This design began with an unexpected text message to the OOA team from a close friend: “How do you design a building?” Distilling years of architectural education and a decade of practice into a series of WhatsApp messages across continents is no small feat. As we attempted to synthesize the complexities of the design process on a mobile screen, it became clear that Tyler and Shannon Davis, regional directors for Angama, were envisioning something far more profound than a simple DIY project. What started as a casual inquiry quickly evolved into a remarkable, career-defining commission.
Having visited Angama Mara years prior, we were already intimately familiar with the magic of the landscape. Our travels across Namibia and Zimbabwe had exposed us to extraordinary safari architecture, but Angama Mara possessed a singular soul. We recalled standing on the site years ago, admiring the elegant canvas-and-stone structures designed by Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, musing that designing for the Mara would be the ultimate dream project.
Nearly four years later, that dream materialized.
The Angama team had successfully executed several smaller structures in-house, but their latest vision—a dedicated Map Room—demanded a higher level of architectural complexity. The timing was serendipitous; the newly Office of Ordinary Architecture had the agility and creative freedom to take on such an endeavor. When the invitation came to fly to Kenya and design the space in situ, we jumped at the chance.
Upon landing in the Mara, we hit the ground running with a highly ambitious brief: integrate an entirely new architectural typology—one with very few global precedents—into Angama’s established design vernacular, and deliver a conceptual solution within three days.
Our first task was an intensive site analysis, studying the existing camp’s architectural language. Equipped with metric measuring tools (navigating bush-plane baggage limits notwithstanding), we spent hours documenting scales, proportions, and material transitions. We immersed ourselves in the existing structures, debating how their form and rhythm could thoughtfully inform the new intervention.
Collaborating closely with the Angama leadership team to align on their vision, we identified the ideal site: a prominent plot adjacent to the Pavilion and just north of the Photographic Studio. We transformed our guest tent into a temporary design studio. Rolls of tracing paper and architectural scales crowded the table, punctuated only by brief pauses to spot elephants through binoculars or embark on essential site workshops.
The Map Room is designed to serve as a vital tripartite anchor for the guest experience:
Orientation: Providing weary travelers with an immediate, grounding sense of place within the vast African landscape.
Education: Acting as an intellectual hub where guests can study the geography, ecology, and history of the region.
Embarkation: Serving as the ceremonial starting point for daily safaris and the gathering space where guests return to share sightings and stories.
The architectural centerpiece of the interior is a monumental steel map sculpture by artist Simon Bannister. This installation acts as both a visual anchor and a functional tool for wildlife tracking. Guides and guests can interact with the piece daily, mapping the movement of species across the reserve to create a living, visual log of the Mara's ecosystem.
On our final day, we presented the conceptual drawings to the leadership team in the lodge's library. The proposed design honors Angama’s signature elements while introducing a distinct, narrative-driven identity. The architecture synthesizes traditional Maasai brickwork, expressive trellises that evoke zebra striping, and the iconic conical forms that define the main lodge.
To balance refinement with a sense of historical exploration—a nod to the golden age of travel—the design employs a juxtaposition of geometric forms. A strong rectilinear volume houses the Bannister map, giving the installation weight and prominence. Intersecting this volume is a striking conical form, sheltering a central timber table where guests can roll out large-format topographical maps. Suspended above this table, an industrial pulley light fixture allows for multi-functional illumination, adding a tactile, cinematic quality to the space.
The concept was met with enthusiastic approval from the client, marking a seamless end to an intense design charrette.
While leaving the Mara is never easy, we returned to our studio in the United States energized for the next phase of the process. Transitioning from hand sketches in the bush to precise digital modeling, the design continued to develop and we provided full construction drawings to the team to execute halfway across the world. Now the map room has come to life as an integral part of the Angama Mara experience.
