New Presidential Centre project in Johannesburg underway

The Thabo Mbeki Foundation has begun demolishing its offices in Riviera, Johannesburg, to make way for the construction of a presidential centre.

Similar to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, located at his former home in Houghton, the facility will serve as a publicly accessible archive and the base of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation.

“This marks the beginning of a new chapter and phase in our construction programme,” the legacy foundation said on Wednesday.

“We are excited for the next phase of this project — a project that will stand as a beacon of knowledge, reflection, and renewal.”

The Thabo Mbeki Presidential Centre was designed by renowned Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye and first unveiled in 2020.

Adjaye has designed several iconic buildings, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, and the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management.

The centre will consist of eight silo-shaped structures, meant to evoke African granaries, represented in design as a metaphor for knowledge.

In designing the presidential centre’s interior, the foundation has focused on four key concepts: sustainability, air quality, conservation, and local empowerment.

According to the foundation, its aim is to serve as a museum and library showcasing the rich and diverse history, culture, and creativity of Africa and its people.

The components of the collection on display to the public include archived documents such as letters and manuscripts; audiovisual materials, including speeches and interviews; photographic records; and artefacts such as personal belongings.

“My vision for the new presidential centre aims to encompass both an African past and an African future. It will be a place where Africans uncover their own history and identity,” Mbeki said about the project.

The Thabo Mbeki Presidential Centre will also host regular workshops, exhibitions, and interactive sessions for the public to attend.

In addition to the eight silos, the centre will also feature several gardens as well as an amphitheatre for discussions and performances.

“Using African agricultural practices of planting and harvesting as a metaphor for the cultivation and sharing of knowledge, the landscape design furthers the architectural intent,” the foundation said.

The University of South Africa (UNISA), where the Mbeki archival collection is currently held, is contributing to the Thabo Mbeki Foundation’s funding of the project.

Renders of the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Centre