Avis Village Urban Development
A catalyst for urban flows in and out of the metropolis (resembling a lung), designed to safeguard the present natural resources and to promote an urban development that ensures access to all necessary functions
for the inhabitants.
- Location
- Windhoek, Namibia
- Client
- Nuvella (Pty) Ltd.
- Company
- A One V Two Namibia (Pty) Ltd.
- Design
- 2018-(2019)
- Construction
- Not applicable
- Construction cost
- Not available
- Services rendered
- Planning Scheme Approach | Urban Concept Design | Urban Developed Design
- Area
- 37.3 ha


- Description
- The new designed urban center is in a prime location, 5 km west of the city centre of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and takes the region's particular topographical features into account. This plan was designed to act as a catalyst for urban flows in and out of the metropolis (resembling a lung). It safeguards the present natural resources and promotes an urban development that ensures access to all necessary functions for the inhabitants. The urban structure, occupying an intervention area of 37.3 ha, takes advantage of the existing topographical features, exploring alignments and visual orientations, particularly those that enhance panoramic views. It also integrates existing structures, in line with the programmatic objectives and the requirements laid out by the client. The plan includes functional areas, such as a central business area, a tourist complex, differentiated residential areas and an urban park connected to the occupied areas and to the remaining existing ecological structure, ordered through a hierarchical road network.
- Symbolically, the plan is inspired by the flower of the protected species Camel thorn. The "flower" represents the centre and heart of the city, the motor of development where commerce, services and housing are gathered (central business area) to the south, at the highest point of the intervention area. A tourist complex is located at this point as well, becoming the outstanding visual element for anyone entering the city of Windhoek, with its privileged visual alignment both towards the sunset and towards the mountains surrounding the intervention area. The pedestrian routes and road network, symbolically represented as the "branches" of the Camel thorn, are hierarchically organised, providing continuity and connectivity between the central business area, the urban park and the differentiated residential pockets.
- The urban park is located on a high point of Avis Village, in the centre and to the north of the central business area. With a privileged view of the sunset, the park integrates multiple recreational, leisure and contemplation spaces, such as an open air amphitheatre, playground, restaurants and other spaces for support equipment. Differentiated residential areas are symbolically represented by sets of "foliage". These residential pockets are distributed around the "flower", namely around the central business area and around the urban park. They include plots for detached houses, for semi-detached houses and for collective housing buildings. There is also dedicated space for a retirement home. A1V2 developed the Town Planning Scheme for the Authorities (the land use model that organises and structures the land occupation through zoning) and is responsible for the Preliminary Study and Detailed Design of the Urban Design.