropa Foundation Nicole Miescher speaks of it being somewhere that ‘children can play in a safe and clean environment’. In order to ensure the site was fit for its community, Kéré collaborated with Ugandan studio JE Nsubuga & Associates utilising its local knowledge and expertise.
Children look through shutters at Kamwokya Community Centre in Kampala, Uganda
Red-brick walls and corrugated iron roofing make up the 1,600 sq m site. Spaces are dotted with seating areas and open platforms, creating a central and well-lit safe space for social gatherings. Inside, spaces are naturally ventilated with wooden shutters and hold multiple areas for learning and collaborating. Two buildings house a gym, an internet café, a music studio, an office; flexible areas provide opportunity for development, with a variety of classes for adults on the plans for the coming years.
Another block holds basic and key sanitary facilities, while chess boards are dotted around the site, along with spaces for people to eat together – and be brought together. A tall sculptural tower adds height to the composition, contributing to a complex that ‘demonstrates that marginalised communities deserve better, (providing) moments of hope, happiness and sustainable solutions’, says Francis Mbaziira, CEO of KCCC.
Children learning at Kamwokya Community Centre in Kampala, Uganda
Kamwokya Community Centre in Kampala, Uganda
Kamwokya Community Centre in Kampala, Uganda
Children looking through shutters at Kamwokya Community Centre in Kampala, Uganda
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Martha Elliott is the Junior Digital News Editor at Wallpaper*. After graduating from university she worked in arts-based behavioural therapy, then embarked on a career in journalism, joining Wallpaper* at the start of 2022. She reports on art, design and architecture, as well as covering regular news stories across all channels.
-
Ronan Bouroullec book merges art, design and everyday life
‘Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day’, from Phaidon, is a visual inventory of the French designer’s work, artistic output and daily inspiration
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Inside the gleaming new Comme des Garçons store in Paris
Comme des Garçons reveals a four-storey new retail space in Paris, housing lines previously only available in Japan, as well as exclusive reissues of Rei Kawakubo’s collectible furniture
By Jack Moss Published
-
Eva Jospin and Ruinart put the fizz in Frieze London 2023
Champagne house Ruinart brings artist Eva Jospin’s vision of its terroir to Frieze London 2023, and celebrates with a limited edition Jeroboam of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
By Simon Mills Published
-
Sustainable architecture: innovative and inspiring building design
This is sustainable architecture at its best: from amazing abodes to centres of care and hard-working offices, these buildings not only look good but also do good
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Slot House sets a high bar for sustainable architecture in Utah
Slot House, an energy-efficient mountain retreat in Utah, by local practice Klima Architecture, sets the bar high
By Eva Hagberg Published
-
A Somali café by Omar Degan supports community in Mogadishu
Arbe, a Somali café by Omar Degan, offers a gathering hub for the community in Mogadishu
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Venice turns into ‘laboratory of the future’ with 18th Architecture Biennale opening
Curator 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
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Spruce house offers a minimalist take on sustainable architecture
Spruce House, London practice Ao-ft’s debut project, is a carefully crafted timber house that perfectly slots into its urban landscape
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Material Cultures workshops support shift towards sustainable building practices
Material Cultures workshops explore new approaches to promote sustainability in the construction industry
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
London's Exchange House gets a sustainable revamp
London's iconic Exchange House in Broadgate has been transformed for the 21st century by Piercy&Company
By Nana Ama Owusu-Ansah Published
-
Is ProxyAddress architecture’s answer to solving homelessness?
ProxyAddress founder Chris Hildrey talks to us about architecture changing the world, and his pioneering initiative to help solve homelessness
By Ellie Stathaki Published