Totem Architects

Architecture -- Urban Planning -- Interior Design

Philosophy

TOTEM is an architecture practice based in Abidjan. The office is focusing on urban planning and housing design. We create solutions that meet the social and cultural needs of a place as well as carefully addressing its functional, physical and detailed requirements.
The sense of place ; through an architecture that responds to climate and the local setting, a dynamic architecture of adjustable skins that connects the indoors with the out (or should it be the outdoors with the in ?), a non-constant architecture that responds to the morning, the evening, the heat, the cold, the sun, the rain and these moments that will never pass again...
The sense of place : that is what animate us.

We believe that architecture should express a certain poetry, its users’ personalities, and the uniqueness of the mix of place, people and the day; but also some basic logic.
We believe that a building is foremost a structure. From this standpoint only rational design decisions can flow – with consequent robustness, ‘buildability’ and economy. And we believe that a building should be fun, friendly and forever adaptable. We are committed to the notion of environmentally sustainable, responsible architecture, which leads to a whole-of-site approach (and beyond).
Furthermore, we enjoy thinking about the (human) process of building, developing building programs that incorporate local materials, artist and community resources: an event that might add to a community’s social and cultural fabric.

The Team

Our office is comprised of three young architects, a team which can handle varied architecture projects with its diversity and specialties of each one. In absolute terms, we are everywhere ... if there is a way for us to go there!