Vernacular architecture
Iron Age dwellings rested on solid stone foundations and consisted of mud-walled huts with thatched roofs supported by logs, with no openings other than a very low entrance door. The Mmamagwa ruins date from this period. The archeological site of Dombashaba, on the other hand, demonstrates a perfect mastery of dry-stone architecture, consisting of an ingenious assembly of stone built without mortar. Here, you can see low walls demarcating areas of private dwellings and the remains of soil made of a mixture of earth, cow dung and clay. At this site, as at Majojo, the chief's residence, the kgosi, is located at the top of a hill. Tswana architecture is a direct descendant of these traditions. Although each of the tribes of this great people has its own architectural traditions, it is nevertheless possible to draw up a portrait of the Tswana habitat. Villages are the symbol of a highly codified social organization that maintains a well-defined boundary between public and private spaces. They are made up of different properties, themselves made up of several housing units. These properties are surrounded by an enclosure to preserve privacy, while each unit is linked to the others by a small adobe wall. The dwellings are round huts, called rondavelles, which can be recognized by their conical thatched roofs. The structure is made of wood, while the walls are usually built of hand-molded mud bricks. These are then coated with a mixture of earth and lime, which is then painted and decorated according to local motifs called lekgapho. The courtyard at the front of the huts, or lolwapa, is the central feature of each property. The various properties are organized around the heart of the village: the kgotla, which serves as village council, court of justice and meeting place. This is where the kgosi's residence is located. Examples of this vernacular architecture have been reconstructed at the National Museum in Gaborone and the Phuthadikobo Museum in Mochudi. The town has also preserved its original heart with its kgotla, where you can see the ruins of the kgosi 's residence and two grain silos, key elements for this farming people.
Colonial heritage
The architecture of the colonial period alternates between an extreme simplicity of form and materials - buildings being mostly made of earth and adobe, as exemplified by Gaborone's "Village", where the first earthen fort and police station can still be seen, and Kanye 's kgotla, with its tribal offices all dating from the 19th or early 20th century - and more European architecture, particularly for buildings such as schools, churches and government offices. The English employed the eclectic Victorian style, recognizable by its use of red brick and Gothic fortress-like buildings. The most striking examples of this style are the ruins of the London Missionary Society in Old Palapye. The Dutch influence can be seen in the Cape Dutch-style buildings, which can be recognized by their immaculate white or lightly-colored gabled walls, four-sided roofs made of red-painted corrugated iron and the frequent presence of verandas on the front facade. The Phuthadikobo Museum in Mochudi is the most famous representative of this style. The Dutch presence can also be seen in the importance given to churches, often white and sober in style. The colonial period also saw the development of industrial and mining towns. Francistown experienced an extraordinary boom with the first gold rush on the African continent, while Lobatse boasts the country's oldest tarmac road, built in 1948 on the occasion of a royal visit! Vast ranches, often imagined as palaces, have also sprung up in rural areas.
Contemporary Botswana
After independence, Botswana saw a proliferation of modernist buildings with simple, unadorned volumes and a strong emphasis on concrete. The National Assembly in Gaborone is one of the most famous representatives of this movement. With its vast rectangular floor plan and immaculate white concrete arches, it's impossible to miss. Gaborone's Trinity Church is also a model of modernism. This period also saw an urban renewal with the development of the new Gaborone around its Mall, the city's economic center, and its large squares lined with the city's key buildings, a mix of glass, aluminum and concrete. Residential districts also flourished, with the development of bungalow-type housing, following a rectangular plan and using mainly cement and concrete. New towns sprang up around newly-discovered diamond deposits, such as Orapa. Most of these towns are secured by enclosures. Generally speaking, Botswana experienced very strong urban growth from the 1990s onwards, which was somewhat anarchic, with the development of shanty towns around urban towns and villages. Today, the capital is trying to regain its urban coherence, particularly around the Central Business District, whose skyline is constantly changing with the appearance of ever-taller buildings, such as the i-Towers. But Gaborone has also opted for green, sustainable architecture, as demonstrated by the Botswana Innovation Hub project designed by SHoP, an American agency specializing in green technologies and creating an energy cover designed to have as little impact on the environment as possible. This approach is also reflected in the eco-lodges that are springing up in major nature reserves. Sustainability, the use of natural, local materials and respect for nature are the watchwords at Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the country. Between tradition and innovation, Botswana has not finished reinventing itself!
