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Inside mid-century Tropical Modernist architecture | V&A

Published on Tue, Feb 27th 2024 Entertainment Rectangular HD

Welcome to “the Bauhaus in the Tropics”. Developed by British architects in the 1940s, Tropical Modernism is a unique style of mid-century architecture which brought the clean lines of European Modernism to the hot, humid conditions of West Africa. From its colonialist beginnings, we trace how the style was adopted by newly-independent Ghana in the 1960s to become a symbol of freedom, modernity and progressiveness. Weaving archive footage, contemporary location shots of key buildings, and interviews with architects of the time, this film reflects on the legacy of Tropical Modernism, and its lessons for a climate-conscious future.

00:00 Colonial origins
00:45 Who started Tropical Modernism?
01:09 How were schools designed?
02:48 Challenges of designing architecture for African climate
03:24 Decolonisation and African independence
04:55 Ghana Independence Day, 1957
06:52 Why should local communities be involved in design?
07:23 Inside Kwame Nkrumah University, Kumasi
09:35 Why did Tropical Modernism end?
10:45 What is the future for African architecture? Climate change?

Watch the full 30-minute film displayed across three screens inside the exhibition, Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence at V&A South Kensington from 2 March – 22 September 2024.

More about the exhibition: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/tropical-modernism-architecture-and-independence

See our Architecture collection: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/architecture