Afrigram #1 is the first in a series of architectural explorations that reimagine urban landmarks through cultural overlays and digital storytelling. Developed by A4AC Architects, the project engages local craft traditions, advanced scanning technologies, and contextual modeling to propose new ways of seeing and shaping African cities.

This inaugural intervention focused on the iconic Southern Life Centre — known locally as the “Johnny Walker building” — a modernist skyscraper in Johannesburg’s CBD. In a collaboration rooted in cultural preservation and urban revitalization, A4AC commissioned bead artists from the nearby Kwa Mai Mai market to “dress” a scale model of the tower in vibrant, handcrafted beadwork. Kwa Mai Mai, one of the oldest traditional markets in Johannesburg, is a cultural hub deeply tied to indigenous identity, craftsmanship, and informal commerce.

The resulting beaded façade transformed the stark modernist lines of the building into a rich visual tapestry — a literal cultural skin layered onto the city’s architecture. This fusion of the traditional and the contemporary served as a metaphor for the potential of heritage-led urban design.

The model was then 3D scanned using a Creality scanner to preserve the craft digitally. That scan was integrated into a high-resolution photogrammetric model of the Johannesburg CBD, allowing the modified building to be viewed in its real urban context. The final composition was uploaded to Sketchfab and embedded on the A4AC website as an interactive model. Visitors can navigate the digital city and engage directly with this speculative yet grounded intervention.

The aim of Afrigram #1 was not only to celebrate local craft but to question how architecture might be more rooted in place and culture. By using beadwork — a storytelling medium in many Southern African traditions — as a façade treatment, the project proposes a new language for high-rise identity, one that acknowledges and celebrates the communities that surround it.

This project also demonstrates a workflow that blends analog and digital design processes. From commissioning local artisans to scanning and compositing the results into a digital twin of the city, the approach offers new tools for inclusive design — where community involvement meets cutting-edge visualization.

Afrigram #1 invites public dialogue and opens new possibilities for designers to consider how traditional techniques can shape the future of the built environment. The series as a whole aims to continue this exploration: how might we reimagine African architecture through collaboration, craft, and technology?

By making the intervention interactive and widely accessible online, Afrigram #1 becomes more than a conceptual exercise. It is a living, shareable digital prototype — a beacon for how design can engage the city, its people, and its heritage in meaningful, contemporary ways.

https://www.a4ac.co.za/afrigram-1