Durban International Convention Centre
A Flexible Civic Anchor
The rapid global rise of the meetings and events industry gave shape to a new architectural typology: the modern convention centre. In 1992, the City of Durban responded to this shift by commissioning the design and construction of a purpose-built facility that would position the city on the international stage.
From the outset, the project extended beyond a single building. As part of the brief, we were tasked with creating an urban design framework for the Centrum precinct — a central site envisioned as a new civic square. This would become a pedestrian-focused precinct, defined by a perimeter of carefully planned buildings, with the ICC Durban as its focal point.
An international study tour informed the design process, drawing lessons from precedents in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia. From these global insights emerged a local solution: a flexible, multipurpose venue designed to accommodate a wide spectrum of events. From large-scale international conventions and national conferences to exhibitions, concerts, product launches, political gatherings, weddings, and examinations — the ICC needed to adapt fluidly to multiple scales and formats.
The architecture responded with clarity and flexibility. The central feature is a large, flat-floor main hall — fully subdivisible — with a northern foyer that extends into a concourse along the western edge. Flanking this concourse are two double-volume breakout blocks, each opening onto landscaped courtyards that provide light, shelter, and relief. Beneath the main floor lies a full-service layer: parking, kitchens, staff zones, and service infrastructure. Suspended above the foyer are two levels of administrative offices, tucked within the roof structure.
At the northern end, the main hall transforms into the plenary space — a raked-seating auditorium designed for keynote sessions and formal gatherings. Ingeniously, the raked seating is hinged and can be hoisted into the ceiling to revert the space to a flat-floor venue, expanding its use. Simultaneous translation booths and projection systems enhance its international readiness.
Flexibility is embedded throughout. Meeting rooms and venues are reconfigurable via operable acoustic partitions, suspended from structural tracks that allow quick and quiet transformation. The building envelope has been acoustically treated to support concurrent events without conflict — a necessity for a venue of this scale and ambition.
Structurally, the building combines a concrete frame with a long-span steel roof, enveloped by glazed curtain walls to the north, south, and west. The roof — articulated in aluminium sheeting — forms a modulated wave that reduces the building’s visual mass and responds to the human scale at its edges. This form also mediates climatic conditions, creating deep overhangs that shade façades and allow for controlled interaction with Durban’s tropical environment.
The interior is extensively serviced to support complex event infrastructure — from audiovisual and communications systems to electrical and plumbing services. A grid of service pits, integrated into the floor and connected via the ceiling of the parking level, provides discrete access to utilities for event organisers.
Siting was strategic. The building occupies the northern portion of the site, preserving space for future expansion. The northwest corner was allocated for the future Hilton Hotel, anchoring the precinct with hospitality infrastructure. The design integrates seamlessly into the urban fabric: a new pedestrian promenade wraps the western and southern edges, linking into Walnut Road — a shared street that can close to traffic during large-scale events. Service access is managed via Stanger Street to the east, while Ordnance Road to the north serves as the main public entrance, offering convenient access for taxis, buses, and private vehicles — all in close proximity to the city’s beachfront hotels.
What emerged was more than a convention centre. It was a civic engine — flexible, welcoming, and forward-looking. A place where Durban could host the world, and where the built environment supports connection, dialogue, and shared experience at every scale.
