This thesis began with research in the rural areas of Zimbabwe, in southern Africa. I began with a little background knowledge and a great desire to learn. I took my research to the rural areas to try to understand the roots of traditional architecture and the why's of building methods in Zimbabwe. My thesis project grew out of a desire to give something back to the people that had so generously opened up an opportunity for me to learn about their culture and traditions.

My cultural center was an attempt to take the essential elements of traditional building, use the structural language of the homesteads and create a place that would become part of the site and culture of today's Zimbabwe.