News

The New Zando and the Future of Sustainable Architecture in Africa

In 2026, Kinshasa reopens one of its most emblematic urban spaces: the Marché Central, popularly known as Zando. After five years of closure, the market resumes operations with a new proposal. It now combines sustainable solutions, local identity, and a management model that blends public and private interests.

Zando has always been more than a shopping center. Located in the Gombe commune, it is a daily meeting point for thousands of people. Over the decades, it evolved from a colonial structure into an overcrowded informal space. Today, the new building is seen as a symbol of urban transformation.

A project that connects architecture and climate

The new structure was designed by the French firm THINK TANK Architecture. Its main highlight lies in passive solutions for ventilation and thermal comfort. The market’s roof, composed of mushroom-shaped modules, allows hot air to circulate without relying on air conditioning. The perforated brick façade protects against direct sunlight and pays homage to traditional Congolese textiles.

Material choices also had a positive impact on the local economy. The terracotta bricks were produced in regional factories, generating jobs and reducing the environmental cost associated with transportation.

Water management and low energy consumption

The market was designed to operate in a context where public services are unstable. The rainwater harvesting system, for example, allows for cleaning and irrigation of internal courtyards even without support from the municipal network. Green courtyards help reduce temperatures and increase urban biodiversity.

In addition, the inclusion of 40 cold storage rooms in the new facility reduces food waste and improves food security for the city.

PPP, conflicts, and social challenges

The project was carried out through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Sogema, a private company led by Dieudonné Bakarani, is responsible for financing and operating the market for 25 years.

Bakarani, who was once a vendor at Zando himself, argues that the renovation is a way to restore dignity to workers. However, criticism remains. Local organizations point to a lack of transparency in the contract and warn of the risk of excluding informal vendors.

During the construction period, thousands of families were left without a stable income. Temporary markets failed to accommodate all traders, leading to protests and economic losses.

Before and after: a new infrastructure

What is at stake?

Zando has the potential to become a reference in sustainable architecture adapted to the African context. However, the success of the project will depend on its ability to remain accessible to small-scale traders. If operating costs become too high, there is a risk of exclusion and a return to informal commerce in surrounding streets.

The reopening marks the end of a difficult period and the beginning of a new cycle. The central question now is whether the new market will serve the city as a whole or only part of it.

Why does this matter for those designing with sustainability in mind?

Zando shows that sustainability is not only a technical issue, but also a social and economic one. Local materials, low-energy solutions, and respect for culture are essential components of any project with real impact.

UGREEN

The practical foundation for those who want to apply sustainability

The UGREEN Pass Starter is the entry point for anyone who wants to understand sustainability without noise.

It was created to organize the basics that almost no one explains properly: how decisions about home, consumption, materials, and the built environment affect health, comfort, and everyday costs.

The Pass Starter brings together practical courses and mentoring sessions designed for immediate application.

With it, you get access to content such as:

• Sustainable Home

• Sustainable Materials

• Biophilic Design

• Home Detox

• Plus, complementary courses already included in the access.

For just US$ 97, you get 1 year of access to all of this and much more.

If you want to make 2026 the year sustainability transforms everything from your daily life to your projects, the UGREEN Pass Starter is the right option to start this change.

Video

Russian housing was never just about shelter

In Russia, housing has always been directly tied to politics, climate, and social organization. Housing options did not emerge solely from architectural choices but as responses to crises, ideologies, and the constant need to survive extreme conditions.

Isbas: techniques to withstand the cold

Before 20th-century urbanization, most of the population lived in rural areas. Isbas were wooden houses designed to retain heat: interlocking logs without nails, moss used for sealing, and a large central stove that provided heating, cooking, and, during extreme temperatures, a warm surface for sleeping.

From a thermal perspective, they were efficient. From a sanitary perspective, they were not. Large families occupied very small areas, and during winter, young animals were brought indoors.

Accelerated urbanization and housing collapse

With industrialization, millions migrated from the countryside to cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Cities were unprepared. Workers began renting corners of rooms, beds shared in shifts, and damp basements without ventilation.

In 1913, the average urban living space was only 6.3 m² per person, including elite housing.

Housing as an instrument of the state

After the 1917 Revolution, housing ceased to be a private asset. Apartments considered “surplus” were redistributed, giving rise to kommunalkas, communal apartments where multiple families shared kitchens, bathrooms, and corridors.

Private life was reduced to a minimum. Coexistence was mandatory, constant, and monitored.

The problem that emerged

How could housing be provided to millions of people, quickly, with limited resources, in a country with an extreme climate, while also using architecture to shape social behavior?

The Soviet response would involve standardized construction, fully planned neighborhoods, and an unprecedented scale of production. But these solutions also created new technical, social, and urban limitations that still affect cities today.

Interested in the topic?

Watch our full video to understand in detail how these solutions were applied in practice and what consequences they generated across the largest continent in the world.

Disclaimer: The video is in Brazilian Portuguese, but simultaneous translation and subtitles are available in multiple languages.