RIBA Competition shortlist announced for the Masai Mara Conservation Centre

From left to right: ©DCS and Architects, © Hayman and Charlton, © Studio Moren, © Void Studios

The shortlist has been announced for the international open competition to design a new Conservation Centre at Oloololo Gate, Masai Mara, Kenya.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) competition, on behalf of Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy, received over 100 entries from 32 different countries by the deadline date.

Entrants were challenged with designing a Conservation Centre that would become an innovative and engaging facility for tourists and visitors that aims to educate, inspire, and create awareness about conservation and the traditions of the Maasai people.

The Centre will be a focal point for visitors to the Masai Mara, providing an immersive educational experience that highlights the significance of the natural and cultural heritage of the area.

From the spectacle of the great migration to the intricate coexistence of the Maasai people and wildlife, the Centre is designed to deepen visitors' understanding and appreciation of the Mara’s unique ecosystem.

The Panel evaluated the anonymous design entries and have shortlisted four entries, who are (in alphabetical order):

• DCS + Architects, Rome, Italy
• Hayman + Charlton Architects, Queensland, Australia
• Studio Moren, London, UK
• Void Studios, Manchester, UK

Florence Nyole, President, Architectural Association of Kenya, part of the Evaluation Panel said: “The design competition for the Conservation Centre has attracted outstanding architectural talent that captured the Spirit of Place and the Maasai Culture with the African Wildlife in the background. The forms, the rich colours and the flow of spaces met the brief with most of them exceeding our expectations. It was a tough session for the jury but the emerging top 4 showed exemplary solutions that can be taken further to give Conservancy a breathtaking centre. We wish them the best in the next phase of the competition.”

The shortlisted entrants will receive detailed feedback on their design to enable further development before a final presentation and interview will take place to select the winner in November 2024.