Colonial past
The Cathédrale Sainte-Marie in Libreville was founded in 1864, making it one of the oldest religious buildings in Central Africa. Its bell tower, built from the 4 masts of an old ship, and its flat-tiled roof are reminiscent of the naval architecture that inspired the construction of many religious buildings in the various French colonies. Alongside the churches, the missions also played a key role in the territorial grid. From the end of the 19th century onwards, this missionary utopia consisted in setting up posts and stations in remote areas to convert the native populations. This was accompanied by the necessary domestication of nature. The forest had to be "cut down for light, air and building materials". The mission's flagship buildings were the church, mission house, dormitories and kitchen. Initially, the buildings were constructed from wooden planks, then the missionaries developed dried mud brick construction and employed Western masonry techniques (balancing, straightness and verticality of the walls, cementing the bricks together with mud). In some missions, stone could be used for the missionary house, but it remained rare. The hostile nature of Gabon also necessitated adaptation to the climate and geography of the terrain, as in the case of the Talagouga mission, built on the banks of the River Ogooué, then moved to higher ground and fitted with buildings on masonry iron piles to protect the wooden structures. Very little remains of these religious missions, but the infrastructures of the Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, which was also a mission in its day, can give an idea of what these sort of Western villages recreated in the heart of Gabonese nature.
Vernacular riches
In Gabon, the Pygmies are famous for their rounded huts made entirely of perishable plant materials, thus leaving a minimal footprint on the environment. These domes are made of criss-crossing branches sunk into the ground, to which a covering of leaves is added. This hemispherical shape is unique in Gabon, as other traditional housing forms favor a rectangular plan... while retaining the use of natural materials. Dwellings are generally made of wood bark or long raffia palm leaves attached to a framework of stakes driven into the ground. Among the M'Pongwé, bamboo is the preferred material. The space between the planks is filled with palm leaves, giving the walls a smooth appearance. The framework is made of palm or bamboo and covered with raffia tiles. Among the Obamba and Akele, the main wooden door is entirely carved. Basketry, or the art of weaving plant fibers, is found among many ethnic groups, where walls, doors and windows are finely crafted from rattan palm. Generally speaking, the traditional village was originally conceived as a means of protection and defense. The huts are built close together and lined up along the village's single street, both ends of which were originally protected by watchtowers. The huts have several spaces organized around the central room and separated from each other by bamboo partitions. The kitchen is located outside, in a landscaped courtyard. Among the Fang, another key building is added to the village structure: the temple-hangar reserved for the bwiti rite. Its open façade is preceded by a sculpted or painted symbolic pole. The rest of the structure is similar to that of the huts.
Traditional housing then evolved in line with outside influences. The first to develop were the so-called rammed-earth houses, with a framework of interwoven palm stakes and laths, creating a wattle-and-daub structure that was then filled in and consolidated with clay. The roof, originally 2-sided, often became 4-sided, and awnings were added to protect the house. The missionaries, for their part, spread mud-brick construction to the villages surrounding the missions. The development of logging camps was accompanied by a new construction technique: that of machined wooden planks. Boards are nailed from the ground up to the roof, with each board overlapping the one below. To protect the base of the houses, the wood can be coated with black plaster or even diesel oil to repel termites, or a cement slab can be created into which the planks are embedded, or rows of cans can be partially sunk into the ground, neck down, onto which the planks are placed... an unusual technique widely used in the Libreville region. Another original habitat is that of the lake zone, where houses on stilts, whether made of logs or concrete, are proliferating. With their verandas enclosed by a balustrade and running all around the house, these dwellings offer excellent ventilation. While most of today's constructions are made from a mixture of machined planks or plywood and corrugated iron, the customs remain the same!
Contemporary effervescence
Gabon's independence was accompanied in Libreville by a construction fever that saw monumental buildings rise from the ground, with a strong emphasis on concrete. These buildings were designed to glorify the new government. Among the most representative of this trend between brutalism and monumentalism are the Ministry of Mines, with its strange cylindrical structure set on a pyramidal base of glass and concrete, and the Presidential Palace, nicknamed the "Palais du Bord de Mer", a monumental rectangle with marble and gilded interiors. St. Peter's Cathedral, with its projecting geometric volumes, is also part of this modernist frenzy. TheSaint-Michel de N'Kembo church, with its wooden colonnades sculpted by artist Zéphirin Lendogno, is a real architectural counterpoint to this modernism, and could almost be considered an architectural UFO! But this construction fever was also accompanied by a large number of pharaonic projects that were never completed, or whose structures are now abandoned. The two most famous examples are the Stade Omar Bongo (which, since 2021, has been the subject of a security operation... in the absence of rehabilitation) and the Centre International des Civilisations Bantoues, whose imposing concrete defences protect little more than ruins. To prevent such failures from happening again, the Gabonese government has launched a major plan to accelerate and transform the country, under which urban projects can no longer be launched without a validated budget and prior financing. Among the major projects underway: the "Baie des Rois" or the new Libreville marina, which by 2025 will include the creation of 3 buildings and a shopping mall, and since August 2022, the opening of the "promenade de la corniche", with kiosks and children's play areas. Another major project is the creation of a large government complex in Libreville, the master plan for which was designed by one of Africa's leading starchitects, David Adjaye, who seeks to create a dialogue between Bantu tradition, modernity and respect for the environment. A dialogue that is not always easy to maintain, given that many of the capital's buildings are now constructed by China, such as the Angondje stadium, whose 320 m-long arched structure (the longest in Africa) represents the bridge of friendship between Gabon and China, or the National Assembly and Senate Palaces, whose silhouettes blend futuristic architecture with classical elements. Preserving Gabon's traditions and identity is no easy task... fortunately, the ecotourism sector is booming and has made this preservation one of its missions. Ecolodges already exist, such as Dounia Park in Cap Estérias. And since 2021, a vast campaign has been launched by Gabonese subsidiary Luxury Green Resorts to create an ecotourism chain in major national parks, starting with the rehabilitation of the Pongara lodges and the creation of the Loango lodge, designed by Sylvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, architects of some of the continent's finest lodges.
Getaway to São Tomé and Príncipe
The large urban areas of the country still have the checkerboard pattern devised by the Portuguese colonists. The central point of the colonial city is the church, around which the key administrative buildings are built. The colonial buildings are made of cement and are distinguished by their balconies and elegant ironwork on the facade, their two-storey structure, their high ceilings, their tiled roofs and above all their colourful silhouettes. Alongside these cities, the Portuguese colonists also developed the system of roças, cocoa and caté plantations, which are organised around a large central square(roça-terreiro), along an avenue(roça-avenida) or which are thought of as cities(roça-cidade). They are dominated by the casa principal, the master's house, which can be recognized by its central and elevated position and its typically colonial architecture (gallery with columns running along the house, wide wooden staircase, tiled roof with 4 sides and awnings, decoration with a great deal of azulejos and friezes and mantling in carved wood). Another of the roça 's landmark buildings is the hospital. To counter criticism of the terrible conditions of the workers, the Portuguese built hospitals that looked like palaces. Flanked by majestic staircases and entrance kiosks, and adorned with Art Nouveau-inspired decorative elements, these hospitals were impressive, like the one on the roça Agostino Neto, which was accessed via a paved avenue lined with balustrades. The sanzalas, or workers' quarters, offer a striking contrast to this splendour. Initially made up of simple huts, these neighbourhoods then saw the appearance of brick houses and then the famous "comboios" or "trains", long narrow buildings where privacy is non-existent. Long abandoned, these roças are now being rehabilitated (transformed into hotels, restaurants...) and integrated into ecotourism projects... The latter will also allow you to discover the richness of the indigenous habitat, with the pretty wooden houses on stilts in mind!
