"Each Constraint Becomes More of an Opportunity": In Conversation With Holcim Award Winner THINK TANK architecture
The Zando Central Market redevelopment in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, designed by THINK TANK architecture, has been selected among the 20 winning projects of the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards in the Middle East and Africa region. Originally designed for 3,500 traders and now accommodating more than 20,000 vendors, the market has long operated under conditions of severe overcrowding and infrastructural strain. The project stands out for its large-scale public ambition, its reliance on locally available materials and skills, and its capacity to accommodate both formal and informal economies within a rapidly transforming urban context.