Bahai Temple

Kinshasa, D.R. Congo

Visualization © Oshinowo Studio

Religious buildings

Architects: Oshinowo Studio

Location: Kinshasa, D.R. Congo

We were invited to take part in a closed competition to design the regional temple for the Bahia faith in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The project involved the master planning of the entire site in addition to all supporting buildings.

For our design concept, while retaining the typology required for a Bahia temple, we drew inspiration from the Kuba (also known as the Bakuba) people living in the south-eastern democratic republic of Congo between Kasai and Samkuru rivers.

The Kuba people are known for their textiles featuring distinctive geometric patterns. Their textile patterns demonstrate a taste for interrupting the expected line; they compose through juxtapositions of sharply differing units and abrupt shifts of form.