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Residents in a shaded, planted courtyard between brick apartment buildings at Linbro Gardens (concept visual)

Consulting practice + property developer

Leave every place richer than we found it.

Real estate is our vehicle for shifting society from a culture of exploitation to one of compassion and regeneration. We advise, design and co-build developments that balance social value, ecological care and financial stewardship.

Linbro Gardens, Johannesburg. Shared courtyard, concept visual.Akoma means heart in Akan

Enabling developments that are inclusive and ground-breaking.

Akoma is a property developer and consulting practice, focused on inclusive housing at the community scale.

Solutions that consider people, planet and profit sit at the heart of what we do, at every stage of a development. With our clients and partners, we look for answers that push past the status quo.

We back projects that act as catalysts for the ecological, economic and social health of the places around them. That holds whether the project is a farm, a school or an apartment block.

  • Innovation

    A track record of pioneering solutions that redefine what is possible.

  • Speed

    A lean team and a deep network deliver quality faster than most.

  • Cost-effectiveness

    We have felt the pain of overpaying consultants. We keep the focus on value, not overhead.

  • Regeneration

    We go the extra mile to find additional social, ecological and financial value.

Places built as living systems.

Like any developer, we conceptualise, design, build, finance and operate buildings. Unlike most, we start by asking whether a place will nurture the people, the land and the community around it.

Aerial view of Linbro Gardens, low apartment blocks with timber screens among mature trees and the Johannesburg skyline behind (concept visual)
Residents tending raised food gardens between apartment buildings (concept visual)
Compact apartment interior opening onto a garden (concept visual)

Linbro Park, Johannesburg. Flagship development, pre-construction.

Around 300 mixed-income apartments 11 km from Sandton, with small-business retail, a community learning centre and urban food gardens. Built with low-carbon materials such as cross-laminated timber and hemp, powered and watered by on-site energy, rainwater and wastewater systems.

A place where the children of doctors and the children of factory workers play, learn and grow up together. Backed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa's Green Fund, the project is in pre-construction. We co-founded it and act as its development manager, from first concept to funding, planning and design.

300mixed-income homes
30%+affordable for low to middle incomes
30%lower electricity costs for an illustrative family home
Timber lodge and natural swimming pool among trees at 58 in the Cradle
Farmhouse58, Cradle of Humankind
Nirox Exhibition Space

58 in the Cradle

Cradle of Humankind, World Heritage site. 168 hectares.

A boutique hotel, villas, a farm, a restaurant and an informal-settlement upgrade, planned in workshops with more than forty ecologists, farmers, artists, architects and neighbours.

We shaped the vision and steered 58 from its first days as partner-developers and day-to-day managers, raising capital from aligned investors and running skills programmes in rammed earth, green building, farming and hospitality.

Development experience sharpens our advice. Consulting keeps our projects inventive.

Between us, we have completed development work from large-scale housing and hospitality to specialised sustainability systems.

  • 11countries
  • 4continents
  • R400m+combined capital value of completed projects

Where could we be useful?

Alongside our own developments, we advise developers, municipalities, landowners, investors and companies who want to do something worthwhile with their property. Join us for one defined piece of work, or from first idea to delivery.

Conceptualisation

A site, and no settled idea what to do with it.

For landowners, investors, developers and municipalities. We conceptualise the whole, in parallel with the development feasibility, the financials and the regulatory requirements, so the idea and its viability are tested together.

You get a development concept, a land-use and constraints picture, an initial feasibility model and a phased programme.

Feasibility

A clear vision, but not sure if or how it works.

We test the idea against market, cost, programme, planning rules and finance, and show what has to be true for it to stand up. Where it does not, we say so early and show what would.

You get a feasibility study, a financial model, the options worth keeping and a clear recommendation.

Funding readiness

An existing project needs funding.

We establish the funder's requirements, assemble the project case and coordinate the missing studies and professional inputs.

You get a submission pack, with business case, financial model, cost plan, programme and the supporting studies the funder asks for.

Development management

A project needs someone to run it.

One accountable manager from plan to site. We appoint and brief the professional team, manage approvals, costs and procurement, and report to boards and funders.

You get a coordinated team, decisions made on time and honest reporting.

Building with integrity

A project wants regenerative delivery that holds up.

Regenerative strategies and solutions woven into every aspect of the development. Anything from technical solutions and advice around green-building, circular utilities, stabilised rammed earth and biological wastewater reuse, to social impact strategies such as skills programmes, community engagement, and more.

You get measurable ecological and social outcomes, lower operating costs and local people trained in the process.

Operational AI

A repeated document task needs testing.

One workflow, tested against the way it is done today, with a person reviewing every output. For example, a tender turned into a draft compliance checklist, each requirement linked to its source clause.

You get a working prototype on an agreed sample, a comparison of time and errors, and an operating guide.

Consulting in practice

Matter Again

Giving reclaimed timber a public platform.

Matter Again brings together built work and knowledge about reclaimed pallet timber, starting with a collection of buildings in Linbro Park, Johannesburg.

We helped shape its identity and website, making an existing body of work easier to explore and share.

As an ongoing partner, we help shape Matter Again’s programme, develop partnerships and share its work.

Explore our contribution

Recent engagements

Work we have done for clients.

  • Community members walking through open veld
    Framework + masterplan

    3,800 ha regenerative development

    A Communal Property Association needed a commercial strategy for its land that also protected heritage and community settlement. We delivered a development framework, masterplan, financial model and funding strategy. The report won member buy-in for phase one.

    Communal Property Association, Gauteng

  • Two people on a bench under an acacia looking towards the Hartbeespoort dam (concept visual)
    Development management

    Hartbeespoort waterfront

    Appointed development manager for a waterfront landholding beneath the Magaliesberg. First-stage site and constraints work complete, one coordination route set up for the professional team. Concept work under way.

    North West, in progress

  • Rendering of a shaded courtyard at the Karibu Community Care Centre
    Concept + costed design

    Karibu Community Care Centre

    A new centre for migrants and displaced people, with many stakeholders and a tight budget. With our design partner we delivered a concept report, financial model and costed design, on time and within budget. The city is using them to raise the next stage.

    City of eThekwini, Durban

  • Aerial illustration of the Phoenix regenerative precinct masterplan
    Delivery + fundraising support

    Green Neighbourhood in UK

    A neglected industrial site becoming a green neighbourhood, with homes, jobs, community space, a river walk, flood defences and a health centre. We support the development management and fundraising as an ongoing operational consultant.

    Lewes, United Kingdom

  • Cost Audit BOQ
    Build-cost audit

    Hotel cost audit

    A client needed a build-cost audit for a new hotel inside two weeks. We delivered the audit with actionable insights and supplementary financial analysis, giving clarity on budget and feasibility without touching the programme.

    Hospitality client

  • Farming Macadamia Farm
    Feasibility

    Macadamia farming viability

    A family office asked for the benefits and drawbacks of macadamia farming on a site they had identified. We assessed potential, suitability and value-adding additions.

    Middelburg, South Africa

“The quality of the report and the model is incredible. These documents are serving as a pillar for the future sustainability of this project. I am really grateful that I got a chance to work with you guys. Your passion and attention to detail is unparalleled. Thank you so much for this fantastic work.”
Senior Manager, Office of Strategic Management, City of eThekwini
“Akoma delivered a highly detailed report with actionable insights, within a short timeframe. This added tangible value to our project planning.”
Managing director, hospitality client

A community of changemakers, living, working and playing together.

Built in 1902 and now a heritage site, The Troyeville House sits in Makers Valley, an eclectic inner-city neighbourhood that is a microcosm of South Africa and the world. Akoma owns and manages the house.

Visit The Troyeville House

Life at The Troyeville House.

The Troyeville House seen from the street, stone quoins and white render behind trees
Covered veranda with white columns and red floor
Wooden staircase and stained-glass window
Lounge with chandelier, tall windows and pale sofas
Room 2 Troyeville House
Room Troyeville House
Lawn and mature trees in the garden
Exhibition
Event Film Screening Troyeville House
Front facade of The Troyeville House with the number 20 beside the arched entrance

Building with earth, water and the people on site.

AsaDuru is a specialist green-building firm working with rammed earth, one of the most sustainable building methods available, and biomimetic wastewater treatment. A contractor first, AsaDuru also consults on special projects, and trains local builders on every job.

Visit AsaDuru

Rammed earth work across Africa, Middle East, Europe and Australia.

Rammed Earth Nigeria
Rammed-earth wall with window opening against blue sky
CC South Africa Rammed Earth
12 Apostles Rammed Earth
Zambia Rammed Earth
Cape Town Rammed Earth
UK rammed earth
Rammed Earth team
12 Apostles Rick

About us

We like to do things differently.

Find out how Akoma is challenging outdated systems in building materials, ownership structure, working culture and more.

Learn more about Akoma

Journal

Dive deep with us.

In our journal we share our thinking on regeneration, real estate, management, sustainability and much more.

Read our journal

Say hello

Got land, a project or an idea? Let's talk.

A site you are unsure what to do with. A project that needs funding, a partner or a second pair of hands. A question about how we work. Whatever it is, feel free to reach out to us using the contact form here or via the email address below.

Tell us what you are working on and where it stands.

Newsletter

Occasional notes from Akoma on projects, regeneration and the odd idea worth sharing.

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