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Growing up in a poor village in Burkina Faso, Francis Kéré did not play football with other children. He helped repair houses.
After winning a scholarship to a professional carpentry school in Germany and attending architecture school at the Technical University of Berlin, Kéré was in no hurry to join a prestigious firm. As an architecture student, he had raised the money to build a primary school in his hometown of Gando, with construction help from local residents. drawing plans for them in the sand.
Even after gaining international acclaim at exhibitions such as London’s Serpentine Pavilion and the Venice Biennale, Kéré has consistently turned his attention to his home.
It is this commitment to uplifting the community he comes from that has helped Kéré, 56, win the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honor, announced Tuesday.
“For and with communities, their buildings, constructions, materials, programs and unique characters belong directly to these communities,” the jury said in a quote. “They depend on where they live and on those who sit in them. They have an unpretentious presence and an impact shaped by grace.”
In a phone interview, Kéré said she was impressed – she cried – at the recognition of Pritzker and was surprised that she had caught the jury’s attention.
“I still don’t believe it,” he said. “I push this business in architecture to bring quality architecture to my people.”
This work often took the form of schools, libraries, health centers and public spaces in underserved areas where Kéré made the most of limited resources and drew on West African traditions. Their projects are concentrated in Africa. BeninBurkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Kenya, Mozambique and Sudan.
In Gando Elementary School (2001), Kéré used cement-reinforced bricks and a raised, overhanging roof to withstand extreme heat and poor lighting conditions.
This project increased the school’s student enrollment from 120 to 700 and led to Kéré’s design of the teachers’ residence (2004), an extension (2008) and a library (2019). Last year, T Magazine’s The primary school is one of the 25 most important buildings built after World War II.
Similarly, Kéré took advantage of the cooling effects of quarry stone and stacked towers to minimize air-conditioning needs. Startup Lions Campus An information and communication technology complex in Turkana, Kenya, completed in 2021.
“Francis Kéré is pioneering sustainable architecture for the earth and its inhabitants in countries with extreme scarcity,” said Tom Pritzker, president of the Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the award. “He is equally architect and servant, enhancing the lives and experiences of countless citizens in a part of the world that is sometimes forgotten.”
When it comes to materials, Kéré works with whatever is available, whether it’s wood, brick or clay. “I will push for simplicity over modularity,” he said. “I try to be as efficient as possible, build small things that can be put together easily, and create something holistic.”
“I love wood – it’s calming,” she added. “All this material is grounding you.”
Growing up in Burkina Faso, where her family is a farmer, Kéré said the warm classes motivated her to learn carpentry and one day to build better buildings.
While studying in Germany, Kéré distributed newspapers at night to send money home.
“I used my time to travel around Berlin to see how buildings were made in the pre-industrial era, because this is the technique that will help my people,” said Kéré.
While still a student, Kéré was born in 1998. Times Foundationa non-profit organization serving the residents of Gando through project development, partnerships and fundraising.
In 2005 he founded Kéré Architecture in Berlin. His practice, which has reached 21 people, is currently located in Munich. Notable works also include his xylem pavilion at the Tippet Rise Arts Center in Montana (2019); Mali National Park (2010); and in Burkina Faso, the Léo Doctors’ Residence (2019) and Opera Village (Phase I, 2010).
“He works in marginalized countries where there is no architecture and infrastructure, full of constraints and challenges,” Pritzker said in press materials. “The expression of his work exceeds the value of a building itself.” To win
Kéré said that he approaches every project from the perspective of his customers, trying to understand their goals and needs. “Okay, what do I have to give?” I’m starting. Why is this person coming to me?’” said Kéré. “I take the time to listen. When the world is full of architects, I listen to really see what drives this person to come to me.”
Working in West Africa can pose significant challenges. The National Assembly of Burkina Faso, for which Kéré designed a pyramid-shaped building with exhibition spaces and courtyards, political uncertainty.
Working in poor areas requires skills beyond design, Kéré said, meaning patience. “You have power cuts, your internet is constantly disconnecting – you have to be passionate and believe in the project,” he said. “I’m not disappointed to dream of doing architecture in a different way that isn’t so fast.”
Kéré’s projects are not just utilitarian; they can also have a strangeness and serenity. For CoachellaHe wrapped 12 towers with colorful triangular screens at the California music festival in 2019.
For the Benga Riverside School (2018) in Mozambique, he shaped the walls with repetitive small spaces and “allows the light and transparency to inspire confidence in his students,” he said.
The walls of the Center for Health and Welfare (2014) feature a pattern of framed windows of varying heights, and the Pritzker jury presents a picturesque view of the landscape “for all”, from “a standing doctor to a sitting visitor”. inpatient.
Kéré’s strong closeness to his homeland shapes his practice – referring to local symbols such as the baobab or braggart tree; The traditional blue bubuk dress she wore as a child.
Kéré said he wanted the community to not only participate in the creation of the architecture, but to connect with it and feel transported.
“They’re taking more than a building,” Kéré added. “They’re inspired.”
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