(CNN) -- Africa is a land under construction. Last year, over $220 billion was spent on all kinds of building projects in the continent. While foreign architects have clamored to make their mark in the region, a range of local talent has also stepped forward to shape their landscape (and in some cases, export their aesthetic abroad).

"Africa is constantly looking to the North. It doesn't always look in its own backyard, but the truth is, there's a lot of very good indigenous knowledge on the continent," says Iain Low, a professor of architecture at the University of Cape Town and editor the South African edition of Architectural Digest.