Gilbert Balinda

Gilbert Balinda is a Rwandan-Belgian architect and the founder of Gilbert Balinda Architects, a Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary practice rooted in the research of the intersection between heritage, cultural programming and architecture. Drawing from his early career at Mashabane Rose Associates, where he contributed to award-winning projects such as Freedom Park, The Nelson Mandela Capture Site, and Nelson Mandela House, his practice specialises in museums, exhibitions, interpretation planning, and extensive research studies in the heritage and cultural sector.

The practice’s ongoing projects includes the South African Reserve Bank Museum in South Africa, a Heritage Mediation Centre in Rwanda, and interpretive master planning for the Thabo Mbeki Foundation. The practice is deeply committed to extending cultural and heritage programming beyond the confines of museums, impacting various architectural sectors, including residential, hospitality, and educational buildings. This philosophy guides the practice in contextualising architectural gestures to remain relevant, human-centred and interconnected.