ABSTRACT
The African Design Centre (ADC) aims to guide African growth by educating future design leaders in impact-driven design. Established by the international nonprofit architecture firm MASS Design Group, the Centre builds on the success of the firm’s design methodology. It seeks to make high-impact design more broadly accessible across Africa, complementing the continent’s existing design programs with a curricular strategy that emphasizes project-based education. The core component of the ADC’s curriculum is the design/build project. Under the guidance of project managers, students lead projects through four stages of impact-driven design: immersion, design, construction, and evaluation. Fellows create personal relationships within the community they are building with that will last the duration of the project. These relationships inform each project stage. Through this experiential learning, which is complemented by seminars on a variety of topics, fellows educated at the ADC develop an understanding of context, critical thinking skills, and leadership skills.
