State House Reception Building

Located at the entrance to the State House, the new Reception Building is the greeting point for all visitors, whether VIPs or ordinary people. The Reception Building is a modern building, yet one which crucially is designed to fit into the State House surroundings and at the same time speaks of its African heritage. Multiple columns hold up a deep overhanging entrance canopy which shades the front of the building and provides a cool covered walkway for people entering the building. The interior of the building is dominated by a triple height glazed atrium with water feature at the base. Specially commissioned artworks by prominent Tanzanian artists are featured throughout this building.

Given its location at the entry point to State House, which was a building originally built by the British administration in the 1920s, we felt that this was an important opportunity for a statement about what modern architecture could be in a truly independent and forward-looking Tanzania.