The Brief

The architectural competition called for the design of Cameroon’s first local Bahá’í House of Worship, conceived as a place for prayer, reflection and collective spiritual life in Batouri. Open to people of every background, the temple needed to express the Bahá’í principles of unity, inclusion and service to humanity while remaining meaningfully connected to the communities it would serve. The brief also required a welcoming worship space whose architectural character, materials and landscape would emerge from the cultural traditions, environmental conditions and everyday life of eastern Cameroon.

The Context

The future temple will stand on an 8,292 m² site beside the Kadey River in Batouri, where buildings already support devotional gatherings and other community activities. The project is rooted particularly in the cultural heritage of the Gbaya people, alongside values shaped through their interaction with other communities in the region. The river, local crafts, traditional buildings and Batouri’s association with gold mining provided important references. The House of Worship is intended to become both a spiritual sanctuary and a centre of unity, education and service for Batouri and its surrounding villages.

Our Response

Our 720 m² design is organised around the Gbaya idea of gbàssàrà: the supporting pillar of a family home, a bird whose call guides people through the forest and an instrument that summons the community. Nine abstracted birds rise towards a common point to form the central edifice, expressing unity in diversity. The dome recalls traditional gable-roofed houses, while projecting extensions create shaded transitional spaces. Openings inspired by farming and weaving filter daylight into the worship hall, and a gold-tinted glass crown references Batouri’s mining heritage. A gently curving approach through the gardens echoes the meandering course of the Kadey River.

The Outcome

The competition-winning proposal was publicly unveiled in Batouri on 13 May 2026, at a gathering of approximately 1,000 residents, traditional leaders, public officials and members of Bahá’í institutions. The design establishes a distinctive architectural identity for the future temple while remaining grounded in local culture, landscape and construction realities. Its single worship hall is conceived as a calm, inclusive space without podiums or figurative ornamentation. Concrete, timber and stabilised-earth blocks support durability, economy and maintainability. Once built, the House of Worship is intended to welcome all people and inspire worship, education, community service and collective progress.