Tonderai Maboreke
At PeopleDem property we believe in celebrating our community by spotlighting black excellence in property. Today we are celebrating Tonderai Maboreke.
Tonderai is an award-winning architect with over a decade of experience contributing to the design and delivery of projects across EMEA, Taiwan, the Caribbean, and Oceania. He is passionate about the development of spaces and the built environment, particularly in the Africa and Global South. He is also deeply interested in the future of sustainability, decolonisation, and decarbonisation within academia and the built environment as a whole, particularly in relation to the construction and delivery of developments and buildings.
To become an architect, Tonderai acknowledges that he couldn’t have reached where he is today without the support of others. He shared:
“I’ve been fortunate to have had a series of great mentors along my journey, from school and university through to professional practice. Alongside those key people in my educational and professional career, my family have also been some of the best mentors to me. They’ve always pushed me to aim high and believe in what I’m capable of. The key thing that stands out for me is that people always encouraged me to believe in myself, believe in my ideas, and express my thoughts, because they’re unique, and to use that as a superpower. I think this idea of believing in ourselves is so important for the next generation of professionals coming through. For me, that belief has been fundamental to the journey I’ve taken and has really helped shape the person and professional I am today.”
Tonderai’s journey into the property industry began with the inspiration of his auntie, who was the first Black female architect in Zimbabwe. This was a significant influence on his career aspirations. Tonderai shared:
“It’s something I wasn’t aware of at first, but as I’ve looked back over the years, her career definitely influenced my decision to become an architect.”
Tonderai has always been fascinated by the way the built environment can define a space and the impact it can have on a country economically, whether through tourism, residential development, or even the aesthetics of the central business district.
What motivates Tonderai most about being an architect is seeing a concept birthed into something real and tangible. He enjoys taking something that may seem useless to most people, such as a derelict site, an open space, or a tricky space, and transforming it into something of value to the client and the people around it.
In turn, this creates value for the surrounding community, improves the area and location, enhances the buildings surrounding the space, and improves the lives of the people living there.
Tonderai believes in taking something that initially seems to be of low value and creating enormous value from it. For him, this is about changing people's lives, influencing how they feel and work, and creating a blend of social, economic, and sustainable impact. What has truly allowed Tonderai to get where he is today is his ability to persevere and remain determined. He said:
“It’s also about not letting outside influences sway my beliefs, opinions, thoughts or ideas, and being strong in what I believe in. For me, a key part of that is being able to think critically and bring all aspects of my personal life experiences into the work I do, whether that’s my education, life experiences, journeys, travel, or the different environments and surroundings I’ve experienced.”
Tonderai believes that bringing all these experiences together allows him to present his own unique perspective. All of this is underpinned by the principle of aiming as high as possible and always seeking to do the best possible work he can.
He believes there is no reason why someone else can do something and you can’t. “Why Not?” is a slogan Tonderai has lived by ever since leaving school. Even before that, he was always willing to take opportunities and never afraid to try something new because, honestly, you never know where it might lead you.
Whilst Tonderai has achieved a lot in his career, he is still pushing to do more. One of his goals is to undertake more work on the continent of Africa and further develop what sustainability means, and can mean, within the African context.
For Tonderai, this is about looking beyond sustainability as simply an environmental or technical consideration and thinking about how we can create more locally relevant, socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable ways of designing and developing.
He wants to push for continuous innovation, excellence, and development far beyond what we currently see, and the potential is certainly there!
Tonderai is always open to connecting with people who are passionate about developing work in Africa. Anyone with aspirations to develop something within the built environment, whether that’s housing, clinics, hospitals, commercial spaces, social or civic spaces, installations, or artwork, will find that there is a breadth of opportunities available. As he puts it:
“I’m always open to collaboration and to connecting with people who share that passion.”
In 10 years, Tonderai sees himself as a leader in his field, doing work across the continent, impacting people’s lives, and continuing to mentor young professionals, students, and aspiring architects. He is currently on the advisory board for an organisation called IKENGA, which does amazing work with minority communities within the creative space, including architecture, design, media, sculpture, and art.
The organisation offers a series of monthly mixers and mentoring sessions, creating opportunities for people to connect, learn, and develop. Looking ahead to the next 10 years, Tonderai would love to see this initiative grow and continue to play a role in supporting and mentoring the next generation of creative professionals.
When asked about an achievement he is most proud of, Tonderai explained that, while he wouldn't necessarily describe it as an achievement, he particularly wants to highlight the impact of his work with IKENGA outside his day-to-day work in construction and architecture.
Seeing students who previously thought they were not going to get through university go on to achieve first-class and second-class degrees, including 2:1 degrees, has been particularly rewarding. The next step is to hopefully see them qualify as fully fledged architects. For Tonderai, this has been one of his biggest achievements and one of the things he is most proud of.
As Tonderai is passionate about giving back to others, we asked him to share a resource he has found valuable. He shared:
“I would say the work of ‘Cooking Sections’, who are a studio led by Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe. My former titles, employers and mentors, their work investigates the systems that shape the world through food, tracing the spatial, ecological, and political legacies of extractivism.
“Exploring sustainability through a lens that I had never quite thought about, they use food as both a lens and a tool to trace the metabolic relations behind industrialised food systems, the built environment, and the Anthropocene. I highly recommend reading their recent publications and the variety of contributors.”
It is truly an honour to share Tonderai’s story, as he shows what is truly possible. His journey will inspire young Black boys to see that they can have a global impact through architecture. They do not need to be confined to their own city or even their own country; they can add speckles of beauty around the world. We look forward to seeing how Tonderai continues to give back to others, take on more projects on the continent, and develop his practice.
