atelier masōmī

Initiated in 2014 by Mariam Issoufou Kamara, atelier masōmī is an architecture and research firm guided by the belief that architecture is an important tool for social change. masōmī means the inception in Hausa. We tackle public, cultural, residential, commercial and urban design projects. Our work investigates the power of design to elevate, give dignity and better people’s quality of life.

The principal architect, Mariam Issoufou Kamara, is a founding member of architectural collective united4design, which has projects in Niger, Afghanistan and the United States. In Niger, the collective completed Niamey 2000, a housing development that took a firm position on material selection by using unfired, earth masonry and passive cooling techniques to protect against Niger’s scorching temperatures. The design of Niamey2000 paid tribute to traditional architecture that used to be found in Mali, Niger and Nigeria. The project was awarded an American Institute of Architects Seattle Award and Architect Magazine’s 2017 R+D Award for innovation. Kamara’s second collaborative project was the Hikma Religious and Secular Complex. The project transformed a derelict mosque into a library that shares its site with a new mosque in the village of Dandaji in Niger. Hikma was inspired by Muslim scholars in the 9th century AD who made remarkable contributions to the sciences and humanities in Bagdad’s Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) through their engagement with theological and scientific matters. The project was awarded the 2017 Gold LafargeHolcim Award forAfrica and Middle East, and the 2018 Silver Global LafargeHolcim Award for Sustainable Architecture. This year Kamara was invited by LafargeHolcim Award for Sustainable Architecture to head up the jury for the Middle East and Africa. Collaboration with artisans, particularly local masons and artists in the places where our projects take place is important to our work in making sure we can share our skills with locals while learning from them particularly when it comes to context and embodied knowledge.

The firm is guided by a strong belief in the power of architecture to effect social, political and economic change. Our recent projects like the Dandaji Regional Market, which was short- listed for the 2019 Dezeen Awards, have helped to galvanise the economy of a small town while also creating much-needed public space in the village of Dandaji. This was possible through a design process that concerned itself with listening carefully for what was needed and allowing it to inform the project.Taking the time to find the story of a place, its intimate corners and silences has become one of the most important aspects of our practice. Ultimately, we have learned that these stories are not just in what we see and hear, but in what we touch, in the materials and physical elements that make up the topography inhabited by a community. Tapping into these various memories has enriched our design solutions and allowed us to manifest projects that viscerally belong, while looking to the future with hope.