HKA PROCESS

HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates stands as a beacon of sustainable architecture, engineering, urbanism, and industrial design on the global stage. Established by the visionary Hermann Kamte in 2017, it has rapidly grown to garner a stellar international reputation, with a cohesive team at its heart that embodies a rich tapestry of ethnic and cultural diversity.

Working as a united entity, we pride ourselves on our inclusive and varied team. Our firm offers a comprehensive suite of services encompassing Architecture, Design, Urbanism, and Landscape, coupled with educational initiatives, research, and development. Together, we are committed to shaping a future that harmonizes cutting-edge design with sustainable practices, continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

In our youthful journey as a practice, we have already captured the attention of the international stage, spearheading an array of projects across continents including Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. A recipient of numerous international accolades, HKA steadfastly centers its efforts on sustainable development, seamlessly incorporating modern design tools into our creative process to forge structures with contemporary and modern aesthetics.

At the heart of our team lies a profound belief in the sanctity of the creative process, recognizing that each project harbors its unique essence. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, the team invests heavily in research, delving deep into various facets including foundational principles, functionalities, design dynamics, and utilization processes. This meticulous approach enables us to craft solutions that not only resonate with the project's inherent uniqueness but also push the envelope in architectural innovation and excellence.

Our vision is to infuse fresh dynamics into African Architecture, serving as pioneers in revitalizing the continent's architectural landscape, before extending our innovative lens to the global community. We aspire to be catalysts in reshaping the world, offering a fresh perspective characterized by nuanced appreciation, innovative approaches, and refined subtlety. Through our work, we intend to redefine architectural paradigms, fostering a world that embraces diversity and celebrates architectural ingenuity and finesse.

The path ahead is indeed steep, and the journey extensive, yet we are resolute in our commitment to forging ahead. Even amidst the complex dynamics of human actions – both destructive and otherwise – on nature, we place the well-being of humanity at the core of our endeavors. This steadfast focus on nurturing human well-being remains a fundamental principle for us, a principle that will continue to guide our efforts, emphasizing the perennial importance of harmonizing our creations with the needs and aspirations of the global community.

Our daily commitment revolves around a central question: how can we facilitate progress without compromising the pristine beauty of our natural surroundings, our precious planet? With a deep-seated passion for wooden architecture, HKA is at the forefront of researching its potential role in crafting sustainable, resilient, and forward-thinking urban landscapes.

We envision a future where cities can break free from the reliance on concrete and steel structures that often tend to be less sustainable. In our pursuit of alternative solutions, we firmly believe that wood stands as a potent ally, offering a path to sustainable architecture that remains largely underutilized by the contemporary architectural community. As we forge ahead, our objective is to champion the use of wood, showcasing its potential as a material that not only harmonizes with nature but also paves the way for innovative, eco-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing architectural wonders.

Thus, we are committed to building a robust foundation of value, fostering a heightened interest, and nurturing a more informed discourse surrounding timber and its myriad benefits through intensive research. We envision the smart cities of tomorrow, which are taking shape in today's blueprints, to be grounded in the use of materials like wood - a resource that embodies sustainability, market viability, ecological harmony, utility, and adaptability.

By spearheading initiatives that emphasize the unparalleled advantages of wood, we aim to pave the way for a new wave of urban development that not only meets the demands of modern civilization but does so in harmony with the environment. In fostering a symbiotic relationship between urban expansion and nature, we aspire to redefine the benchmarks of architectural innovation, setting a precedent for future generations to follow.

HKA THINKING

Based in Cameroon, HKA is a vibrant assembly of youthful designers and thinkers, dynamically engaging in diverse fields encompassing architecture, urbanism, interior design, product design, and research. Central to HKA's operational ethos is a deep-seated emphasis on research, steering the design initiatives and fostering innovative solutions.

As creators, we are privileged to immerse ourselves completely in the full spectrum of the project lifecycle, right from the embryonic conceptual stage to the actualization of high-quality developments. Our design methodology is grounded in the utilization of 3D and parametric modeling tools, which stand as pivotal instruments in rapidly evolving various design concepts. These concepts undergo rigorous evaluation through simulation and testing software, facilitating informed decision-making.

Our portfolio is rich with projects characterized by intricate geometries, brought to life through custom-developed algorithmic definitions and parametric scripts. Once a project direction crystallizes, we embark on a comprehensive phase of experimentation, delving into aspects of geometry, material selection, spatial planning, pioneering construction methodologies, contemporary theoretical frameworks, blockchain technology integration, and big data analysis. This multifaceted approach ensures a harmonious blend of innovation, aesthetic appeal, and functionality in each venture we undertake.

Since its inception, our practice has fervently embraced BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology, fully recognizing its potential in fostering early integration of design elements, streamlining coordination, and promoting collaborative efforts across all project team members. This collaborative ethos forms the backbone of our working methodology, facilitating seamless operations across diverse scales, sectors, and disciplines.

Central to our approach is the active engagement with clients, consultants, and suppliers, fostering a synergy that is crucial in realizing cohesive and well-planned projects. Leveraging the capabilities of early 3D design and validation, we adeptly facilitate coordination and clash detection, pinpointing potential interface issues well before the construction phase commences. This preemptive strategy significantly mitigates the risks associated with redesign and cost overruns, ensuring a smoother transition from conception to completion, while maintaining adherence to stipulated budgets and timelines.

At HKA, we perceive BIM not merely as a model, but as a holistic process. Starting from preliminary sketches and spanning to simulations, specifications, construction outlines, and facility management, BIM seamlessly integrates every facet of our collaborative design workflow. This cohesive approach galvanizes the brightest minds, facilitating the resolution of intricate challenges. With BIM at the helm, coordination becomes an intrinsic part of our design methodology, effectively curbing discrepancies and obviating the need for extensive modifications.

The BIM data at HKA creates a unified platform, fostering a harmonious collaboration between designers and cost consultants to derive maximum value for projects. By amalgamating cost data with consistently refreshed geometry within the BIM realm, we generate precise cost models, granting our clients an assured transparency in financial projections.

From the project's inception, HKA integrates climatic and contextual insights to craft sustainable designs. Utilizing BIM, we appraise various design alternatives and simulate building efficiencies, ensuring optimal performance and eco-friendly solutions.

In this era of pervasive network culture, HKA is on a mission to traverse the utmost boundaries of domesticity. Our vision is rooted in pioneering a decentralized architectural workspace, while concurrently launching an open industry platform, reflecting our commitment to innovation, adaptability, and a forward-thinking approach.

HKA APPROACH

HKA is fundamentally driven to advance architectural agency: we believe Architecture should do things, not simply represent things. We emphasize performance, a hybrid of form and function calibrated to each client’s aspirations, and each project’s constraints. Unprejudiced by convention or a preconceived aesthetic strategy, we return to root problems and doggedly explore them with critical naiveté. Sometimes we discover uncharted territory; sometimes we rediscover forgotten territory that has renewed usefulness; sometimes we reaffirm conventions with assured conviction. Through this process, we expose solutions that transcend those we could have initially or individually imagined, and aspire to create radically functional designs whose specificity produces profoundly unique aesthetic experiences.

We challenge and advance typologies.

HKA feels it is time for Architecture to do things again, not just represent things.

We design collaborations rather than dictate solutions.

The proliferation of the “starchitecture” phenomenon reduces teams to individuals and their collaborative work to genius sketches. It diminishes the real teamwork that drives celebrated architecture. HKA believes architects should guide collaboration rather than impose solutions. We replace the traditional notion of authorship—“I created this building”—with “We nurtured this process.”

We embrace responsibility in order to implement a vision.

The implementation of good ideas demands as much, if not more, creativity than their conceptualization. Increasingly reluctant to assume liability, architects have retreated from the accountability (and productivity) of Master Builders to the safety (and impotence) of stylists. To execute the vision and retain the insight that facilitates architectural invention, HKA re-engages responsibility. Processes, including contractual relationships and procurement strategies, are tools with which we design. 

We side with neither form nor function.

HKAbelieves that the struggle between form and function is superficial and unproductive. By emphasizing performance instead—a hybrid of form and function calibrated to each client’s aspirations and each project’s constraints—we free architecture from the tired debate over whether it is an art or a tool. Art performs; tools perform. 

We don’t rush to architectural conclusions.

The largest obstacle facing clients and architects is their failure to speak a common language. By taking adequate time to think with our clients before commencing the traditional design process, we provide solutions to greater clarity and quality. With our clients, we identify the core questions they face and establish shared positions from which we collectively evaluate the architectural proposals that follow. 

We reach for the unexpected by exposing root problems.

We don’t innovate for innovation’s sake. Nor do we accept predigested solutions. We return to root problems and doggedly explore them with critical naiveté. Unprejudiced by convention, we expose solutions that transcend those we could have initially or individually imagined. Sometimes we discover uncharted territory; sometimes we rediscover forgotten territory that has renewed usefulness; sometimes we reaffirm conventions with assured conviction.

We view constraints as opportunities.

Engaged intelligently, project challenges such as site conditions, budgets, schedules, codes, and politics are opportunities that catalyze the most innovative solutions. Architectural concepts that capitalize on our clients’ constraints will surpass any vision that resists intractable realities. We produce specific designs that are highly effective, not universals diluted in an application.

We advance new strategies for flexibility.

Despite an increased need to accommodate change, the contemporary design still relies on an antiquated version of flexibility: one size fits all. The promise of a blank slate upon which any activity can occur has produced sterile, unresponsive architecture. HKA advocates discretizing activities and addressing the possible evolutions of each on its own terms. With this strategy, one activity can evolve without sacrificing another, and collisions between activities unleash surprising potentials.

We love the banal, ordinary or extrem.

HKA dares to be dumb.

HKA PHILOSOPHY

We Draw Inspiration from Nature

We learn from the process, formations, structures, and natural life in the environment to inspire our design. Nature teaches us. There is more to architecture than the creation of beautiful forms, and it must involve all of our senses. The feeling of a soft breeze, the acoustics in a cave, or the ambiance of natural light through a tree canopy – these are elements we cannot draw, but try to involve in the experience of architecture.

Invisible Architecture

HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates aims to explore the boundaries of the perception of architecture. When does architecture best embody the qualities and virtues of nature? With a self-effacing hand, Hermann Kamte has demonstrated through his past projects how architecture based on an understanding of ambiance and the elements can expose nature to itself. The elements become the shapers and the protagonists of the built form, not the architecture itself.

Architecture in Time

HKA’s approach to architecture is also an embodiment of a shift in lifestyle. Based on an understanding of the life cycle of the spaces and the ever-changing use of space through time, HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates’ architecture is designed to stand the test of time and to evolve with time. In the face of a changing industry, HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates’ architecture highlights environmental initiatives and credentials that are becoming increasingly critical to the sustainability of the projects we undertake. Design for now. Design for later. Design with nature.

Humanizing Architecture

With tall buildings, people have the ambition to go higher and higher, but as you go vertical, a lot of issues some with it-the tall scale works in the context of the city but for human scale, sometimes it can just feel too tall. We want to humanize tall buildings, to celebrate the pedestrian level and consider how people experience it.

Minimal Architecture

HKA’s architecture showcases an intimate relationship between form and function. The design is purified to its essence and the architectural form speaks directly to the function of spaces in a programmatic sense. Simple lines and ambience materials form the palette for the interiors. With environmental design at the forefront of each design, HKA | Hermann Kamte & Associates seeks to engage in a dialogue between architectural form and context, an unrelenting attempt to understand how simple natural processes can inform architectural form.

Game Changer

Linking the loop; a milestone for Lagos Wooden Tower by MetsaGroup, proposal up in the air. Lifting the Game, Lagos Wooden Tower is about to change the skyline of Lagos, Nigeria.