Eastgate Center, Harare (must see)

The Eastgate Centre is a shopping centre and office block in central Harare, whose architect is Mick Pearce. Designed to be ventilated and cooled by entirely natural means, it was probably the first building in the world to use natural cooling to this level of sophistication. It opened in 1996 on Robert Mugabe Avenue and Second Street, and provides 5,600 square meters of retail space, 26,000 square meters of office space and parking for 450 cars.

The Eastgate Centre's design is a deliberate move away from the "big glass block". Mick Pearce took an alternative approach. Because of its altitude, Harare has a temperate climate despite being in the tropics, and the typical daily temperature swing is 10 or 40 °C. This makes a mechanical or passive cooling system a viable alternative to artificial air-conditioning.