Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre

Designed by Peter Rich Architects in collaboration with John Ochsendorf from MIT and Michael Ramage, Univ. of Cambridge, the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre is located at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers, on South Africa's northern border with Botswana and Zimbabwe. It was awarded World Architecture Festival 2009's World Building of the Year, and honors the site of an ancient civilization linked to the Great Zimbabwe trading culture that prospered between 1200 and 1300 A.D. The Interpretation Centre is a collection of stone-clad vaults that were built using a 600 year old construction system that minimizes both environmental and economical impact. The traditional timbrel vaulting was constructed of over 200,00 tiles that were made by local unskilled labor, through a poverty relief program. Against a backdrop of mopane woodlands and sandstone formations, the 1,500 square meter visitor’s center includes spaces to house artifacts and tell stories of the area's history, as well as tourist facilities and SANParks offices.