The Zimbabwe German Society.

Goethe Zentrum Harare (ZGS/GZH) Pavilion

The Zimbabwe German Society/ Goethe Zentrum Harare (ZGS/GZH) recently celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of Atheir new pavilion at their language and cultural centre in Milton Park. The multi-functional space has become the centre for workshops, celebrations and events hosting musicians, theatre performances, book readings and conferences. It also works as an additional study space during the day for students and teachers.

It was designed by architect Kristina Egbers from the Berlin based architectural practice studio*k and has received special mention as a nominee for the ArchDaily Small Scale and Installations category awards. Egbers also designed and oversaw the construction of the Rising Star School in Hopley which we featured in our last issue. Rising Star was also nominated for a number of awards and the two projects share some of the same design aesthetics. Both structures have a deceptively simple – and functional – design and both use a similar, restrained palette of materials. Local, unadorned bricks are the main material, complemented with timber – and all easily and affordably available. Egbers also used most of the same contractors for both projects – Shining Beam Construction. In fact, the two projects were taking place at the same time and workers were alternating between the two sites as needed, headed by the site foreman Blessing Katambarare and his assistant Talent Rupiya. They also had skilled carpenters, brick layers and metal workers on site. Godfrey Nyagato from ArchStruct Design provided engineering consultancy and designs. needed to be replaced. The old gazebo had to be demolished and in 2020 the journey towards the new structure began. Egbers consulted with ZGS/GZH to find out exactly what was required and presented two alternative designs. There was an extensive consultation process between the architect, the ZGS/GZH team and the other parties involved. The final design which was chosen has a rectangular footprint, slightly larger than the old gazebo at 130 square meters – the available space in the back garden at ZGS/GZH is quite restricted.

The structure is made up of a series of brick columns, each about a metre in depth, so the inside space is fairly sheltered from the elements. There are no doors or windows but there’s the option to add heavy curtains at a later stage if needed. The rows of columns are set up symmetrically so they’re the same on both sides. The columns in the middle of each side are set at 0 degrees. The next row of four columns – two on either side of the central columns - are set at 15 degrees, the next row at 30 degrees and the final columns are set at 45 degrees. This means that there are different slices of the view of the garden which change as you move around the internal space. At one end is a small raised stage, constructed in brick, which has a front face of bricks set in a horizontal chevron pattern. The stage is not very deep but can be extended with timber blocks to create different sizes and configurations as needed. Behind the stage a plain wall creates two dressing rooms with an entrance on either side.

The roof is made of locally assembled trusses branching off in a V-shape from the central beam. Because the brick columns are twisted at different angles the trusses are of different lengths and set at different angles so it’s a bit of a structural jigsaw which was quite demanding to fit together. The complicated structure was made by The Wattle Company. The trusses support an LED lighting rig designed and supplied by Mildred Moyo from Phenomenal Lighting and Power Solutions for theatrical productions or musical events. The simple wooden chairs were designed and supplied by Nora Muller from local furniture makers Pachipamwe Africa.

Above the trusses is a plywood ceiling and above that an open air deck clad in red gum timber. The top deck can accommodate at most 50 people, making the venue very flexible for different events. A brick staircase, angled at 45 degrees to match the last row of columns, leads up to the roof. The metalworkers from the Hopley project have made simple steel balustrades and rails for the staircase and the deck.

Kristina Egbers is founder of Berlin-based practice studio*k.

“The first, probably obvious, but still indispensable skill for me is sketching with a pen, so that I can quickly and easily put thoughts on paper. Even when developing details, this can help to avoid overthinking and planning. The second, and often lost, skill is designing directly at the construction site. But this is still possible, especially with my projects in Zimbabwe, so that I can develop and solve details with our team directly during construction. Of course, this is often the setting of bricks in different bonds that characterise my projects.”